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Re: Did Amtrak use old track #1 over Donner Pass?
Author: Chris Walker
Date: 01-12-2019 - 00:07
This has brought back some memories long forgotten.
I always had a fascination for Donner and the operations over the Pass in Qinter. On my 1st visit to the US, rode the Amtrak SF Zephyr Westbound from Denver end of Sept 1982, the train did go up Donner via #1 track and through the galleries.
Then after driving the Feather R. hwy via Portola to Reno, came back over Donner. Stopped in at Norden, found the stairway inside and rocked up the passage until I heard a CTC machine clicking away. The operator chided me, I shouldn't be in there but was very friendly after saying I was from NZ and an Enginedriver with the NZR. I have a nagging suspicion the operator was a woman but can't recall if that was correct.
Only the Eastbound SFZ on the Hill that day so I took off to hang out on the Chinese Wall for sometime but left before the SFZ showed up.
I returned to Donner in August '92, caught the Eastbound Amtrak heading over the Chinese wall on video, there was a Hotbox detector broadcasting on my Mate's scanner to be heard over the airhorns warning blast.
regards from under
Chris
in New Zealand
I always had a fascination for Donner and the operations over the Pass in Qinter. On my 1st visit to the US, rode the Amtrak SF Zephyr Westbound from Denver end of Sept 1982, the train did go up Donner via #1 track and through the galleries.
Then after driving the Feather R. hwy via Portola to Reno, came back over Donner. Stopped in at Norden, found the stairway inside and rocked up the passage until I heard a CTC machine clicking away. The operator chided me, I shouldn't be in there but was very friendly after saying I was from NZ and an Enginedriver with the NZR. I have a nagging suspicion the operator was a woman but can't recall if that was correct.
Only the Eastbound SFZ on the Hill that day so I took off to hang out on the Chinese Wall for sometime but left before the SFZ showed up.
I returned to Donner in August '92, caught the Eastbound Amtrak heading over the Chinese wall on video, there was a Hotbox detector broadcasting on my Mate's scanner to be heard over the airhorns warning blast.
regards from under
Chris
in New Zealand
