Western Railroad Discussion > Donner Winter Immersion Experience

I feel like folks from Kansas to Delaware have had a sufficient taste of winter over the past several days, but I was out on Friday, January 3, shooting the storm rolling in over Donner Summit with the intent of sharing it here. So it goes.

In a place known for multi-day storms that can dump over 10 feet of snow, the 12+ inches we received with this storm in the Summit Valley around Norden was pretty mild. When snowfall rates kick up above the 1-2 inches per hour mark it does make for a nice effect, however. After shooting the eastbound ZLTG2, I stuck around for an empty grain train that was following it up the pass. I like that the signals for eastward movement at the west end of CP RV191 West Norden, seen in the second photo of the linked thread, tend to light up around the time an eastbound train hits the detector at MP 185.3 East Troy. Right on queue as my scanner alerted to a train at the detector, the signals lit for an eastbound train. I then knew that I had ~15 minutes minimum to snowshoe to the east side of the Norden sheds and set up for a shot and video. The timing was perfect, as the snow really started dumping during the 1/4 mile trek around the shed.

On the east side of the snowshed, the signals for Main 1 were lit for the westbound Amtrak 5, the California Zephyr. It had been waiting at Shed 47 for the eastbound Z to clear the single track through Tunnel 41, and it was now climbing towards the Summit and poised for a meet with the empty grain train on Main 2. Perfect!

Photo 1: UP 6944 leads a 3x0 MT grain out of the Norden snowshed on Main 2, while a clear signal indication is displayed for the Zephyr which will descend the pass on Main 1. I was pretty happy with how this shot turned out. There was enough snow to really capture the experience while still allowing the autofocus to hit its mark.
Photo 2: It was snowing a little harder, or perhaps with less wind, when the Zephyr showed up. I pressed my luck and tried multiple compositions and focal lengths as the train approached, and this time the autofocus got flustered. (I should have pre-focused and settled on a composition I liked.) This was one of the better images of AMTK 78 leading Train 5 west. Highball Amtrak.
Video: I love the sound of snow falling and the way it can muffle most other sounds. I always have. I also appreciate the sound of 13,200 horsepower pulling a train up a mountain grade disturbing the tranquil sound of snowfall. Ditto for the whine of dynamic brakes and flange squeal! Once the MT grain was stopped, I moved my camera a few hundred yards to shoot the Amtrak. For a reference on visibility, the tangent that the Amtrak is running on is around 3/10 of a mile long.

Cheers,
Sean

PS - As mentioned, this storm was fairly mild by Donner standards, though it did shut down I-80 from Nevada to Colfax for about 10 hours due to driving challenges. It amazes me that drivers think an AWD vehicle with open differentials and an AWD system they don't understand the limitations of can make it over Donner Summit on balding all-season tires. Ditto for the semi drivers or drivers with FWD and RWD vehicles without chains that evade chain controls and have a go at it. The resultant crashes and vehicles getting stuck lead to the highway getting shut down for everyone.

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Excellent video and didn't  jag a single time!

Great video. Thank you.

Your still shots are wonderful all by themselves, and the video is even more immersive!  Thanks for posting these!

Jerry
ATSF5669

Great video, and one that certainly qualifies for "braving the elements"!

Sean,
Thanks for braving the elements to get these shots and video, which are great btw.  You're used to these elements though.  Go grab yourself a Hot Toddy and thanks for sharing.

Kent in CArmel Valley

Wow, Sean!  Thanks for taking us along.

texchief1

Excellent series!  I'm really impressed your autofocus was able to power through the distraction of all the falling snow!

Absolutely great work getting out in the elements to capture some excellent shots and video.

Great coverage and fantstic video!

Awesome Sierra snow/railroad action there Sean, and something about those squeeling wheel flanges and brakes makes it sound even colder!

Also Like your commentary about the drivers of AWD/4WD who (think?) they can just power thier way through (Like on those winter TV commercials), but without having the appropriate tires/chains on their vehicles.
If ya don't have the proper gear, then don't do it.

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/25 10:33 by RailRat.

I love that, when they come to a stop, noisy as all get-out, groaning, then nothing, just quiet!  Nice snowy views!

mapboy

Nice work.....