Steam & Excursion > Photographing UP 4014 Portola to Roseville and to Reno/Sparks

With thanks in advance, can use help good locations for photographs and videos of the UP 4014 moves next week.   

My sons and I are traveling from the Western NY area for these trips and we have never been to either the Feather River or Donner lines... and would likely work to get a few pictures by "leap frog" the train at service stops.   (We have dealt with the chaos and the safety opportunities of "eager photographers" on other steam excursions.)   So, quality over quantity is the driving factor ... but need help to with "better" locations - and avoiding the disappointment of an image capture to be followed by an aw-shoot from the boys as we round the next curve and see for "THE Shot"   We will have a SUV rental, but off roading will not be an option (ya, my wife will veto that ... lol!)

Much thanks for your help, feel free to PM me and we look sharing the experience we have been looking forward too for a couple of years.  Safe travels and best of luck to all! 

The lower part of the Feather River Canyon aka Hwy 70 is still in recveory from last year's fires, there;'s extensive roadwork and numerous one-way traffic stops on the two lane road. Don;t know how the 'upper area' from Keddie to Portola will be. There area wildfires in the general area so something to be on the alert for.

There is a good two lane from Truckee / I-80 to the Portola area. also from Chico that connects with Keddie to avoid the area. There's also Hwy 20 from the Valley to Donner Pass and then Truckee and so on. The Feather River is very interesting but a tough shoot for a first time trip.

Recent discussion:

Date: 06/23/24 07:10
Union Pacific 4014 and The Feather River Canyon

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,5881330,5881531#msg-5881531

Similar discussion:

Date: 09/28/23 00:06
Donner Pass or the Feather River Route?

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5748834,page=1



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/24 15:46 by TCnR.

Highway 70 even when it's not being worked on is not a place to try to go fast. More then a few people have died trying over the years.

Agree, there's quite a few pretty picture spots where there's no guardrail. no shoulder and a steep drop off into rocks or the river. Kind of a shocker when I drove it first time in many many years, somehow never noticed that while chasing the WP.

A friend of mine drove 70 a couple weeks ago reported I think 4 stretches of one way traffic below Keddie. I think the Portola to Oroville stretch is going to be a “one and done” stretch for the fans. I suspect there are going to be a lot of pissed off railfans that day.

My advice for the Canyon is to scout it a day before if at all possible, pick a place, then get there the day of as early as you can. Bring chairs and a book and wait it out, get your shot, then either head back east or wait a while before trying to follow the train west. I personally wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the FRC when the 4014 is there, but that’s just me.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Posted from iPhone

SRY90 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So, quality over quantity is the driving factor ...
> but need help to with "better" locations 

TO members' suggestions won't be enough. I strongly recommend you show up a day or two before, and scout the locations ahead of time.

Challenge for I-80 + Donner is that much of the ROW is not visible from the freeway, and even if your map app says the tracks are near an exit and close to the freeway, you'll end up with nothing, because the visibility and access won't be there. In contrast, the tracks might be far from I-80, but they might be high enough that you can use your zoom and shoot from a distance ("beginner angle" for Shed 10, for example). Without scouting you'll have no idea.

And in some areas, Main 1 and Main 2 are quite far apart, and not visible from each other. Dispatcher can send a train on the "wrong" main, and while I don't expect it, it can still happen and you need to be ready.

When I chased the NW 611 in North Carolina and Virginia in 2016, I was able to make guesses on where the tracks were, because even in forested areas, you can spot towns, crossings, and other hints of the railroad from a distance. You'll have more difficulty in the Sierras.

Start a Google Maps (or equivalent) search right away. I'd start with the town of Colfax, as there are several locations nearby to get nice angles. Colfax would be your rehearsal to analyze land features, satellite views, and so forth. 4014 will make a stop at Colfax, so once you have the knowledge, you might be able to get 2+ locations. But you'll still be forced to choose. That's when you formulate Plan A, Plan B, Plan C... make you a smarter foamer.

The challenge for Hwy 70 + Feather River Canyon is elevation difference. The chase might lure you into complacency, since much of the ROW is visible from the highway, with some very notable exceptions - you'll know when you do your Google Maps research.

Hwy 70, unlike I-80 have far fewer passing lanes, and pacers will easily kill chasers, and that's without the lane closures that people are dealing with now. So expect things to be much worse there, as discussed already.

Keddie Wye is mentioned, but you might miss it if you've never been there before because the ROW is far below the highway. The vantage point is located at a relative high speed curve (for cars), and while a guard rail might protect you from traffic, try looking for nearby parking in a rush and while dealing with the Big Boy crowd.

So best wishes for your research and scouting. 

FRC= rock creek from the west end of the bridge, 2 ways in, one is safe, one is not. From SR 70 westbound west of james under the highway is pretty classic. Obviously Keddie wye, probably jam crowded  and chase will be impossible down the canyon. Belden is not horrible, nor Rich bar, nor Pulga, but you will be one and done. Scout a day ahead, and good hunting! Virgilia is also classic! FRC is one of the few things I miss from my home state of CA.  You should have established  off roading in your pre-nup!  How about Williams loop/spring garden?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/24 00:06 by wpdude.