Western Railroad Discussion > ZLTG2 Through the Snowshed at West Norden (Donner Pass)

After shooting the ailing IOANP at CP RV193 East Norden, I headed to the east side of the snowshed at CP RV191 West Norden. (Or, as I like to refer to it, the Van Norden Museum of Modern Art.) At the time, I was only aware of an eastbound manifest that was climbing the west slope of Donner Pass. When I heard a train horn for the crossing at Soda Springs Rd., I was expecting to shoot the manifest on Main 1. Instead, I got the ZLTG2 running around the manifest on Main 2. I didn't realize it at the time, but when the Z train slowed and then sped up as seen in the video, it was because the westbound ICBOA was just clearing Tunnel 41 and switching onto Main 1 at CP RV193. (I was only able to see the ICBOA on the opposite track after the DPU cleared.) This turned out to be a well timed meet, and it was cool to see how the dispatcher was managing the situation as described in my prior post.

Photo and Video: Running 3x1, UP 6023 leads the eastbound ZLTG2 through the snowshed at West Norden on the morning of Sunday, July 28, 2024.

Cheers,
Sean

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It's great to see Dispatchers time these meets! It's a miracle these Dispatchers know; sidings and train lengths; Priority or Manifest Trains their traveling speeds, on their sub and a great since of where they will need to be on opposite tracks.
KQ

There are some dispatchers that I regularly hear on Donner that I'm fond of. You can tell the ones that have a good understanding of the Roseville Sub and it's challenges. You occasionally get a less knowledgeable dispatcher asking something unrealistic out of ignorance, such as if a relief crew can meet a train somewhere like Shed 47. There are ones whose voices I recognize, however, that I can tell by hearing them over time and listening to how they conduct themselves and work problems that they know their trade and the territory well.

SD7D_ACe Wrote:
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> It's great to see Dispatchers time these meets!
> It's a miracle these Dispatchers know; sidings and
> train lengths; Priority or Manifest Trains their
> traveling speeds, on their sub and a great since
> of where they will need to be on opposite tracks.
> KQ

Tagging the snow sheds?  Undesirables abound even in the back country!

Kent in CArmel Valley

Kent, I think some of these locales are destinations for tagging crews. I've seen detailed, time consuming work at some of the more remote tunnel locations on Donner, for instance.

DynamicBrake Wrote:
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> Tagging the snow sheds?  Undesirables abound even
> in the back country!
>
> Kent in CArmel Valley