.

Haven't heard anything. Can't seem to find any recent reports of snow depth. I thought I saw something about 110". The rotaries are down in Roseville, and it's a big deal to drag them out. Even if they had 110", it depends on how fast it fell. They keep Jordan spreaders and flangers at Truckee, and just keep running them while it snows. If they get stuck, then it's rotary time.

Reports from Roseville, Calif. (where the two rotaries are assigned), a few days ago, indicated that both rotaries (#209 & #211) were being "tested & steamed up", this past Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. Many times the rotaries are "tested & steamed up" for two main reasons: A) preparing for major storm/storms, and B) crew familiarization & training.

Also, for those inquiring minds, the rotaries are no longer "steam powered" (the wheel is driven by multiple locomotive traction motors, with electric power provided by an up-graded EMD F7B Unit highly modernized for the job, semi-permanently coupled at the rear of the rotary). The rotaries are, however equipped with steam generators in order to provide steam for heating and snow melting.

The alternate route is up the Feather River canyon.  This route does not seem to get the amount of snow that Donner gets.  It has been known to flood and have slides however.  I have not heard of anything major though. 

wb47 posted:

The alternate route is up the Feather River canyon.  This route does not seem to get the amount of snow that Donner gets.  It has been known to flood and have slides however.  I have not heard of anything major though. 

Reports from the "west coast railfans", indicate that the Feather River Canyon route has been closed for quite some days, with POSSIBLE reopening this comping Saturday, January 14. There have been a number of slides reported, due to the very heavy rains and wet snow.

By far one of my favorite looks at how rotary snow plows operate in modern times. Well worth the watch.

Donner Pass has historical significance to before railroads.  A wagon train, headed west, never made it over the pass and was stuck there for some time.   The pass was named for the Donner party, who was stuck there,  with limited, or no supplies, to winter over into decent weather.   I 80 also goes through the mountains at this point.

WOW Great video! Thank you very much!

Great Video

Latest report, posted on TrainOrders; the rotaries were not needed, as yet. The special spreaders and snow cats were able to keep Donner Pass open throughout the storm, even though Interstate 80 was closed for 24 hours. Traffic is extremely heavy over "The Hill" since the former Western Pacific route through the Feather River Canyon is totally closed due to many washouts and slides. Thus, the rotaries were NOT brought up, as they are much slower than the big spreaders, not to mention the potential danger of mud/rock slides, which the rotaries can NOT deal with. The spreaders are more able to maintain track speed and thus allow freight traffic to proceed. 

@NOTCH6 Thanks for sharing rotary video! I have the older Pentrex DVD and I'm always amazed to see the rotaries in action.

As with the others, Notch 6 thanks for posting this video.

I was in Truckee and the rotaries where there sitting on a siding.

I have a photo of myself standing next to one, have to look for it.

These things are bigger in person than they appear on the video.

The SP passenger train was snowed in on this day in 1952.

Donner Fans:

I discovered the Truckee webcam (linked below) a couple of weeks ago and shared it with a California train hobby friend. We've been watching it off/on since. (He's really gotten hooked.) I have seen several Jordan spread moves as well as flanger moves. Lots of freight action over the Pass as well as Amtrak for those of you that get off on Amtrak.

Here's a link to the webcam:

http://tahoetopia.com/webcam/downtown-truckee

Be careful! The above cam CAN become a bit addictive! Love the snow covered scenes I've been viewing thereon of late. (The other day it was snowing in Truckee and it was truly beautiful.)

Enjoy!

laming posted:

Donner Fans:

I discovered the Truckee webcam (linked below) a couple of weeks ago and shared it with a California train hobby friend. We've been watching it off/on since. (He's really gotten hooked.) I have seen several Jordan spread moves as well as flanger moves. Lots of freight action over the Pass as well as Amtrak for those of you that get off on Amtrak.

Here's a link to the webcam:

http://tahoetopia.com/webcam/downtown-truckee

Be careful! The above cam CAN become a bit addictive! Love the snow covered scenes I've been viewing thereon of late. (The other day it was snowing in Truckee and it was truly beautiful.)

Enjoy!

I can see why you say it can be addictive. I just got lucky and caught the eastbound Zephyr. It was being pulled by the phase I painted Genesis. Cool!

NOTCH 6

That was awesome. Never fought that much snow. I did get to run our snow Jest before I retired. That was fun and something I had always wanted to do. Never been around one, until it got delivered. We could not get an operator for it, so I kinda volunteered! Man that was fun, I hated training my operator on it when he got thru plowing snow with the dump truck. I even made him go get something to eat so I could run it longer.

>>The pass was named for the Donner party, who was stuck there,  with limited, or no supplies, to winter over into decent weather.  

