Western Railroad Discussion > Norcal Roundup

Took a mini vacation this weekend and visited some friends who live near Sacramento and drove the back way via the 395 to get up there. Very beautiful drive, had never been on the highway north of Lone Pine so I took the opportunity to check out some locations on my way up, primarily the former depot in Keeler, now looking quite decrepit. I stopped north of Lone Pine to get pictures of that depot as well but since it's someone's residence I decided against it. More photos to follow!

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Started out Friday by getting up at 5:30 and heading from Placerville over the mountain to Auburn for breakfast and an eastbound to chase up the pass. It took a good 2 hours for UP to send one up but when it did, I checked ATCS and saw it was lined up the wrong main from Rocklin to Newcastle and would most likely be crossing over the 80 at the bridge at Auburn, which is something I honestly haven't seen before. Evidently it's common nowadays, as when I was driving to Benicia later there was a no grainer heading up the same track at this bridge as well! I chased the train from here to Yuba Pass, stopped at Norden to get a tunnel shot but couldn't make it down the hill with my car so I gave up and headed back.

-Auburn
-Colfax
-Gold Run

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-Yuba Pass

After this I headed down to the Carquinez Strait Bridge in Benicia, something I've been wanting to get for a long while. No freights crossed it while I was there but Amtrak California put on quite a show.

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While I was getting Amtrak California sets, a UP yard job was drilling the auto facility adjacent to the bridge, and its set of geeps came out and made for an awesome sight looking down at it.

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More Amtrak, including a late California Zephyr, and then I headed back to my friend's house before getting up at 5:00 the next morning to make it down to the Peninsula to get some Caltrain action. With the impending electrification project getting their diesel power is a top priority for me and I managed to even get a surprise later.

-Bayshore

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One of their endcab switchers was pushing a northbound train back to Third and Townsend and I managed to catch it at Bayshore! Another northbound went through and with that the railfanning part of my trip was over - I got lunch in Campbell and drove another 500 or so miles home. 1700 miles driven over the course of four days and quite a lot to show for it, thanks for looking, folks!

-Zach

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Jolly good show with lots of variety. I really liked them all but the Donner and bridge shots are my favorites.

Bismarck Bill 

Nice shots, thanks.

A really NICE series with lots of interesting locations! Quite the Roundup

Larry

Nice shooting...looks like it was a good trip.

Nothing unusual about the EB on Track 2 crossing over I-80 at Auburn, as this is the track that EB's typically ascend on. (This was probably the IOANP or the ZLTG2, or perhaps a very late ZLTG2B.) I presume that you're referring to the fact that they ran the train up Track 1 between Roseville and Newcastle. I'm not sure what is going on with Track 2 along this stretch, but I've noticed that it has been out of service on ATCS where 2 crosses over 1 at Rocklin and heads up to Newcastle, and they're running EB's up Track 1. (ATCS shows the EB Zephyr lined this way as I type this.) There are folks on this board who probably know what's up, as they run trains over Donner for a living. (As you're probably aware, Track 1 is used bi-directionally for double stacks between Bowman and Colfax, as UP didn't increase tunnel clearance on that part of the line during their tunnel project a few years back.)

Sean

z-trains Wrote:
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> Started out Friday by getting up at 5:30 and
> heading from Placerville over the mountain to
> Auburn for breakfast and an eastbound to chase up
> the pass. It took a good 2 hours for UP to send
> one up but when it did, I checked ATCS and saw it
> was lined up the wrong main from Rocklin to
> Newcastle and would most likely be crossing over
> the 80 at the bridge at Auburn, which is something
> I honestly haven't seen before. Evidently it's
> common nowadays, as when I was driving to Benicia
> later there was a no grainer heading up the same
> track at this bridge as well! I chased the train
> from here to Yuba Pass, stopped at Norden to get a
> tunnel shot but couldn't make it down the hill
> with my car so I gave up and headed back.
>
> -Auburn
> -Colfax
> -Gold Run

broken_link Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice shooting...looks like it was a good trip.
>
> Nothing unusual about the EB on Track 2 crossing
> over I-80 at Auburn, as this is the track that
> EB's typically ascend on. (This was probably the
> IOANP or the ZLTG2, or perhaps a very late
> ZLTG2B.) I presume that you're referring to the
> fact that they ran the train up Track 1 between
> Roseville and Newcastle. I'm not sure what is
> going on with Track 2 along this stretch, but I've
> noticed that it has been out of service on ATCS
> where 2 crosses over 1 at Rocklin and heads up to
> Newcastle, and they're running EB's up Track 1.
> (ATCS shows the EB Zephyr lined this way as I type
> this.) There are folks on this board who probably
> know what's up, as they run trains over Donner for
> a living. (As you're probably aware, Track 1 is
> used bi-directionally for double stacks between
> Bowman and Colfax, as UP didn't increase tunnel
> clearance on that part of the line during their
> tunnel project a few years back.)
>
> Sean
>
> z-trains Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Started out Friday by getting up at 5:30 and
> > heading from Placerville over the mountain to
> > Auburn for breakfast and an eastbound to chase
> up
> > the pass. It took a good 2 hours for UP to send
> > one up but when it did, I checked ATCS and saw
> it
> > was lined up the wrong main from Rocklin to
> > Newcastle and would most likely be crossing
> over
> > the 80 at the bridge at Auburn, which is
> something
> > I honestly haven't seen before. Evidently it's
> > common nowadays, as when I was driving to
> Benicia
> > later there was a no grainer heading up the
> same
> > track at this bridge as well! I chased the
> train
> > from here to Yuba Pass, stopped at Norden to get
> a
> > tunnel shot but couldn't make it down the hill
> > with my car so I gave up and headed back.
> >
> > -Auburn
> > -Colfax
> > -Gold Run

I'm actually not aware of any of that, thank you for the information! Donner is one of those places I've been meaning to railfan for ages but never got around to doing so until last week - meaning compared to a lot of other lines in the state I don't really know that much about ops on it. Definitely want to go back with a 4WD vehicle at some point when I have more time.

