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High Sierra Rail Adventure September 2-4, 2017
Author: Bill
Date: 03-24-2017 - 09:58
The Central Coast Railway Chapter NRHS and Trains & Travel invite you to join us over the three-day Labor Day Weekend for an exciting getaway up in the High Sierra and the Reno/Carson City/Virginia City/Lake Tahoe/Portola areas. Our relaxing mini vacation will include riding Amtrak’s California Zephyr both directions over scenic Donner Pass. Our tour begins and ends at the Amtrak station in Emeryville.
On Saturday, September 2, meet your escorts at Emeryville for the ride on the Zephyr to Reno running over Donner Pass in daylight. At Reno, CCRC member Chris Skow and a charter motorcoach will meet the train and transfer our group to Virginia City. After hotel check-in you will be able to explore this colorful and historic Wild West former mining town while the moon rises in the east.
On Sunday, September 3, the early risers will be treated to a ride on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad from Virginia City down the mountain to the East Gate Station just east of Carson City. This will be the morning deadhead move that the railroad operates when they have a scheduled public train out of East Gate Station. The V&T will depart from Virginia City around sunrise for the 12-mile trip down the hill to East Gate. We have asked railroad management for the train consist to be made up in reverse for our benefit. The plan would be to back the train all the way down the mountain with the steam locomotive on the uphill end of the train. This will allow us to stage a number of photo run-bys with the engine on the point. Upon arrival at East Gate, after watering the steam engine and loading passengers boarding in Carson city for the return up the mountain to Virginia City. Once in the mining town, a short tour of the railroad workshops will be offered.
Those folks who do not want to get up so early can sleep in and enjoy a leisurely journey on the V&T from Virginia City down to Gold Hill and return pulled by a diesel and then extra time to explore the downtown area before meeting back up with the early risers.
After both groups are reunited, we take the short ride on our bus down the mountain to Carson City to visit the Nevada State Railroad Museum. The museum is planning to have steam in operation during this three-day weekend and the unique V&T McKeen car will be outside for photos. You will be given your box lunch and you can enjoy it at your leisure while at the museum.
Early afternoon we again jump on our motorcoach and start the journey to Portola via the scenic route around the east shore of Lake Tahoe and through Truckee. We will make some photo stops along the lake.
In Portola we’ll visit the Western Pacific Railroad Museum to view the large number of diesel engines, most painted in Western Pacific colors. This is one of the largest collections of diesels in America. There is even a Western Pacific steam locomotive being rebuilt here. The museum will be operating train rides today.
After a couple of hours at the museum we will check in to our motel in Portola, clean up and head out to Chris Skow’s house for a fun and enjoyable evening viewing his outdoor G Scale model train layout running through the gardens and under the towering pine trees including waterfalls, creeks, ponds and railroad tunnels. If the outside grand model layout is not enough, you can then step into his large greenhouse and into a jungle setting of thousands of plants and marvel at the waterfalls, creeks, ponds, the many villages all lit up with thousands of lights and yes, model trains too. Also, Chris has a huge indoor collection of railroad books, timetables, brochures, documents, photos, and historic items all arranged into a very nice mini railroad museum. Past visitors tell Chris that his mini museum is much better than the display room at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum. To top off the evening, a delicious Mexican all-you-can-eat buffet dinner will be catered by a local gourmet cook and served outside on the deck as the sun sets on the mountain. We then return to the motel and turn in for the night. Chris is one of the founding fathers of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum and a retired Western Pacific/Union Pacific conductor.
Monday September 4 we rise to the smell of the sweet mountain air with the scent of pine trees and after you get some breakfast we board our motorcoach for the one-hour ride to Truckee where we board Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr for the journey back over Donner Pass to Emeryville and the end of our weekend adventure.
Prices per person:
Double Room Occupancy $595
Single Room Supplement $98
Deposit to hold space $100
Final payment is due by July 2, 2017
More information is available on the Central Coast's excursion web page, and we are accepting orders via the web store, which can be accessed at www.goldenstaterails.com. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dennis Hanley at dennis.hanley@gmail.com
On Saturday, September 2, meet your escorts at Emeryville for the ride on the Zephyr to Reno running over Donner Pass in daylight. At Reno, CCRC member Chris Skow and a charter motorcoach will meet the train and transfer our group to Virginia City. After hotel check-in you will be able to explore this colorful and historic Wild West former mining town while the moon rises in the east.