There were rumors of cannibalism!

LAMING, Thanks for that link.  Let's this desert rat get his snow fix and see some train action!

Kent,  Anytime I see the words Donner Pass I think cannibalism. Learned the story in History class many years ago. Might have been a current afare back then. LOL

Azgary

We visited the Donner Pass gift store up on the pass a few years back and noticed they were selling a book about the Donner party and their problems.  It was entitled, "The Donner Party."  They were also selling versions of the book translated into many different languages.  I was particularly impressed by the German version which said, "Die Donner Party."  Seems a bit cruel to me.

FJ

(Yes, I know "die" is a German word for "the")

This thread is making me hungry 

Big_Boy_4005 posted:

laming posted:

Donner Fans:

I discovered the Truckee webcam (linked below) a couple of weeks ago and shared it with a California train hobby friend. We've been watching it off/on since. (He's really gotten hooked.) I have seen several Jordan spread moves as well as flanger moves. Lots of freight action over the Pass as well as Amtrak for those of you that get off on Amtrak.

Here's a link to the webcam:

http://tahoetopia.com/webcam/downtown-truckee

Be careful! The above cam CAN become a bit addictive! Love the snow covered scenes I've been viewing thereon of late. (The other day it was snowing in Truckee and it was truly beautiful.)

Enjoy!

I can see why you say it can be addictive. I just got lucky and caught the eastbound Zephyr. It was being pulled by the phase I painted Genesis. Cool!

Elliot,

After I read your post, I went to the Amtrak Mobile website & based on the Train Status updates, I was able to watch today’s Eastbound California Zephyr on the Truckee webcam. It was over 45 minutes late.

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

That Truckee web cam is Very Addicting!!!!! Thanks for posting!

here are some more cameras in northern calif.

http://dot.ca.gov/d3/cameras.html

Just seen a Snow Spreader go threw Truckee! Thanks to the webcam!

Saw this thread for the first time a little while ago so I went to the web cam out of curiosity. Within 10 minutes a UP stack train came by immediately followed by a mixed freight in the opposite direction.

another freight just came by. Lead engine stopped right at the grade crossing. Looked like a crew change.

How do I get meals delivered to my desk??

I've been watching this webcam off and on through the day and have a question for those of you familiar with Truckee.  And it involves the intersection in the foreground.

What in the heck controls the traffic at this intersection?  I can't see a traffic light and it doesn't appear to be a four way stop sign.   It almost seems like an intersection in Rome or Mexico City with no discernible means of traffic control.

Curt

juniata guy posted:

I've been watching this webcam off and on through the day and have a question for those of you familiar with Truckee.  And it involves the intersection in the foreground.

What in the heck controls the traffic at this intersection?  I can't see a traffic light and it doesn't appear to be a four way stop sign.   It almost seems like an intersection in Rome or Mexico City with no discernible means of traffic control.

Curt

Curt

I noticed the same thing. Scary! To me it looks like only a two way stop with a lot of head nodding added in

If you watch it long enough you will realize that the traffic coming from the track side to the intersection does not have to stop. They have the right of way as not to block the tracks for incoming trains.

This camera is addicting...............

A bit of geography.  As you can tell the camera is looking west.  The Truckee river lies across the tracks and just beyond the row of houses.  Looks like the old Star Hotel is still standing there.  The Depot is up the street but across the street from the taller building.  Times have sure changed with the amount of traffic.  I 80 is to the right of the camera or north.  The old highway follows the main street out of town past Donner Lake and then up to the old pass.  Behind the camera the tracks start to descend with a pretty good grade coming up to the more level Truckee Depot.  Coming up that hill into Truckee,  the engineers could say, "they will know that we were here".  Thanks for posting the link. 

Last night at 5:49 an Amtrak went threw! Watching it now.

from ground level, looking toward train tracks.  it is a 3 way stop.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3282816,-120.1840963,3a,75y,185.79h,74.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seeJSaJmXFgAO4dYnWblfqQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

We have some prototype snow equipment at Train Mountain.  Russ

The moving of the snow train pix

Thanks Bigdodgetrain!

Good evening, has anyone hear how much snow has accumulated at Donner Pass ????

It appears that the storms just keep coming in out there on the west coast.

Looks like 170" or 14.16'

Good evening Mike, that is a lot of snow and it's just the 1st of February.

I guess we will see what Punxsutawney Phil has to say tomorrow morning for the rest of the winter !!!!!

With UP running Donner Pass now, which department runs the flangers and plows?

Dominic Mazoch posted:

With UP running Donner Pass now, which department runs the flangers and plows?

The Maintenance of Way Dept., same as always. Regular qualified road crews (Engineer & Conductor) operate the diesels, same as always.