Western Railroad Discussion > UP 2698 West Over Donner Summit

I managed to catch this stack train heading west over Donner Pass last Tuesday, though not in the nice evening light I had hoped for. It was slow going for this train out of Sparks, coupled with a report of a trespasser around Boca which caused further delays. By the time it reached Truckee the shadows were long and covering the tracks, and once it reached Norden the sun had set. Having lingered to try to catch this for as long as I had, I made the best I could while grabbing it in late day and twilight conditions. I'm not sure of the symbol of this train, which looked like it had domestic containers on the front end and marine containers making up the rear of the train.

Photo 1: UP 2698 is in the lead as the grade begins to stiffen out of Truckee for the final climb to the summit.
Photos 2 and 3: Having crested the grade, the head end power is about to pass what remains of the snow shed structure at West Norden.
Video: Same location as Photos 2 and 3, as it begins the descent to Roseville on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada.

Cheers,
Sean

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And the video...

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Awesome, Donner pass is my fav, just wish there was more train traffic 

Sean,
Nice shots, especially the first two and a clean, sharp video.  You picked a real nice location.  Like your "fadeouts" in the video.  Well done!  Thanks for sharing.

Kent in CArmel Valley

Most excellent!

Isn't that train on Track #2 that's intended to be EB?
Or, are the tracks on Donner bi-directional?
Phil

philhoov Wrote:
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> Isn't that train on Track #2 that's intended to be
> EB?
> Or, are the tracks on Donner bi-directional?
> Phil

I'm not an expert on RV Sub ops, but per the old(er) UP track charts I have, No.2 is traditionally EB, while No. 1 is traditionally WB between East Norden and Shed 10. That said, it is 2MT CTC, so I don't think it really matters, and in the past few weeks that I've been up on the hill I've seen both EB and WB trains on Track 2 in the Soda Springs/Norden area. I do know that stack trains take No. 1 between Bowman and Colfax due to tunnel clearance issues. I've also seen trains running on both tracks in both directions between Shed 47 and Truckee, which is also 2MT CTC but had traditionally used left hand running, IIRC.

Sean

If the train leaves Truckee on the north track,
does that mean it doesn't have to go thru
the turnout at Shed 47?

timz Wrote:
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> If the train leaves Truckee on the north track,
> does that mean it doesn't have to go thru
> the turnout at Shed 47?

Per the track chart I have, that is correct. The opposite is true for the Big Hole, which shows Track 1 going through the turnout, and Track 2 as the straight alignment into Tunnel 41.

Sean

pic 1 is breathtaking!

Nice shots and an excellent video!

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX