Several of us made a trip to Donner on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. The weather was fine and the pictures are bright. We got to see many trains.
Enjoy
http://s806.photobucket.com/albums/yy345/Trainsforyou/Roseville%20Sub/Donner%20Pass/?albumview=slideshow
Nice shots! It looks like it was a great weekend for some railfanning! Thanks for sharing!
-ChrisWest Chicago, ILChristopher May Fine Art Photography"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams
CopCarSS Nice shots! It looks like it was a great weekend for some railfanning! Thanks for sharing!
It was a great day and the weather was perfect.
I looked at your pictures and really liked the night shots at Lakeside and the moon rising over the city.
Very nice.
CZ
Nice pix, Larry. You covered a lot of territory!! Nice terrain.
-Crandell
great shots!!!! nice work!
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
selector Nice pix, Larry. You covered a lot of territory!! Nice terrain. -Crandell
Crandell
We had a great time for sure. The pictures don't really show the miles we drove since we normally go up and down the Hill between Soda Springs and Gold Run several times each time to chase or catch a train in better light.
The Donner pass location is one of the best I know for landscape beauty and the trains just make it perfect.
The other location I really like is around Lake Louise. The mountains there are excellent.
Thanks to everyone for the comments.
Great Pictures!
Have you ever made it up to the old Central Pacific fire lookout on top of Signal Peak. You can see the trains from Kingvale to Nyack. The trains look like a model railroad from up there.
Keep taking the awesome pics.
broncoman Great Pictures! Have you ever made it up to the old Central Pacific fire lookout on top of Signal Peak. You can see the trains from Kingvale to Nyack. The trains look like a model railroad from up there. Keep taking the awesome pics.
Thanks for the comments. I have not been up to the lookout but that must be a great view. Is that the lookout building that is still there?? I noticed it in the Donner pass book.
The last time I was up there was about a year and some change ago. The structure is still there although gutted but you still wonder when standing inside what kind of person it took to stay up there when they did. Its like two 10x10 rooms with the front windows facing south over the tracks. I will try to find the pics I took. If you have the time its worth checking out.
Keep up the great pictures!
Thanks for the information. I would like to see what the building looks like today. When we compare how it is today, it is hard to believe that people actually lived on the top of the mountain.
We plan on taking pictures on the Hill again in September and of course, this winter. I had to rent a 4x4 last year for the pictures in the snow. Interstate 80 had been closed during the night, but we got up to Truckee by lunch time and followed several trains between Soda Springs and Emigrant Gap.
There is a road to the top of Signal Peak, which leaves you a quarter-mile walk down to the Red Mountain lookout. Don't recall if the road absolutely requires 4WD, but in any case it's a crawl, and roundabout enough that you'll think you could get there faster walking up the trail (which is more direct). If you're in good shape hoofing it may indeed be faster, if someone drops you off at the foot of the trail.
timz There is a road to the top of Signal Peak, which leaves you a quarter-mile walk down to the Red Mountain lookout. Don't recall if the road absolutely requires 4WD, but in any case it's a crawl, and roundabout enough that you'll think you could get there faster walking up the trail (which is more direct). If you're in good shape hoofing it may indeed be faster, if someone drops you off at the foot of the trail.
I checked out the maps and google and will try to get up to see it next time we are on the Hill.
Thanks'CZ
The foot of the trail off Rattlesnake Rd is where it says "6047" near the bottom of this map
http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=39.3297&lon=-120.5400&z=15
(You might have to click on "MyTopo" to get the topo map)
The lookout is shown on the map, up around the 7700-ft level a quarter-mile SW of Signal Peak. As you see the trail is a 1600+ foot climb in something over a mile. If you're driving along the road the trail isn't that obvious, but if you take the trail down from the top it's easy enough to follow to the road.
The map shows other roads to Signal Peak, up the NW side-- no experience with them.
The road doesn't require 4WD its more about vehicle clearance. Its a forest service road for all but the last mile, which is the toughest. When I went up last it was in a F450 4WD that weighs about 10k lbs. You just go as slow as you can. Some co-workers are going up this year, I will find out from them how the road is. The last mile is almost all shale that gets reorganized/added to each winter.
I am curious with as cool as its been this summer if we are in for a big snow this year. Winter in the Sierras always an adventure.
timz The foot of the trail off Rattlesnake Rd is where it says "6047" near the bottom of this map http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=39.3297&lon=-120.5400&z=15 (You might have to click on "MyTopo" to get the topo map) The lookout is shown on the map, up around the 7700-ft level a quarter-mile SW of Signal Peak. As you see the trail is a 1600+ foot climb in something over a mile. If you're driving along the road the trail isn't that obvious, but if you take the trail down from the top it's easy enough to follow to the road. The map shows other roads to Signal Peak, up the NW side-- no experience with them.
Thanks for the map. It helps a lot and we will try to get up there and take a look at the view from the top. I imagine it is very good.
The view might not be as stunning as you would hope. Don't recall whether the ridge to the southwest blocks your view of Sacramento-- seems to me Signal Peak isn't quite visible from Roseville. I'm not even certain you can see Mt Diablo-- tho I'd say that's a good bet on a clear day.
As for the RR, you get your first glimpse of an eastward train as it's passing Emigrant Gap, then it disappears until it rounds the corner just east of Tunnel 36. It'll be visible most but not all of the way from there to somewhere above Troy-- there's a bridge in plain sight, but don't recall whether it's the Lower Cascade bridges or the Upper. I don't think any RR at all is visible east of there, altho Signal Peak is in plain sight when you're driving west along old US 40 from Norden to Soda Springs.
I am trying to post some pictures but it looks like you need to have them on the net somewhere as opposed to being embedded in the post from the computer. It looks like from your map that they popped into view at the bend near Troy rd it took Westbound train 30 min to get from there to about even with Cisco Grove, and then about another 30 min to see it pop out from the tunner under 80 by Nyack. You don't see much out like mount Diablo but the view of all the mountain lakes are spectacular!
Modeling HO Freelance Logging Railroad.
sfcoupleCZ, Thanks for the great pics...we were just on the Zephyr from Emeryville (San Francisco) to Omaha and your photos brought back some great memories of that beautiful trip. Wayne
Thanks for the comments. It is a great ride over the Hill and I am glad you got to enjoy the beauty of the Sierra's.
Very nice pics! Thank you for sharing!
Notch_8 Very nice pics! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for looking and letting me know you enjoyed them.
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