Taking a day off

News from the Feather River Division of the El Dorado Western Railroad:

The downside of working six twelve-hour days each week is you get little time to yourself. We try to get away for dinner one or two evenings each week. Since our Sunday is day off, we assemble with the local saints for worship, then drive off to the former logging town of Greyeagle for lunch and time on the Internet. Sunday's drive was unique.

My wife and I work along the former Western Pacific Railroad Feather River Route. The line's current owner, the massive Union Pacific Railroad, has been running a lot of freight traffic over the rail line while the Donner Route has been closed. The railroaders among the staff at Oakland Camp (the housekeeping supervisor and myself) have enjoyed watching (and listening when we're busy) to trains each hour.

Catching three trains on a day off was exciting. I'll let the photographs tell the story.

As we drove east toward Blairsden and Greyeagle, an eastbound UP high-railer caught my attention at the Spring Garden siding. Thinking I could snap a photo as it crossed the bridge at Blairsden, we sped east on Highway 70. Instead of the track inspection vehicle, this local freight train appeared. My guess is that the high-railer took the siding.

The local took the hole (or siding) once he crossed the bridge. The waiting westbound intermodal freight was the superior train. As soon as the local cleared the main, the westbound gave two long blasts on the horn and proceeded west toward Keddie and the Feather River.

 

I took this photo as the westbound freight passed over the bridge at Blairsden.

 

Later in the day, Debbie and I saw this westbound coal drag as we returned to Quincy and the camp. With sufficient time to drive to the Williams Loop, we drove west. At the Loop, I photographed the train as it wound around under itself. Here the lead locomotive is ready to exit the loop and continue its westbound journey toward the canyon.

UP train at Oakland Camp

A westbound Union Pacific train slides past Oakland Feather River Camp at Mile Post 285.3 on the Canyon Subdivision (Western Pacific Feather River Route) on Sunday, May 5, 2013. The consist is made of covered bottom dump hopper cars. Up to a dozen westbound trains pass the camp on a typical day. The Western Pacific carried campers from Oakland to the camp on the California Zephyr beginning in 1924. The old Spanish Creek station was located about one-quarter mile from me (behind the camera). The Union Pacific acquired the WP in 1983.

Camp Layman Road crossing

Camp Layman Road crossing, originally uploaded by SeabeeCook.

My son and I drove spent the day following Union Pacific No. 844 up the Feather River Canyon yesterday. We started at Oroville at 8 a.m. and ended later in the afternoon when the train pulled into Portola.

This photograph is my best of the day. I like the classic pose of the 1940s-era 4-8-4 Northern pulling past a jubilant group of railfans at the Camp Layman Road grade crossing on the Middle Fork of the Feather River.

The UP 844 was the last steam locomotive built and delivered to the Union Pacific Railroad. With a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement, the locomotive was used in fast passenger train service until the 1957. It spent its last days in active service pulling freight trains.

The Union Pacific saved the engine from the scrapper's torch in 1960. It now tours the country as a living legacy to the days of steam. The locomotive was built by the American Locomotive Company and carries a construction number of 72791.

Keith Berry in the news

The crew, originally uploaded by SeabeeCook.

"(Steam) is a big deal for anyone into trains because it brings back an understanding of what life was like in Roseville," said El Dorado Western Railway President Keith Berry in a Roseville Press-Tribune article this afternoon.

"You're looking at active history in this area right now."

This afternoon a Keith and I drove over to Roseville to view the Union Pacific No. 844 roll into town for the weekend. It was the last steam locomotive built and delivered to the Union Pacific Railroad.

With a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement, the locomotive was used in fast passenger train service until the 1957. The 844 spent its last days in active service pulling freight trains.

The Union Pacific saved the engine from the scrapper's torch in 1960. It now tours the country as a living legacy to the days of steam. The locomotive was built by the American Locomotive Company (construction no. 72791).

Workin' on the El Dorado site plan

For more than six months, the El Dorado Western Railway has been considering the Town of El Dorado for the site of a new county railroad park. Current plans call for reconstruction of the Southern Pacific freight and passenger depot and construction of engine house and shot buildings on the abandoned Southern Pacific right-of-way.

Even though the park is several years off, railway volunteers are working on a site plan for presentation to the Sacramento Placerville Transportation Corridor Joint Powers Authority (or SPTC). Since the right-of-way is controlled by the SPTC, we will have to secure its permission to operate on the tracks.

