Western Railroad Discussion > Clear and cold on the Poky Sub

A clear but cold day finally got me back to the UP Pocatello Sub on Thursday, February 20th, my first visit since late September.  It was a balmy minus 7 when I left home, as low as -25 on the valley floor a few miles from my place, and still well below zero when I got to Montpelier, ID around 830am.  That valley was in a "temperature inversion", and it never got out of the single numbers all day.  First of all, the searchlight signal bridges at Montpelier are now on borrowed time.  Three of the four are still in service - one was knocked down by a yard derailment a couple of months ago - but replacement signals are either in position or are nearby and will likely be cut over this spring.  The UP wasn't overly busy, but there was enough activity to keep me occupied until mid afternoon when it was time to head home.  Attached are three pics.  First is westbound manifest MNPPT (North Platte-Portland) at Pegram, ID with 81 cars including 29 loaded autos.  Second is e/b MPDNPB (Portland-North Platte second section) about ten miles west of Montpelier with a pretty big train of 130 cars including 59 probably mty multi-levels.  Last is another w/b MNPPT west of Pescadero, ID with 102 cars.  The pole line is amost always a factor for photos on the Poky Sub, you just have to figure out how to work with it.  There was about 1-1/2 to 2 feet of snow all along the line, but the roads following the tracks were in great shape.  No fun driving into the ditch when it's below zero out!

Bob
Thayne, WY

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Great photos Bob    lots of snow and cold in intermountain West this year.   If it werent for global warming we'd be freezing our butts.

Nice trio. Sun, snow and mountains are an awesome backdrop.

Very nice! I drove through that area two augusts ago on my way to Kettle Falls WA to do some survey work for Omnitrax. Beautiful Area. Thanks for braving the elements.

Posted from Android

Interesting two MNPPT trains on the same day - I thought this was "Precision Scheduled Railroading"?!?!

Looks more like the same ole "Real World Railroading" that has been happening for centuries now (ie most freight trains don't keep to their "schedules"...

Nice collection of shots. When I first saw the post with Poky Sub in title, I thought why is a post about the NS in Virginia on the Western Board. Never knew the UP up here in Idaho was the Poky Sub. Glad you got some shots in the rather bitter cold.   Be well, Ben

Nice work. Was just looking through my photos from the past year and thinking that I seem to catch that MNPPT an awful lot, maybe more than other trains... -- not just me, it seems 

I like Pic 1!!