In October 2004, Trains Unlimited Tours announced the Trains Unlimited Special Convention Train, Pacific Northwest Express, from Sacramento to Portland via the rare mileage of Feather River Canyon and the Inside Gateway on July 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 2005. I decided to participate in this excursion as it would give me my missing mileage from Chemult, Oregon north to Wishram, Washington.
In the ensuing months, major changes occurred to this trip, first starting with BNSF not letting the train go north of Bend due to freight train interference so the journey was re-routed to run on the Amtrak route from Chemult to Eugene, the former Southern Pacific Coos Bay Branch and then the Amtrak route to Portland. At least we would still have the Feather River and the south end of the very scenic Highline. During the second week of May, Amtrak informed Trains Unlimited that they were short on power and the group would have to supply the locomotives in order to run the charter. These were located and included some historic engines but we would need a couple of locomotives that were equipped with the HEP (head-end power) in order to operate the train's electrical system, such as lights and air conditioning.
The next major setback came during the fourth week of May, when Union Pacific contacted Amtrak management and informed them that they were reversing their approval to run our train through the Feather River Canyon via Keddie because of operating problems and stated that the train now must be run via the former Southern Pacific Shasta Route. A new option became running the train to McCloud over the McCloud River Railroad and running several spectacular photo runbys on the unique Signal Butte switchback. Other additions included a McCloud shop tour and photo session, a McCloud steam-pulled photo freight and the McCloud dinner train. Since I had never photographed McCloud 2-8-2 18, this was an incredible addition to the excursion.
The next day, we would now run to Beck and have photo runbys on the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad. Added to that, the all-daylight running, unique historic engines and the private passenger cars we would be using made for an exciting trip. The next challenge was that Amtrak and the freight railroads faced an extreme crew shortage for the balance of 2005 and Amtrak had no money to hire new crews. Some train crews came forward and said they would run our train and even work on their off days to get qualified to run on certain freight-only lines. One crew from Oregon informed us they were on vacation for most of July but were willing to work during their vacation to help run our charter. A very big thank you to these Amtrak crews who were willing to go above and beyond.
Trains Unlimited had to deal with 57 different hotels for this trip, since we were supposed to spend a night in Greenville and Bend with hotels in some of the surrounding towns. When BNSF pulled the plug on the run north of Chemult, all the Bend hotels had to be cancelled and new hotels found in Eugene. Then in the last week of May, when Union Pacific said no to the Feather River, the hotels in the Greenville area hhad to be cancelled and new hotels to be found in the Mount Shasta area and around Florence. Finding hotels in the summer was a challenge, but the timing of the excursion was over Independence Day weekend. The week before the trip, Chris Skow, Trains Unlimited's organizer and lead, visited each of the hotel owners and reviewed the list of passengers staying with them. With all that done, we were ready to take this most special and unique trip of 2005.
The Pacific Northwest Express ConsistSouthern Pacific F7A 6304 (former VIA 6304), Amtrak P42DCs 142 and 136, Southern Pacific Sunset Limited baggage car 3105, open observation car "Montana", Pullman Company lounge-sleeper "Kitchi Gammi Club", Union Pacific lounge-sleeper "Mount Vernon ", California Zephyr sleeper "Silver Rapids", Pennsylvania Railroad coach "Arizona", Pennsylvania Railroad coach "St. Paul", Canadian Pacific baggage car "Pony Express", Southern Pacific lounge car "Overland Trail", Milwaukee Road club-lounge car "Wisconsin Valley", Milwaukee Road "Super Dome", Pennsylvania Railroad sleeper-buffet lounge "Colonial Crafts", California Zephyr Vista Dome-coach "Silver Lariat" and Milwaukee Road Skytop observation car "Cedar Rapids.
Day One Emeryville to McCloud July 2nd, 20057/2/2005 Up early, Chris Parker and I we went to Denny's with our luggage before we walked back to Emeryville station and a large group waited on the Emeryville pedestrian bridge for our train to arrive. I met people from all over the country, as well as a few foreign guests who were riding this unique trip.
A Union Pacific freight arrived and behind him came our Trains Unlimited Special led by Southern Pacific 6304. Everyone boarded and the checked luggage was placed in the baggage car for our journey to Portland. There was a really neat buzz among the passengers about what a great trip this would be. At 7:15 AM, SP 6304 whistled off and we were rolling as I sat at a table in the "Wisconsin Valley" from where I mainly would be writing this story. We proceeded north through Berkeley then Richmond, passing the Bay Area Rapid Transit District shops. From here I rode in the "Pony Express" which suited my picture-taking needs perfectly and to enjoy the morning ride.
Our colourful train running along the shore of San Pablo Bay at Pinole.
Looking back at the rear of our train at Hercules along the bay.
A final view of Pablo Bay before we curved into the lone tunnel on our Cal-P Line to turn east to run along the Carquinez Straits.
Where San Pablo Bay meets the Carquinez Straits.
My friend, Alex Ramos, with whom Chris Parker and I rode on the "Pony Express" from Los Angeles to Emeryville yesterday, caught the train at Crockett.
The view looking back at the Crockett Interstate 80 bridges.
Rolling east along the Carquinez Straits.
We curved into Martinez, which was a passenger pickup stop for this excursion.
Once we departed Martinez, we crossed the Carquinez Straits drawbridge.
After we returned to land, our train sprinted across the flat landscape.
The interior view of "Super Dome".
