Category Archives: Trains

Day Trip to Dunsmuir

I took what I call my “Last day trip to Dunsmuir for a while” on Wednesday (10/6/10) meaning, I start my new job at Schwan’s on Monday and it’s going to be a while before I have any time off to do such things. Even though I only saw one train that day, it was a very satisfying and relaxing day. Rewarding as well as I found two new things I have never seen before along the old Siskiyou Line in Northern Cal. and got to chat with an online acquaintance at what was a chance meeting at a remote area along the line.

The night before my trip, I emailed a fellow, Robert “Photobob” Morris saying I was going to be in Dunsmuir area and hoped to run into him. Well the next day as I was driving through Grenada, CA, a very small very old farm town along the Siskiyou line, I noticed a strange looking old Line-shack I had never noticed before. There was a road leading right up to it. It was an old but still usable “in-Motion” track weight scale used for the farmers grain cars.

As I was checking it out, up pulls Robert and his wife to take some pictures as well. Small world… We were both surprised that, after many many years, and being in a small town with high unemployment and basically nothing for the local kids to do it was in such pristine shape. There wasn’t a single bit of graffiti or vandalism, there was expensive but primitive electrical equipment inside behind unlocked doors. I have some pictures at my Picasa site. The first few are of the scale, shack and the old Southern Pacific concrete line shack.

There are a few images of my other discovery that day. An old section of road with a cool old trestle going over it. Thought it would be a good future photo-op location if trains ever return to that section of track again.

CORP tests new GP-20D units on “Hill”

On Friday 04/30/10 Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad tested it’s newest engines in a run from Weed, CA to Medford, OR over the Siskiyou Line, pulling 9 bulkhead flat cars loaded with veneer and 7 Log cars full of logs bound for Riddle and Dillard, Or. mills. The test was to see if it’s new CEFX “GP-20D” engines would make an efficient run over the Hill that boasts some 3% plus grades, testing fuel economy, tractive effort etc… in hopes that service on the south end could economically be restored if the “numbers” looked right.

Service south was halted by CORP around April 15 2008 because it claimed it was loosing money going south of Ashland. Loads originating north of Ashland would be hauled north to Eugene then sent south from there on the Union Pacific. (Instead of originally going south over the Siskiyou Summit to Black Butte to join the UP there.)

A big battle ensued between CORP and shippers, mainly veneer and log mills in Yreka,  and  by the Yreka Western RR. who services the mills, then exchange them with CORP in Montague, CA.

Originally, CORP would take a train of cars originating in the Rogue Valley to Hornbrook, CA, a midway point on the south end, drop that load off and pick up the loaded Log cars, Veneer and an occasional wood chip car and bring them north to awaiting plywood mills etc…  Another set of engines would resume taking the cars from the Rogue Valley south to Black Butte Junction, The shippers felt CORP was asking way too much money to take their loads North, plus reduced shipping days. The logs and veneer have been coming north on trucks ever since.

1 & 2- leaving Weed ~ “old and new” passing old Edgewood Store

Mt Shasta in background ~ passing siding at Gazelle ~ past old tractor Grenada

old tank car ~ fuel tank ~ old tressel

heat waves ~ old Montague station ~ Klamath River bridge

I you like, I have more pictures here

CORP Job #701 ~ Weed to Black Butte

Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad (CORP) has an Engine  in Weed, CA  (GP38-3 #3809) that switches the local mills, and trades out cars with the Union Pacific RR  from the junction at Black Butte, CA.

CORP runs on the older, more mountainous, former Southern Pacific Siskiyou Line, Union Pacific runs on newer, less mountainous,  former Southern Pacific “Natron Cutoff” mainline. The two meet near Weed, CA at Black Butte, just off of the South Weed exit of I-5. There is an old water tower there and there used to be an old water spout for filling the tenders, until a misfortunate accident involving an Amtrak train and some cars fouling the main line, causing the Amtrak to derail and wipe out the old spigot.

Read more about the history of Black Butte Yard/Jctn.  here

It is a rare thing indeed to actually see the job #701 in action when you have to travel 80 miles and only get down there once or twice a year or so. Northern California recently had storm after storm dump tons of snow in the area, and I was anxious to get down there and get some train/snow shots (actually, my Jeep was threatening to cut me off if we didn’t go play.) It was just by luck that I was there about 5 minutes before it arrived at Black Butte. It must first climb around a steep grade to get there and I could hear the horn and laboring prime mover.

I knew right away what it was, as earlier in the day, I had seen the load and engine waiting at the Weed yard.

(above)  taken at Weed Yard

(above) Arriving at Black Butte.

(above) backing train to existing load. Mount Shasta, (middle) Black Butte, (right)

(above) Old water tower, CORP employee SUV, he ran around throwing switches for them, probably no conductor on board.

