Western Railroad Discussion > Donner Opens After a Wet, Windy, & Potentially Dangerous Night

It was a (relatively) warm and very windy night on Donner last night.  Somewhere along the way things came to a halt- I don't know if there was a singular event that closed things.    The snow level went very high, I guess maybe over 6000'.  Come dawn there was an avalanche warning issued, so Amtrak stopped #5 at Reno and decided to turn it as #6 this evening.  (The "real" 6 never left Emeryville)
Meanwhile, a spreader ran from Truckee to Switch 9 (Emigrant Gap) and back to clear the line for freight. 
To be continued...
SR

Today's spreader WB at Yuba Pass (MP 175.5)

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/19 18:25 by BoilingMan.

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Great photos, Thanks for posting!

Rob

Thanks for braving the cold!

Posted from Android

Love the "SPMW"!

As somebody has said... "SP LIVES!"

goduckies Wrote:
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> Thanks for braving the cold!
>
> Posted from Android


Cold?
SR

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Great pix. 

Someone explain to me again...why is a pair of non-turbocharged 2200 hp units better to use on spreader and flanger trains at 5000', than, say a pair of 3000hp, 6 wheel truck turbocharged, SD-40's? 

Only explanation I've ever heard is  "We tried them, and they didnt work out"

Actually, seems like a pair of the SP SD-39's wuda been perfect.  Why would u want non-turbo charged power up at altitude?

If they'd asked me, and they didn't   (What the...?)  I'd have kept the original car-body K-M hydraulics for dedicated snow service.  K-M's + Rotarys= the very essence of Bitch'n!
SR

The SD-9's that SP used were not turboed. SP could have used turbo units later but did not. Some reason must exist.

The SD39's may have been too heavy. They were some of the heaviest 6 axle units SP ever owned at 208 tons.
The SD38-2's at West Colton weigh the same. But they're not going anywhere anytime soon.

I guess the avalanche threat wasn't much, being UP ran trains over the Hill--1st the spreader crew, then freights.  Once again, the modern highway beats the railroad.  I never thought I'd see that on Donner, give the RR's resources. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/19 21:59 by coach.

Thanks for the photos and report.Especially thanks for braving the harsh weather. Well Done!!

usmc1401 Wrote:
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> The SD-9's that SP used were not turboed. SP could
> have used turbo units later but did not. Some
> reason must exist.

Here is one possible explanation concerning the use of roots blown EMD units vs. turbocharged EMD units. If there are lots of throttle & load changes happening in that type of service, plus at those altitudes, the EMD turbo could very well be "on the clutch" for short periods, then "off the clutch" for short periods. The end result is seriously increased stress on the clutch as well as the camshaft gear train. With the roots blown engine, there would be no undue gear train stresses as throttle & load requirements change rapidly, regardless of altitude. Also, lets remember that high horsepower is NOT a major requirement in this type of service, especially at altitudes under 10,000 feet.

Per Bill Lynch, they tried Sd40/SD45 when they came out and had horrible braking capacity. The SD9 had been proven since they started using them in the 50s and kept them until they got too old for snow service

BoilingMan Wrote:
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> goduckies Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thanks for braving the cold!
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
>
> Cold?
> SR
Although I did not get itin time for the start of the season, I am expecting a package from Amazon Prime today with a stunningly colored baklava to coordinate with my winter/mountan railroading ensemble..... Glad you are bundled up, and I LIKE that hat!

AJ

Oh- a balaclava!
I thought you said a burqa...
SR

Although, a burqa would be the ultimate in layering...   Layering is important

Thanks for your winter reports from "The Hill" SR, always curious about the railroad's winter operations up there.

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA

No, the baklava is to munch on while waiting for trains. 😂

Dave 

BoilingMan Wrote:
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> Cold?
> SR

Great selfie!!   Do you wear that when going in to the bank  . . .?  Just kidding . . .  thanks for making an real effort to grab those shots . . did you have to use snowshoes?

Craig
mcmrailvideos.com

No, I just walked (it was REALLY slow!). I had my skis on the car, but the spreader was RIGHT THERE RIGHT NOW when I got there and there wasn’t time to fool around changing boots etc.
So, I just kinda dove in...
SR

The up side was that my old Sorel boots are unbeatable for a long stay and I was there about 5hrs.

I'm surprised those GP38-2s are still around, one thing if anyone has the video "The Battle for Donner Pass" by Video Rails the one example on why no other 6 axle than the SD9s were used, the begining of the video started with a spreader set heading west from Truckee and before Shed 10 they end up on the ground because the rail rolled over!