On Sunday, September 3, the early risers will be treated to a ride on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad from Virginia City down the mountain to the East Gate Station just east of Carson City. This will be the morning deadhead move that the railroad operates when they have a scheduled public train out of East Gate Station. The V&T will depart from Virginia City around sunrise for the 12-mile trip down the hill to East Gate. We have asked railroad management for the train consist to be made up in reverse for our benefit. The plan would be to back the train all the way down the mountain with the steam locomotive on the uphill end of the train. This will allow us to stage a number of photo run-bys with the engine on the point. Upon arrival at East Gate, after watering the steam engine and loading passengers boarding in Carson city for the return up the mountain to Virginia City. Once in the mining town, a short tour of the railroad workshops will be offered.
Those folks who do not want to get up so early can sleep in and enjoy a leisurely journey on the V&T from Virginia City down to Gold Hill and return pulled by a diesel and then extra time to explore the downtown area before meeting back up with the early risers.
After both groups are reunited, we take the short ride on our bus down the mountain to Carson City to visit the Nevada State Railroad Museum. The museum is planning to have steam in operation during this three-day weekend and the unique V&T McKeen car will be outside for photos. You will be given your box lunch and you can enjoy it at your leisure while at the museum.
Early afternoon we again jump on our motorcoach and start the journey to Portola via the scenic route around the east shore of Lake Tahoe and through Truckee. We will make some photo stops along the lake.
In Portola we’ll visit the Western Pacific Railroad Museum to view the large number of diesel engines, most painted in Western Pacific colors. This is one of the largest collections of diesels in America. There is even a Western Pacific steam locomotive being rebuilt here. The museum will be operating train rides today.
After a couple of hours at the museum we will check in to our motel in Portola, clean up and head out to Chris Skow’s house for a fun and enjoyable evening viewing his outdoor G Scale model train layout running through the gardens and under the towering pine trees including waterfalls, creeks, ponds and railroad tunnels. If the outside grand model layout is not enough, you can then step into his large greenhouse and into a jungle setting of thousands of plants and marvel at the waterfalls, creeks, ponds, the many villages all lit up with thousands of lights and yes, model trains too. Also, Chris has a huge indoor collection of railroad books, timetables, brochures, documents, photos, and historic items all arranged into a very nice mini railroad museum. Past visitors tell Chris that his mini museum is much better than the display room at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum. To top off the evening, a delicious Mexican all-you-can-eat buffet dinner will be catered by a local gourmet cook and served outside on the deck as the sun sets on the mountain. We then return to the motel and turn in for the night. Chris is one of the founding fathers of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum and a retired Western Pacific/Union Pacific conductor.
Monday September 4 we rise to the smell of the sweet mountain air with the scent of pine trees and after you get some breakfast we board our motorcoach for the one-hour ride to Truckee where we board Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr for the journey back over Donner Pass to Emeryville and the end of our weekend adventure.
Prices per person:
Double Room Occupancy $595
Single Room Supplement $98
Deposit to hold space $100
Final payment is due by July 2, 2017
More information is available on the Central Coast's excursion web page, and we are accepting orders via the web store, which can be accessed at www.goldenstaterails.com. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dennis Hanley at dennis.hanley@gmail.com
| Subject | Written By | Date/Time (PST) |
|---|---|---|
 High Sierra Rail Adventure September 2-4, 2017 |
Bill | 03-24-2017 - 09:58 |
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Re: High Sierra Rail Adventure September 2-4, 2017
|
Question | 03-24-2017 - 10:35 |
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Re: High Sierra Rail Adventure September 2-4, 2017
|
Don't go | 03-24-2017 - 11:22 |
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Re: High Sierra Rail Adventure September 2-4, 2017
|
David Dewey | 03-25-2017 - 10:32 |
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Re: High Sierra Rail Adventure September 2-4, 2017
|
Negin | 03-25-2017 - 11:04 |