Up until this point it was not a great day for spotting trains. I stopped at Yreka Western RR on my way down there, no action, just a few of the engines sitting at the depot. Then I went down to Dunsmuir where the snow was deeper but no trains. Just the snow removing equipment sitting idle in the yard.  (below)

I did see a train however, just as the CORP train got next to the mainline, backing it’s load, a south bound mixed freight rolled through with two helpers on the end.

Steam Train Decoy

Saturday evening, I read in the local newspaper that the original steam engine that ran between Medford and Jacksonville, (OR.) starting in 1891, was displayed in the Oregon 150 party/parade in Jacksonville earlier in the day. The paper also said it will remain at Bigham Knoll school until Monday, when it’s current owners were going to take it back to California.

Sunday, my Wife, her friend and I went to the school to get some shots of it. It wasn’t there, “lets look downtown”. When we got downtown, nothing there either. The kind lady at the Info center, the old Depot, said “They’re sportin’ it around to show it off, try Alba Park, or Hawthorn Park in Medford.”

We looked at Alba Park, nothing there. Went to Hawthorn Parks south entrance, nothing there. “Oh well, let’s go to Dairy Queen”… on the way to Dairy Queen, we went past the north end of the park, my wife says “Look over there, under those trees, is that it?”. about 150 yards away, in the shade, under some trees was a silhouette of a little train we missed on our first pass through the park. “That’s it” I said, just getting a quick glimpse and having only seen a picture in the paper, it was red and black as far as I could tell. But we were going the wrong direction.

After looping around through town, probably breaking a few laws, my wife’s friend says “Drive much”, I replied, “This is how I drive when I’m chasing a train.” We arrived at the park, The train was barely visible with people and trees in the way. It wasn’t until I got right up on it that I realized… “Honey I chased a bar-b-que”

Oh well… lets go to Dairy Queen now. I did eventually go back to the school in the evening and get some shots of it. notice the very close resemblance…

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They sure look close to me! Here are some more shots of this historic little engine.

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“Pig Train” in Dunsmuir, CA

I got a chance to chase the Pig Train through the Cantara Loop on down to Castella this last week. It’s called the Pig Train because of the Piggyback configuration of the trailers on the flat cars. Back in the ’50s-’70s, Southern Pacific even had special trailers with a cute cartoon pig on them for this service.

piggy

These days, it seems, there are mostly ‘Swift’ trucking co. trailers on this service.

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1) Azalea Ave

2) Cantara Loop

3) Castella

I have more pics and dialog about this on my updated website tunnel13.com

Train Chasing in Dunsmuir

I took last Friday and went to Dunsmuir, Calif. Former major hub for the Southern Pacific Railroad. It is now used by the Union Pacific Railroad. I arrived in time for a crew change…

I later chased this train, a high priority one called the “Z” to train buffs south a few miles and got a couple shots

On the way back from chasing the train, I stopped at the Railroad Park Resort. This place is amazing, there are old cabooses that look brand new, tastefully made into motel suites. There is a resturaunt in some old dinning cars, a gift shop and a very inviting crystal clear swimming pool. All with a magnificent view of the Castle Crags.

More pictures can be seen on my website Tunnel13.com

Yreka Western Railroad

We recently took a day trip and rode on the Yreka Western Railroad steam excursion train that goes from Yreka, CA to Montague, CA and back. The YWRR is a short line working railroad as well as a tourist line. It serves (lately) only two mills, taking plywood veneer, wood chips and landscape bark to Montague for drop off and pick up by the Central Oregon and Pacific RR, CORP, located along the famous (former) Southern Pacific RR Siskiyou Line. It used to serve several mills along the line until recent mill closures reduced it’s revenue.

The railroad had recently fallen into financial problems, the steam engine needed repairs, the track needed repairs and to top it all off, the Main line served by CORP had been closed for almost 2 years due to a fire and collapse of Tunnel 13 on the Siskiyou Line. Only southbound loads were taken. But now things look good for the line, slowly gaining revenue and tourists, now that the #19 is back in working order

(click thumbs)

We started our journey at the YWRR Depot / Yard here is the #19 waiting to pull forward and hook up to the excursion train.

You can wander around the yard and explore if you’re careful.

The #19 was the star in the movie “Emperor of the North (Pole)” staring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine and more about depression era bum’s hitching rides on a train that was guarded by an almost evil conductor (Ernest Borgnine) and was filmed in Cottage Grove OR

The trip is about 7 miles long but takes about an hour and a half because the train moves very slow due to poor track conditions. Be prepared to sit back, enjoy the scenery, watch wildlife and relax!

In Montague we had lunch at the “Dutchman” and it was wonderful. Clean decor, great food. We then walked up to the old Montague Depot, now a museum that houses almost exact replicas of how life was for the station master and his family, who lived upstairs. Afterward we walked down the street to a “tea room” and got drinks and cookies for the ride back. The people in this town sure depend on the tourists, and were almost devastated when the excursion train wasn’t operating.

If you’re ever in the area, be sure to stop in Yreka CA, explore the old historic mining district, eat at one of several great restaurants and ride the train!