Steam & Excursion > All The Drama Of Keddie Summed Up In One Photo-1948!

Without a doubt the small area of the Feather River Canyon route of the Western Pacific known as Keddie has drawn the attention of Railfans for decades. This was especially true in the days of WP's big team power that ruled the canyon.

Here is one photo that sums up so well why Keddie, California held such an attraction to those who followed American railroads. Taken in 1948 the great photo captures a long Eastbound freight train puling into the Keddie yards with one of WP's big 2-8-8-2 articulated engines on the point.

As you can see in the enlargement, similar large WP power waits in the yard for their turn at pulling the next train headed down the canyon.

Words alone don't do this scene justice.

Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/14 04:01 by LoggerHogger.

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Wow. Just...WOW!

Martin, you're right. They don't.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/14 07:38 by 4000Class.

Are the buildings the engine terminal?

Martin,

Where do you keep coming up with these terrible pictures. Don't stop.

Nudge

tomstp Wrote:
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> Are the buildings the engine terminal?


No, the engine facilities and roundhouse is just around that left-hand curve.

Stunning!

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

SierraRail Wrote:
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> tomstp Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Are the buildings the engine terminal?
>
>
> No, the engine facilities and roundhouse is just
> around that left-hand curve.


To me one of the fascinating things about Keddie is how it was stretched out along the shelf carved into the mountainside. As SierraRail points out, the engine facilities are around the big corner, a little over a mile from the wye, as I recall. You had the wye and its associated tracks, then the depot with the beginning of the main yard which then stretched around the corner to the roundhouse and other buildings, all stuck on the cliff side.

Such an amazing place.

Z

Besides the Wye, the 4-stall Roundhouse also had a turntable.

It looks as if the track on the bridge is super elevated. Is that the case?

Chris

I bet the folks living in the cabin down by the river must have been able to hear the comings and goings at all hours of the day and night! Nice place for a rail fan but probably not so much for someone yearning for a "mountain retreat".

Maybe it was employee housing with a built in aerobics stair climb to get to work each day ; )

John

When the Winter rains arrive, those cabins will be washed down-river!

SierraRail Wrote:
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> When the Winter rains arrive, those cabins will be
> washed down-river!


I dunno, still lots of cabins there. Some in abandoned/dilapitated some nice and well cared for. It's still beautiful country.