Western Railroad Discussion > Feather River Canyon damage?

Does anyone know just what damage has been done on the old WP?  I keep finding fragments of information and a couple of photos, but I was wondering if anyone knows or has heard from UP what damage they're reporting and where.  The Canyon is near and dear to me, and I'm just wondering what happened this time.  I understand access is difficult but if anyone knows, I'd sure like to hear.  Thanks.

Lee Hower - Sacramento

Lee, the most consistent thing I have heard/read is nine major washouts, most of them concentrated in the greater Portola area.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV 

The Sacramento Bee published a photo this afternoon showing a washout in the Ffeather River with the track suspended well above the ground.  Location not noted.

Sounds like it was one of two photos posted for customers on the UP website.  No specific locations were included.

JBOmaha

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Incredible photos...could the damages inflicted by the storms spell the end of railroading in the FRC?

How long to repair at least nine washouts plus?...

Copy19 Wrote:
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> Sounds like it was one of two photos posted for
> customers on the UP website.  No specific
> locations were included.
>
> JBOmaha

Thanks, John.  Those are the photos I've seen, along with a couple from out around Doyle.  Certainly UP must have a rather detailed list of what happened at what milepost.  Just wondered if anyone had access to it.  And I'm surprised you haven't moved back west to Reno or some place like that, a little closer to home.

Lee

DFWJIM Wrote:
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> Incredible photos...could the damages inflicted by
> the storms spell the end of railroading in the
> FRC?

This same topic was discussed after the FRC got pounded in 1997.  UP spent the money then  and I think they will do whatever is necessary to reopen FRC.  But its going to be awhile.


Allen

I can't figure this out. My post is below...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/17 08:28 by Anglingthewild.

DFWJIM Wrote:
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> Incredible photos...could the damages inflicted by
> the storms spell the end of railroading in the
> FRC?

I highly doubt it. It's still a very valuable line.

Rumor is in town that both the railroad and highway 70 will be closed for about a month. Highway 70 has roughly 30 slides in 45 miles that still needs to be repaired as of yesterday (per the cal-trans dude at the one-stop). My neighbor works for the RR, but hasn't been much for me to ask, ha. Who knows though, the forecast has nothing but rain. Some stations show we won't receive that much rain, but some show we are expected to receive over 10 inches in the next few days. I have some pictures, but it won't let me post then. Guess time will tell.
God bless

Posted from Android

The first one is in today's paper. There are MULTIPLE washouts all along the canyon. The UP quarry at Elsey (just north of Oroville) will be shipping a LOT of rock!!!

Photo no. 1 reminds me of the Moffat in Colorado in Sept. of 2013. UP poored-in the resourcses including 24/7 work trains hauling rock

CalTrans now saying that Highway 70 in the Canyon may open Sunday or Monday (One Way Traffic in spots) if these storms don't undo some of the fixes.
Can't speak for the railroad. Had 2 nbs on the Gateway Sub yesterday but methinks they were a sb train that was standed being dragged back to K'Falls?

Tom Y

Plan B would of course be a permanent trackage rights agreement with the UP to get to Klamath Falls, and
a local running into the Quincy Jct area from the East to cover SPI. BNSF could choose to keep the Inland open
via a local or just establish a transfer station at Quincy Jct for surface to rail.

Out

Perhaps the UP should not move forward with repairs until after the rainy season is over.

Posted from Android

Oh no, hurry up with the repairs, the area can use some more rain! Remember that no good deed
goes unpunished! I doubt that UP would give a damn if it weren't for the BNSF influence to get the
line open. Otherwise it could be July.

Out

Anglingthewild Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DFWJIM Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Incredible photos...could the damages inflicted
> by
> > the storms spell the end of railroading in the
> > FRC?
>
> I highly doubt it. It's still a very valuable
> line.
>
> Rumor is in town that both the railroad and
> highway 70 will be closed for about a month.
> Highway 70 has roughly 30 slides in 45 miles that
> still needs to be repaired as of yesterday (per
> the cal-trans dude at the one-stop). My neighbor
> works for the RR, but hasn't been much for me to
> ask, ha. Who knows though, the forecast has
> nothing but rain. Some stations show we won't
> receive that much rain, but some show we are
> expected to receive over 10 inches in the next few
> days. I have some pictures, but it won't let me
> post then. Guess time will tell.
> God bless
>
> Posted from Android

Sometimes 'rumors' are just some people's opinions, or guesses.  No way it will take UP a month to fix the washouts. 

If there ever was a time the federal government should
implement "open access" for all the railroad lines in this
country, it is now.  "Open access" means, AFAIK -- and
please correct me if I am wrong -- that the federal government
owns and maintaius and dispatches all of the railroad rights of
way, in this case, for the entire US.  

If I am wrong about what "open access" means, please post your
corrections here, and let me and others who, like me, are not experts
on it know what it really means, and how it works in Europe, where
it has been used for some time now, and how "open access" could be
made to work here -- fairly, so that the needs of passengers and
smaller shippers could be met using some form of "open access".

Thanks!

Margaret,

Please NO GOVERNMENT involvement!!!!!     Our government couldn't organize a one car funeral!!!!!

HotWater Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Margaret,
>
> Please NO GOVERNMENT involvement!!!!!     Our
> government couldn't organize a one car
> funeral!!!!!

HotWater -- 
Your reply is quite funny, but is not factual at all, and does not answer
my question.  Nonetheless, thanks for the laugh!  

To everyone --
All big organizations are much too big to be monolithic.  This
includes the US federal government.  Every organization is always
composed of many, many different parts, some of which function
very well, and some of which function very poorly.  And please
remember -- the US military is part of "the government", as is the
National Weather Service, NASA, the USGS, Amtrak, and the Post
Office -- to name just a few parets of our federal government.

And why would anyone think that private industry is immune to the
bureaucracy that all big organizations suffer from and that causes
big problems?

Why does anyone think that those who run big privately-owned railroads
always consider the needs of everyone equally, and not just the needs
of their biggest shippers when making decisions?  They always have to
put the needs of their biggest shippers first if they are to not only survive,
 ut to thrive, and to keep making lots of money.  So -- the needs of the
rest of us get mostly ignored.

Only a big government entity -- such as the federal government --
is big enough to have the resources -- people and money -- to see to
it that the needs of all of us get met, and not only the needs of the 
richest and most powerful people and organizations.  And this country
was founded precisely to see to it that, according to our Constitution, 
one of the basic functions of our federal government is to "promote the
general welfare".  That means that it is our federal government's
responsibility to meet everyone's basic needs.

What matters most is the character of the particular people who
run any organization and the culture they create.

The huge problelm is that -- like good housekeeping -- well-planned
and well-maintained infrastructure is invisible when done right, and
therefoire everyone takes it for granted when it is done right.

What I am sugggesting here is something that I thnk would work much
better for everyone than the way things are now done.  

I still await replies from people who really know how "open access" works
in Europe, where it has been done for many years -- replies that would tell
all of us exacctly what the pros and cons are of "open access".

TIA to those who answer my question.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/17 15:43 by Margaret_SP_fan.