Passenger Trains > Which track at Reno station stop does No. 6 use?

  Historically trains have run left-handed through Reno, NV.  Today with the trains in the trench does the eastbound Amtrak cross over to the south track to be closer to the station platform or does it stay on the north track?  Is there a platform between the two tracks?

JB - Omaha

Always stops next to the platform, depot side. Main 2 I believe. No platform between the two tracks.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/19 12:40 by stash.

Thanks.  I vaguely remember but I wasn’t sure and it was really bugging me.  I have no way find out these retirement days except tor good old TO.  Any idea where they cross over?

JB - Omaha

Maybe West Reno and Sutro for crossovers. Not totally sure. Sutro is just .9 mile east of Reno.

CTC between Vista and West Reno per my timetable. West of West Reno I think it's CTC, but not sure. Both tracks can be used but at Truckee Amtrak needs the north track. Pretty sure we've crossed at West Reno. Some Amtrak rail can chime in now.

Maybe you need a California Zephyr vacation. Still a great train, IMO.

Here's one from my collection.  It is circa 1971 or 72.  The passenger train is departing eastbound from the Reno station.  I don't know if it was a Reno Fun Train or Amtrak.  But which ever it was, passengers had to cross the south westbound main track.

JB -Omaha



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/19 13:43 by Copy19.

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Nice shot. Look at the smoke! The Reno I recall from Harold's Club days.

Back then it would have been Double Track rules, current of traffic, and I remember the left hand running near Reno. Down in Berkeley where I watched a lot of trains in that era, same story except right hand running. So you walked across the eastbound main to get on or off a westbound train.

CTC reversed signaled is so nice. Dispatcher zig zags trains from one main to another and can get Amtrak on the platform side. BNSF transcon, with 2 main tracks, is the ultimate show of how to weave Amtrak around countless freight trains. Impressive show every day.

Just rode both 5 and 6 last week. Both tim s they used the southernmost track next to the station. A couple a years ago I rode 6 in the winter. On that trip one of the switches west of Reno where 6 usually switches tracks froze. We were delayed two hours while they tried to fix it before deciding to pull through the station and then back in on the southern most track.

The other team interesting thing I noticed is that 5 and 6 used the same track between Colfax and Rocklin. I’m not sure of the track numbers. So I’ll try to describe what I observed. 6 passes through Rocklin on the southern most track. Shortly after Rocklin the tracks split and follow different alignments to Colfax. Then the southern most track curved to the right and then within a mile crossed over the other track on a bridge.

Posted from iPhone

The photo was actually taken just east of the station crossing Center Street.  There might have been wooden walkways across the south track closer to the station building where the passengers would have been.  I don’t remember.  I do remember when the westbound mail train made its evening stop.  It was always very long with headend and express cars with a rider coach on the end.  During the stop the coach would be way back in the dark.  Anyone getting on or off would have had a scary walk to and from the depot.

JB - Omaha



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/19 07:24 by Copy19.

Main track 2 splits from Main 1 at the Rocklin flyover. Zephyrs I've ridden use Main 2 eastward and Main 1 westward. The two main tracks separate and then come together at various places. East of Colfax on Main 2 you see Cape Horn from the train; westward on Main 1 the train is in a tunnel. There is one Capitol Corridor train set that goes to Auburn/Conheim and ties up overnight. That uses Main 2.

Auburn, in SP days, pre-Amtrak, had two stations: an eastbound depot on Nevada St. and a westbound depot on (I think) Railroad St. I thought that was kind of unique.


steve4031 Wrote:
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> The other team interesting thing I noticed is that
> 5 and 6 used the same track between Colfax and
> Rocklin. I’m not sure of the track numbers.
> So I’ll try to describe what I observed. 6
> passes through Rocklin on the southern most track.
> Shortly after Rocklin the tracks split and follow
> different alignments to Colfax. Then the southern
> most track curved to the right and then within a
> mile crossed over the other track on a bridge.
 

  I don't know if
> it was a Reno Fun Train or Amtrak.  But which
> ever it was, passengers had to cross the south
> westbound main track.
>
> JB -Omaha

looks like an SFZ or whatever with the UP car

Copy19 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here's one from my collection.  It is circa 1971
> or 72.  The passenger train is departing
> eastbound from the Reno station.  I don't know if
> it was a Reno Fun Train or Amtrak.  But which
> ever it was, passengers had to cross the south
> westbound main track.
>
> JB -Omaha

That's the SP Number Two track. Yes you had to pass passed out winos in the dark



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/19 14:38 by WAF.

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>   I don't know if
> > it was a Reno Fun Train or Amtrak.  But which
> > ever it was, passengers had to cross the south
> > westbound main track.
> >
> > JB -Omaha
>
> looks like an SFZ or whatever with the UP car



Are you sure that's a UP car? Could be SP yellow & gray.

Off topic but is the men's club next to the station still around?

Posted from Android

Train 6 stopped at Reno, NV, Sept 5, 2018

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In the days of the photo there were asphalt pads between the rails on the westbound track, the one closest to the depot.  The pads were for both passengers and the baggage wagons to crossover and service the eastbound trains.

Joel Kirk

> Are you sure that's a UP car? Could be SP yellow &
> gray.

it is a up car

i loved looking down mainstreet from the train

I'm surprised they haven't put a roof over at least part of the trench. Think of the wasted development opportunities.

PHall Wrote:
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> I'm surprised they haven't put a roof over at
> least part of the trench. Think of the wasted
> development opportunities.

Those roofs a very expensive.  Last time I was in Reno (May 2017), I saw a lot of vacant/underdeveloped land in Reno's urban core.  It would be less expensive to build on that land than over an active railroad.

Duna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> dan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >   I don't know if
> > > it was a Reno Fun Train or Amtrak.  But
> which
> > > ever it was, passengers had to cross the
> south
> > > westbound main track.
> > >
> > > JB -Omaha
> >
> > looks like an SFZ or whatever with the UP car
>
>
>
> Are you sure that's a UP car? Could be SP yellow &
> gray.

UP dorm baggage

Yes, it's still there.