Skip to main content

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Haven't heard anything. Can't seem to find any recent reports of snow depth. I thought I saw something about 110". The rotaries are down in Roseville, and it's a big deal to drag them out. Even if they had 110", it depends on how fast it fell. They keep Jordan spreaders and flangers at Truckee, and just keep running them while it snows. If they get stuck, then it's rotary time.

IMG_2574

Attachments

Images (1)
  • IMG_2574

Reports from Roseville, Calif. (where the two rotaries are assigned), a few days ago, indicated that both rotaries (#209 & #211) were being "tested & steamed up", this past Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. Many times the rotaries are "tested & steamed up" for two main reasons: A) preparing for major storm/storms, and B) crew familiarization & training.

Also, for those inquiring minds, the rotaries are no longer "steam powered" (the wheel is driven by multiple locomotive traction motors, with electric power provided by an up-graded EMD F7B Unit highly modernized for the job, semi-permanently coupled at the rear of the rotary). The rotaries are, however equipped with steam generators in order to provide steam for heating and snow melting.

wb47 posted:

The alternate route is up the Feather River canyon.  This route does not seem to get the amount of snow that Donner gets.  It has been known to flood and have slides however.  I have not heard of anything major though. 

Reports from the "west coast railfans", indicate that the Feather River Canyon route has been closed for quite some days, with POSSIBLE reopening this comping Saturday, January 14. There have been a number of slides reported, due to the very heavy rains and wet snow.

Donner Pass has historical significance to before railroads.  A wagon train, headed west, never made it over the pass and was stuck there for some time.   The pass was named for the Donner party, who was stuck there,  with limited, or no supplies, to winter over into decent weather.   I 80 also goes through the mountains at this point.

   

Last edited by Mike CT

Latest report, posted on TrainOrders; the rotaries were not needed, as yet. The special spreaders and snow cats were able to keep Donner Pass open throughout the storm, even though Interstate 80 was closed for 24 hours. Traffic is extremely heavy over "The Hill" since the former Western Pacific route through the Feather River Canyon is totally closed due to many washouts and slides. Thus, the rotaries were NOT brought up, as they are much slower than the big spreaders, not to mention the potential danger of mud/rock slides, which the rotaries can NOT deal with. The spreaders are more able to maintain track speed and thus allow freight traffic to proceed. 

Donner Fans:

I discovered the Truckee webcam (linked below) a couple of weeks ago and shared it with a California train hobby friend. We've been watching it off/on since. (He's really gotten hooked.) I have seen several Jordan spread moves as well as flanger moves. Lots of freight action over the Pass as well as Amtrak for those of you that get off on Amtrak.

Here's a link to the webcam:

http://tahoetopia.com/webcam/downtown-truckee

Be careful! The above cam CAN become a bit addictive! Love the snow covered scenes I've been viewing thereon of late. (The other day it was snowing in Truckee and it was truly beautiful.)

Enjoy!

laming posted:

Donner Fans:

I discovered the Truckee webcam (linked below) a couple of weeks ago and shared it with a California train hobby friend. We've been watching it off/on since. (He's really gotten hooked.) I have seen several Jordan spread moves as well as flanger moves. Lots of freight action over the Pass as well as Amtrak for those of you that get off on Amtrak.

Here's a link to the webcam:

http://tahoetopia.com/webcam/downtown-truckee

Be careful! The above cam CAN become a bit addictive! Love the snow covered scenes I've been viewing thereon of late. (The other day it was snowing in Truckee and it was truly beautiful.)

Enjoy!

I can see why you say it can be addictive. I just got lucky and caught the eastbound Zephyr. It was being pulled by the phase I painted Genesis. Cool!

NOTCH 6

That was awesome. Never fought that much snow. I did get to run our snow Jest before I retired. That was fun and something I had always wanted to do. Never been around one, until it got delivered. We could not get an operator for it, so I kinda volunteered! Man that was fun, I hated training my operator on it when he got thru plowing snow with the dump truck. I even made him go get something to eat so I could run it longer.

 

 

We visited the Donner Pass gift store up on the pass a few years back and noticed they were selling a book about the Donner party and their problems.  It was entitled, "The Donner Party."  They were also selling versions of the book translated into many different languages.  I was particularly impressed by the German version which said, "Die Donner Party."  Seems a bit cruel to me.

FJ

(Yes, I know "die" is a German word for "the")

Big_Boy_4005 posted:
laming posted:

Donner Fans:

I discovered the Truckee webcam (linked below) a couple of weeks ago and shared it with a California train hobby friend. We've been watching it off/on since. (He's really gotten hooked.) I have seen several Jordan spread moves as well as flanger moves. Lots of freight action over the Pass as well as Amtrak for those of you that get off on Amtrak.

Here's a link to the webcam:

http://tahoetopia.com/webcam/downtown-truckee

Be careful! The above cam CAN become a bit addictive! Love the snow covered scenes I've been viewing thereon of late. (The other day it was snowing in Truckee and it was truly beautiful.)

Enjoy!

I can see why you say it can be addictive. I just got lucky and caught the eastbound Zephyr. It was being pulled by the phase I painted Genesis. Cool!

Elliot,

After I read your post, I went to the Amtrak Mobile website & based on the Train Status updates, I was able to watch today’s Eastbound California Zephyr on the Truckee webcam. It was over 45 minutes late.

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Last edited by naveenrajan

I've been watching this webcam off and on through the day and have a question for those of you familiar with Truckee.  And it involves the intersection in the foreground.

What in the heck controls the traffic at this intersection?  I can't see a traffic light and it doesn't appear to be a four way stop sign.   It almost seems like an intersection in Rome or Mexico City with no discernible means of traffic control.

Curt

juniata guy posted:

I've been watching this webcam off and on through the day and have a question for those of you familiar with Truckee.  And it involves the intersection in the foreground.

What in the heck controls the traffic at this intersection?  I can't see a traffic light and it doesn't appear to be a four way stop sign.   It almost seems like an intersection in Rome or Mexico City with no discernible means of traffic control.

Curt

Curt

 

I noticed the same thing. Scary! To me it looks like only a two way stop with a lot of head nodding added in

A bit of geography.  As you can tell the camera is looking west.  The Truckee river lies across the tracks and just beyond the row of houses.  Looks like the old Star Hotel is still standing there.  The Depot is up the street but across the street from the taller building.  Times have sure changed with the amount of traffic.  I 80 is to the right of the camera or north.  The old highway follows the main street out of town past Donner Lake and then up to the old pass.  Behind the camera the tracks start to descend with a pretty good grade coming up to the more level Truckee Depot.  Coming up that hill into Truckee,  the engineers could say, "they will know that we were here".  Thanks for posting the link. 

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×