Passenger Trains > Two Aces

The Altamont Corridor Express train involved in this week's Niles Canyon derailment, right, undergoes a quick inspection while stopped at Hearst to allow ACE 6, left, scoot past with a load of commuters headed for the Central Valley Wednesday afternoon. 

Running as ACE 3104, crews shoved the damaged train from Niles, departing about 16:15, to Stockton, where it arrived about 21:00.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/16 00:21 by walstib.

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Is the lead unit still at the derailment site? Five hours to go from Niles to Stockton...that is a long ride!

The unit that was pushing on the night of the derailment shoved the sick train back to Stockton yesterday.

They were running at restricted speed much of the way.

The cab car that went in the creek is the car pictured with the three guys inspecting it. It is running B-end forward on the shove to Stockton. The coupler on the B end was sheared off, so there was no way to pull the train unless they wyed it, which they didn't do.

They left Niles behind ACE 4, went in the hole here for ACE 6, then went in the hole again (at Livermore, I think) for ACE 8, and I'm not sure about ACE 10. But they were ahead of ACE 10 at Tracy, so whatever happened with 10 was east of Tracy.

With the B end of the car leading, they ran back to Stockton sans headlight, but with somebody riding point. It was dark by the time they reached Livermore.

They stopped several times along the way to inspect the train, check the wheel bearing temperature, and other things.

I chased it from Niles to Tracy.

I met a couple of FRA inspectors in Fremont before heading east. They inquired about the drone shots I took there, so I gave them my card. One of them instantly recognized my name and said he had seen my work on Trainorders. That was pretty cool.

More photos to follow in the coming days.

Posted from iPhone

And, I was pretty stoked with this shot to be able to get two ACE trains in the same place. That is really rare.

The way the schedule is set up, there are no ACE meets, unless something has gone wrong.

Posted from iPhone

Caught your tv spot on the late evening news. Did you tell them that you are available for coverage anywhere between the Bay Area and Santa Barbara?

Great job on your news spot and railfan news coverage from the scene. The photo is not bad either.

Gary

Posted from iPhone

That's some pretty vivid green color there at Hearst!!  Best time of the year for color in California. 

That would be a great shot even without the newsworthy subject!

Jim B

Curious if UP or Ace ran a highrailer over the route in advance of the train that derailed, like the UP does in the Feather River Canyon.  

I don't know, but that's a good question.

The previous ACE train ran through there an hour earlier without trouble.

Posted from iPhone

That is Green!
JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/16 16:26 by Copy19.

Who owns the rail line to the right in the picture??

kpcmcpkva Wrote:
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> Who owns the rail line to the right in the
> picture??

That is the ex-SP line now owned by the Niles Canyon Railway.

Gary

Posted from iPhone

Great photo walstib, very rare catch. The hills are so green that I had to show my wife. She asked if the photo was edited at all because the colors are so good. We remember the green hills from loving there years ago, but wow they are bright this year.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

SN711 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> kpcmcpkva Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Who owns the rail line to the right in the
> > picture??
>
> That is the ex-SP line now owned by the Niles
> Canyon Railway.
>
> Gary
>
> Posted from iPhone

Directly below where the drone would be is approximately where the connection track is between the NCR and the UP.

Nice!