In the above photograph, Bill Schultz (left), Harold Kiser and Keith Berry discuss the location of track and buildings at the proposed railroad park. Bill recently retired from the Union Pacific Railroad. He brings 30 years of railroad operation experience to the El Dorado Western.

To the left, Harold, a retired engineer, moves orange cutouts as Bill and Keith discuss the feasibility of the location of each building in the park. His challenge is to site the engine house, turntable, siding and switches where they don't interfere with existing easements.

After the planning session, the team drove out to El Dorado and walked the ground. This gave Harold a chance to take measurements while Bill and Keith compared plans to historic photographs of the old depot site. They were able to locate several features that confirm the depot's probable location.

Amtrak Interuptions Result from UP Trestle Fire

The trestle had completely collapsed last night at about 11:23, according to the News 10 story. The newspaper is saying that reconstruction will take "several weeks."

The California Zepher stopped several miles east of the fire yesterday. According to the Amtrak timetable, the No. 5 was already three hours late for its 2:15 p.m. arrival at the Sacramento Valley Station at 5th and I Streets.

An Amtrak service alert said: "Please be advised that passengers traveling on California Zephyr Trains 5 and 6 may experience delays of approximately three to five hours due to freight congestion, speed restrictions and other operating conditions affecting its schedule."

I don't believe the alert has anything to do with the fire. As of 10 this morning, I couldn't find any news of the line closure on Amtrak's website.

I said on my first blog yesterday that the bridge was to the south of the river. It's located to the north and west of the Business I-80 bridge. I have corrected my first blog post.

Tags: Diamond & Caldor, trains, railfan, narrow gauge, CalExpo, Union Pacific

Update on Trestle Fire

When News 10 last updated their Union Pacific trestle fire at 8:28 p.m., portions of the bridge had collapsed.

"The fire has caused significant damage to the bridge which has partially collapsed," said News 10 producer Jason Kobely. "No trains will be able to use the bridge until further notice, according to fire officials."

The Associated Press reported that a westbound Amtrak train from Reno was stranded in Roseville. About 130 passengers were bussed to Sacramento. An Amtrak spokesman said passengers would be bussed around the damaged bridge Friday. Service may be suspended.

"The trestle supports a key rail artery leading into Sacramento," said AP writer Aaron C. Davis. "Officials reported that several Amtrak trains were scheduled to travel through that section of track and were being stopped."

The cause of the fire had not been determined as of 9:30 this evening according to the AP.

AP news story via Guardian Unlimited website.

Union Pacific Trestle Fire Burns Near CalExpo

The Placerville, California Mountain Democrat reported on September 13, 1904:

Trestle 13 of the Diamond and Caldor Railroad was burned Friday last by a forest fire.

Trestle fires can stop railroad operation for several weeks. Though the newspaper didn't give any detail, the fire occurred during construction of the 34-mile line between Diamond Springs and Caldor. Construction likely slowed until the bridge was repair.

A similar fire in currently burning on the Union Pacific trestle leading north from the American River crossing. Thick, black creosote-spiked smoke is drifting skyward. The plume threatens communities to the east.

"Few details are available on the blaze that began burning just after 5:30 p.m. just west of Interstate 80 near Cal Expo," reported News 10 producer Jason Kobely. "The line is a major rail thoroughfare for Amtrak and other railroad transportation."

A UP spokesman told News 10 during special news coverage that the trestle is damaged sufficiently to close the bridge until repairs or replacement can be made.

The photograph is from the News 10 website.

Union Pacific's Cascade Route through Odell Lake in Oregon

A southbound UP freight hauling milled lumber products passes nearby Odell Lake Resort on the eastern shores of Odell Lake.

I'm back home after an enjoyable two-week vacation in Oregon. After visiting my wife's sister on the southern coast, we spend a week at Odell Lake, along the Cascade Route of the Union Pacific Railroad.

The route was built by the Southern Pacific in 1926. Four times daily (two trains northbound and two southbound), passenger trains stopped at Odell Station so vacationers could enjoy the six-mile long lake near Willamette Pass in Oregon's Cascade Range.

Today, the Amtrak Coast Starlight passes along the southern shore of the lake. When it's on time, Train 11 comes through late in the evening as it rambles toward Chemult, Oregon and Sacramento, California. The northbound passenger train, Train 14, passes the lake late morning on its way to Eugene and Portand, Oregon.

On Monday, July 31, I counted 13 north- and southbound trains. You can hear the train coming as the three diesel units pull the long train up the grade. Although the trains aren't that loud, you do hear their presence as they pass the lake.