SP Truckee area pics from the 1980s

EB at Truckee yard near the Depot. Note the different size SP font on nose.

One of 2 units added to an EB at Truckee. Note no SSW logo on locomotive nose. The silver painted track occupancy indicator to right of switch stand displays a red semaphore in the proper position..

2 units to be added to an EB at Truckee. No SSW logo on nose of 9300, a Cotton Belt unit. Both track occupancy indicators visible adjacent the units.

Backing to a waiting EB freight at Truckee

SP 9300 (Cotton Belt), SP 9210, SP 9387 (Cotton Belt), SP 9382 (Cotton Belt). First picture of SP (Cotton Belt) 9382 on this site. 3 of 4 units were SSW. Silver track occupancy indicators showed a red semaphore in the appropriate position.

WB approaches crossing w/o headlights. Crossing gate down, peeps and traffic waiting, EB waits to depart from EB siding.

Midtrain helpers

WB freight with 2 cabooses enters Norden-controlled CTC territory.

En route to CSRM and Railfair '81. Will stop in Truckee for viewing by the locals.

Passing under signal bridge 2092 at East Truckee en route to the CSRM and Railfair 81. Train will stop at Truckee for about an hour.

Approaching the east switch of the WB siding and a stop at Truckee en route to the CSRM and Railfair 81.

En route to the newly opened CSRM and Railfair 81. The spreaders (right) are still in town.

At Truckee. En route to the newly opened CSRM at Sacramento and Railfair 81. I asked the blonde kneeling to take a picture for a date.

En route to CSRM and Railfair 81. Taken from signal bridge at the west end of the crossovers. Getting ready for the smoke.

Leaving for Norden. Engineer shut off, saving me a smokeout.

Leaving for Norden and a quick stop there.

Leaving Truckee for a quick stop at Norden on the way to the CSRM and Railfair 81.

Passing WB under signal bridge. Unit was still a coal fired locomotive.

En route over Donner Summit to the CSRM and Railfair 81. Taken from the west signal bridge at the crossovers at Truckee.

En route to the opening of the CSRM and Railfair 81 in Sacramento, CA.

UP 8444 & 3985

On the old Transcontinental Track heading to Norden.

In between snowsheds on the old transcontinental line.

Stopped for inspection. Note that the "village" of bunkhouses and the beanery are still standing in the left background. Sure miss them. Also, see the bottom unlit TO (Train Order signal. Rule 221 Train Order Office locations Sacramento Division Timetable 15 of 1981) signal on the left signal bridge leg above the orange chevron for EB movement on No. 2 track. Above that are two signals, presumably for movement in the Norden shed, although I can find no reference to them in my collection of SP timetables from that era.

At East Truckee. Signal maintainer gives rollby.

East Truckee. Still lots of snow in the mountains. The first few cars held damaged coils returning to the mill in Utah.

On EB steel empties at East Truckee. Back when RR grafitti was done with a piece of chalk...

EB in Truckee. Almost landed in the Roadmaster's office.

EB at Truckee

EB at Truckee.Wreck cleanup of PFE train. I worked for 6 hours as a "lumper" on a crew unloading a carload of butter. Don't remember the pay, but sucks to work on a reefer on it's side with a jumbled load inside. We had a human chain that swapped ends every half hour. There was only one conveyor on the wreck site and we didn't have it for our car.

Turned on the balloon track and facing WB. Taken about 0100 after I finished my shift plowing snow for Caltrans.

Icicle breaker up and headlights are still on.

After the storm, a hot TOFC leaves town.

Heads up the first train (TOFC) over Donner after the storm. Icicle breakers deployed to clear the way.

After a long night on the hill. Anyone up for uncoupling these?

After a long night on the mountain, some sun.

Crewman contemplates his next move near flanger.

Looks like fun to me. Pushing snow in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.

A WB makes a pickup at Truckee. Work train in WB siding. Note track speeder.

WB makes a pickup at Truckee

A EB UP TOFC freight drifts through Truckee. Washout in the Feather River Canyon. Jordan spreaders, track speeder, and front end loader to left.

Flanger power is also used for local freights. The icicle breakers are stowed. A bit of snow left near the tire shop retaining wall. The blue building behind 4840 is the Truckee Hotel. It had a great bar and food. You could watch trains from the bar windows as they pounded the crossing on their way west or east. Susanna Banana was my favorite bartender there. We almost had a thing...

Windshield protection. Covered air filter intake and spinning windshield insert on engineer's window. Adapted from ships--mostly tugs.

Trouble on the "sidehill pike" meant a few days of detoured trains through Truckee. UP crews with an SP pilot engineer on each.

Late afternoon tie up on the old Hobart Southern lead near the L-P Mill.

Work train ties up for the night. Parked on the old Hobart Southern lead at the L-P Mill in Truckee.

Lead unit on a work train tied down at Truckee.