-Zach

NICE pics!!

Glad to help. As mentioned, there are others on the board that know quite a bit more, so they can correct or inform.

The Caltrain shots are timely. They run through my town and I don't bother getting out that often to shoot the line, but there are several changes coming. As you pointed out, the electrification is well underway, and the diesels won't be around forever. There is also a looming budget crisis due to the pandemic and the fact that they obtain 70% of their revenue from rider fares. There is a power struggle being spearheaded by a couple of SF supervisors seeking to change the leadership structure of the railroad's board, which currently has 3 representatives from the 3 counties that the transit line serves. They've held hostage a ballot measure seeking a tax to help fund the railroad by making it conditional on a structural change of leadership. I'm trying to determine exactly what the motives are; whether it really relates to unhappiness over San Mateo County's influence on operations, or whether it's an opportunity to seek lands under Caltrain's control for redevelopment. Either way it's questionable if a sales tax would pass in the current environment, but without funding there is speculation that the trains will stop rolling around November.

Sean

z-trains Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> broken_link Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Nice shooting...looks like it was a good trip.
> >
> > Nothing unusual about the EB on Track 2
> crossing
> > over I-80 at Auburn, as this is the track that
> > EB's typically ascend on. (This was probably
> the
> > IOANP or the ZLTG2, or perhaps a very late
> > ZLTG2B.) I presume that you're referring to the
> > fact that they ran the train up Track 1 between
> > Roseville and Newcastle. I'm not sure what is
> > going on with Track 2 along this stretch, but
> I've
> > noticed that it has been out of service on ATCS
> > where 2 crosses over 1 at Rocklin and heads up
> to
> > Newcastle, and they're running EB's up Track 1.
> > (ATCS shows the EB Zephyr lined this way as I
> type
> > this.) There are folks on this board who
> probably
> > know what's up, as they run trains over Donner
> for
> > a living. (As you're probably aware, Track 1 is
> > used bi-directionally for double stacks between
> > Bowman and Colfax, as UP didn't increase tunnel
> > clearance on that part of the line during their
> > tunnel project a few years back.)
> >
> > Sean
> >
> > z-trains Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Started out Friday by getting up at 5:30 and
> > > heading from Placerville over the mountain to
> > > Auburn for breakfast and an eastbound to
> chase
> > up
> > > the pass. It took a good 2 hours for UP to
> send
> > > one up but when it did, I checked ATCS and
> saw
> > it
> > > was lined up the wrong main from Rocklin to
> > > Newcastle and would most likely be crossing
> > over
> > > the 80 at the bridge at Auburn, which is
> > something
> > > I honestly haven't seen before. Evidently
> it's
> > > common nowadays, as when I was driving to
> > Benicia
> > > later there was a no grainer heading up the
> > same
> > > track at this bridge as well! I chased the
> > train
> > > from here to Yuba Pass, stopped at Norden to
> get
> > a
> > > tunnel shot but couldn't make it down the
> hill
> > > with my car so I gave up and headed back.
> > >
> > > -Auburn
> > > -Colfax
> > > -Gold Run
>
> I'm actually not aware of any of that, thank you
> for the information! Donner is one of those places
> I've been meaning to railfan for ages but never
> got around to doing so until last week - meaning
> compared to a lot of other lines in the state I
> don't really know that much about ops on it.
> Definitely want to go back with a 4WD vehicle at
> some point when I have more time.
>
> -Zach

Regarding that Auburn photo of the UP train on the bridge:  does anyone know when SP installed that huge thru truss support bridge beneath the deck spans?  It was done, I presume, to create more clearance for I-80 improvements.

It would interesting to see photos of its construction...

Nice shots!

Randy Lundgren

Picture 4 is fantastic. I visited a place called Auburn in WA state, not far from Boeing factory. I imagine it is other location different from this one.

Posted from Android

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

We had a discussion about that with JLY, interesting details but I don't think a photo was included. Apparently the trick was to add the span and remove the tower without stopping trains, early 60's.

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Regarding that Auburn photo of the UP train on the
> bridge:  does anyone know when SP installed that
> huge thru truss support bridge beneath the deck
> spans?  It was done, I presume, to create more
> clearance for I-80 improvements.
>
> It would interesting to see photos of its
> construction...

pedrop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Picture 4 is fantastic. I visited a place called
> Auburn in WA state, not far from Boeing factory.
> I imagine it is other location different from this
> one.
>
> Posted from Android

Yes, this one is in California.

An abbreviated trip perhaps, but you lensed some nice images!
GK

TheNavigator Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> An abbreviated trip perhaps, but you lensed some
> nice images!
> GK

Thank you! Was definitely short but I'll hopefully be going back up to the peninsula sometime in September.

-Zach