Later, Alex caught the train at Bahia. At CP Tolones, we waited for Capitol Corridor Train 727 to clear so we could cross over then once on the move, we continued our sprint through Suisan-Fairfield, Dixon and curved into Davis.
Alex's third picture was Southern Pacific F9A 6304, ex. VIA Rail 6304 2002, exx. VIA 6509 1984, nee Canadian National 6509 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1954 at Davis. We then made our way east and minutes later, crossed the Yolo Causeway. This dry four miles of fill and trestles allows for floodwaters of the Sacramento River to overflow into this passageway to run south down to the California Delta, thus protecting the City of Sacramento. It is used for farming during the dry season. A few minutes later, we crossed the Sacramento River.
At the California State Railroad Museum, Granite Rock 0-6-0T 10 gave us a whistling chorus welcoming our Trains Unlimited Tours excursion to California's Capital City of Sacramento. We stopped at the Amtrak station to pick up more passengers then departed at 9:15 AM en route to Haggin to switch onto the former Western Pacific, the original route of the legendary California Zephyr.
Our train taking the connection at Haggin from the former Southern Pacific to the former Western Pacific before crossing the American River then proceeded north out of the metropolitan Sacramento region and into the rice fields.
Striking colors of the Sacramento Valley.
A nice water scene.
We passed the Modoc Railroad Academy with a pair of locomotives for student training.
At Pleasant Grove, we pulled into the siding behind a freight to let a very late Coast Starlight pass us. Once the stack train cleared, we followed it to Mounkes where it went into the siding. We then traversed Bear River to enter Marysville.
Alex Ramos used black and white to catch our train at the west switch at Marysville siding. We then rolled along through Marysville.
At Binney Junction, we curved to begin our journey up the former Southern Pacific Shasta Route and crossed the Feather River.
The Sutter buttes stood out in the west as our train started up the longest section of tangent track in the State of California. We curved left to cross the Sacramento River then turned north at Tehama, where the California Northern West Valley Line takes off to Davis. This was the pre-Sacramento stop of the Coast Starlight.
On this beautiful clear California day, Mount Lassen stood out in the east.
Mount Shasta was ahead of our train and we would be much closer to this great mountain in a few hours. We continued through Gerber and Red Bluff, where our route took us into the foothills.
Climing the grade near Hooker Creek.
Our Trains Unlimited special rolled through Cottonwood, Anderson and on towards Redding.
Union Pacific GP40-2, nee Denver and Rio Grande Western 3123 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1974, assigned to the Redding local.
Our special next crossed the impressive Redding trestle across the Sacramento River, the start of the line relocation due to the building of Shasta Dam and Lake in the 1940's that took the railroad away from the Sacramento River and on a new line with ten tunnels and three major bridges.
I walked to the rear of the train for a few views of Milwaukee Road Skytop observation 186 "Cedar Rapids" built by the railroad in 1948 and designed by famed industrial designer Brooks Stevens for service on the Twin Cities Hiawathas. It is one of only four Skytop observation parlour lounges ever built and the only one that can still ride the rails today.
Next the forward view from Vista Dome "Silver Lariat", after which we travelled through Tunnels 1 and 2.
We crossed on the lower lever of the Pitt River bridge with Interstate 5 on the top level then ran through Tunnels 3-5 followed by Tunnels 6 and 7 to O'Brien.
The Trains Unlimited special entered Tunnel 8 before reaching Mead then went through Tunnels 9 and 10.
We crossed Shasta Lake just before reaching Lakehead.
One of the many crossings of the Sacramento River in the canyon. The orignal line bridge supports can been seen.
At Delta as we ran deeper into the Sacramento River canyon.
The Trains Unlimited Special ready to round the wide curve at Lamoine.
Alex's photograph of our train at Lamoine. He commented, "This was definitely my favourite spot that we caught the train at, could have been better lighting, but oh well."
The train twisted and turned towards Gibson.
Rolling north through Sims.
Alex provided the going-away shot at Conat.
Between Conat and Castle Crags, Mount Shasta would come into view in front of the train.
The Castle Crags. Although the Northern Coast Ranges of northwestern California consist largely of rocks of volcanic and sedimentary origin, granite bodies (plutons) intruded many parts of the area during the Jurassic period. Heavy glaciation at this location during the Pleistocene eroded much of the softer surrounding rock leaving the towering crags and spires exposed, from which the Castle Crags pluton derives its name. Exfoliation of huge, convex slabs of granite yielded rounded forms such as the prominent Castle Dome feature of Castle Crags.
The water tank at Dunsmuir with the great Southern Pacific emblem.
Alex captured our train in black and white here.
He then drove north for this photograph.
Our train climbed along the Sacramento River into the upper reaches of the Sacramento River canyon.
The Trains Unlimited Special rounded the Cantara Loop to climb out of the canyon.
Looking back into the canyon from where we had been.
The rear of our train at Mott, courtesy Alex Ramos.
Good views of Mount Shasta abounded as we neared Mount Shasta City.
At Mount Shasta City, Alex Ramos caught Southern Pacific 6403 and Western Pacific 2001, which would lead the first section of the train to McCloud.
Here our Trains Unlimited Special was split into two sections. The First Section would be Southern Pacific 6403 and Western Pacific 2001 with the first nine cars pulled over the 4.4 percent grade over the hill to McCloud and would display green flags. The Amtrak locomotives would spend the night in Mount Shasta City. The Second Section, comprised of the last five cars including "Wisconsin Valley", the car I was in, was pulled by McCloud SD38 37. After the First Section departed, it was our turn to be coupled to 37 and proceed to McCloud displaying red flags.