I am greatly saddened to hear the possible end of the Fun/Snow trains. I have been photographing these trains for nearly 40 years now. I think Mr. Meoff's statements have no factual basis. Yes, trains have been cancelled and arrived 12 hours late, I was on one. But in the last two years the dispatching on the Mountain has greatly improved. Planning in Roseville has greatly improved during winter storms by adding additional power to trains. A whole new winter plan has been developed over the last few years for when spreaders operate. I have personally worked with the people at Key Tours when I did the article for Railfan Railroad on the Fun/Snow Trains, they are not trying to blame others. The mountain is not shut down when there is 1 to 2 feet of snow. The mountain is only shut down when it is no longer safe to operate passenger trains. UP managers are looking out for the safety of passengers. The last thing you want to happen is getting a passenger train stuck in a slide or avalanch.

I have spent literally hundreds of hours over the past several years watching and photographing snow removal operations on Donner. This group of UP employees who work snow removal are tremendously dedicated, professional and hard working. This includes all the operating personnel including the MOP's, MTO's and train crews. It also includes the MW personnel working out of Truckee who operate the snow fighting equipment. This group of employees often go way beyond the normal call of duty to keep trains running. Unless you have had first hand experience observing winter storms on Donner you have now idea how much snow can fall in a very short period of time.

I have been lucky enough to have a great deal of personal contact with these people and I have never seen a more dedicated hard working group of employees. I think Mr. Meoff's comments are way off base.


Dick Dorn