Nostalgia & History > The westbound Reno Train at below Mt. Judah in 1977.

I can remember most of the photos that I have shot over the years, but this one surprised me. I have taken thousands of pictures over the years between Norden, Chinese Wall and Tunnel Six on main track one.. Here is the westbound Reno Fun Train with SP F-7 #6433 coming out of the last snowshed before reaching Norden. They had not been repainted yet into Amtrak colors. This March, 1977. Unless you shot this prior to 1994, this location is just another pretty picture looking east over Donner Lake. Its possible in our lifetime, to see #1 track restored............. The wooden snow sheds are all gone but I snowshoed into track one to get this shot. .

Mike Pechner pictures, Copyright 2017 "All Rights Reserved."

---

---

The Chinese wall is just north of Donner Peak; Mt. Judah is south of tunnel 41 (the big hole; and according to the UP's district engineer, #1 track will never be put back in over the top; Switch 9 - Shed 10, maybe, but not #1 track.

Nice photo's. Lets see some more of those thousands! I can never get enough 1960's and 1970's SP!

Cheers, Jim Fitch

Not 1977. SDPF40 were handling the Fun Train. Perhaps 1975

Thanks again for sharing these classics Mike!

Unfortunately, I'm in the camp that thinks track 1 is gone for good. It's not the ice conditions that makes me say this, as heck, it's not like it was a picnic for SP to keep it open - that's the one thing that always baffles me when I hear it, the notion that somehow track 1 Eder to Norden is just this impossible line to keep open. To anyone that says that, tell me then how SP did it for over 120 years...And certainly, never say never. However, in my humble opinion, there just isn't enough rail traffic in northern California anymore to justify the high expense of this line, relative to the alternatives. To me, that is why it won't ever go back in. The economy of nor-cal has changed, likely forever, and UP already has enough options to get what freight there is out of the state.

WAF is right, 1975 not not 1977, the picture for some reason was in the 1977 file, thanks for catching this!

1975-77, one and the same to me. My family was enjoying the warmth and comfort of the family cabin at the west end of Donner Lake, left side of Mike's photo at lake level, built by my dad and uncle after the Korean War. Fond memories for me.
Thanks again, Mike.

Mike

Great photographs! Keep them coming!

If you look through Tunnel 7 you can see a wood snow shed at the west entrance to Tunnel 8. This was gone in '76, but not sure of the year it was taken down. Other wood sheds on Donner lasted into the 80's and a few into the early 90's.

Could 6453 have had a Mars light
like that in 1975? Remember the one
it had circa 1973?

But when?Yea, 6453 had the tit headlight,

It seems the 6453 eventually lost
its Gyralite, but that was sometime
after it was repainted to Amtrak 116
circa 1975. Didn't find any pre-1973
pics of 6453-- dunno when it got
the Gyralite.