Railroad places to visit
1. GOAT LICK TRESTLE: Fast-paced action of BNSF’s northern transcon and the beauty of Glacier National Park, plus live GN goats.
2. CAJON PASS: Busy mainline mountain crossing for both BNSF and Union Pacific leaving LA.
3. TEHACHAPI: Mind-boggling over-and-under loop in Southern California sees more than 40 trains a day. Over 60 miles of great scenery, 12 tunnels between Bakersfield to Mojave.
4. DONNER PASS: The Central Pacific’s daunting challenge to cross the Sierras lives on here.
5. MOFFAT TUNNEL & ROLLINS PASS: The climb over the Giant’s Ladder on Rollins Pass was a nightmare. The 6.2 mile-long Moffat Tunnel was the solution. Test your courage on the old route by automobile — if you dare.
6. GAVIOTA TRESTLE: 80-foot-tall, 811-foot-long landmark on Southern Pacific’s Coast Line.
7. RATON PASS: Steepest mainline grade on Amtrak (3.5%) is sadly devoid of freights but has a smattering of semaphores, searchlight and cantilever signals — for now.
8. ELY, NEV.: Home of the preserved Nevada Northern copper railroad — original shops, locomotives, route — is a step back in time.
9. BOZEMAN PASS: Echoes of the Northern Pacific abound. Lewis and Clark came through here. Some Montana Rail Link blue can still be found if you’re lucky.
10. COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE: Action in unparalleled movie-like scenery features BNSF on the north bank and UP to the south.
11. PROMONTORY SUMMIT: Lonely Utah desert spot where work on the first transcontinental railroad was declared “done!”
12. SHERMAN HILL: UP’s three-track “low” crossing of the Rockies is an amazing show in Wyoming.
13. ECHO CANYON: Amazing rock formations form a backdrop for the legendary Wasatch grade. Best viewed from an Interstate 80 rest stop.
14. BILL, WYO.: Heavy duty BNSF and UP action in the Powder River Basin coal field. Will coal’s uncertain fortunes render it irrelevant in 20 years?
15. ALONG ROUTE 66, ARIZ.: BNSF’s former Santa Fe main line is busy and beautiful in the northern Arizona mountains and deserts.
16. ANCHORAGE, ALASKA: Alaska Railroad headquarters town is the gateway to wilderness railroading adventure.
17. CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM: North America’s best railroad museum is found in Old Sacramento, Calif. Excellent juxtapositioning of tiny 4-2-4T C.P. Huntington with giant SP cab forward 4-8-8-2 No. 4295.
18. SKAGWAY, ALASKA: Gravity defying White Pass & Yukon is tops in scenery and history with narrow gauge diesels and coaches.
19. THE JOINT LINE: Jointly operated main lines of BNSF and UP between Denver and Pueblo, Colo., in a model railroad-like setting with heavy tonnage.
20. CUMBRES PASS: 10,000-foot crossing is a testament to the audacity of General Palmer’s Rio Grande narrow gauge, now the amazingly authentic Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, a step back into railroading of the 1920s.
21. DURANGO, COLO.: Busiest working roundhouse left in America; Durango & Silverton Mikados gather nightly in summer.
22. CASCADE TUNNEL: 7.8-mile tunnel in Washington State is the longest in the U.S.
23. PORTLAND UNION STATION: The essence of a classic major station resides in the Rose City of the Pacific Northwest.
24. DUNSMUIR, CALIF.: Southern Pacific character lives on in mountainous Northern California.
25. LOS ANGELES UNION STATION: Where named trains and Hollywood stars once gathered, commuters and light rail (and some long-distance trains) converge today.
From looking at the shadows of the “short UP intermodal train”, I really think that is a westbound train.
I think Providence Hill (WA) and Mullan Pass (MT) should be here as well. They are great places to watch trains and the trains are really frequent in both areas. I also agree Canadian places should be here, such as the Fraser/Thompson Canyons; Jasper; and The Spiral Tunnels.
Yea
Not to brag, but to satisfy my curiosity, I counted how many I have been to, 22. I am well into my retirement years, so I have had a lot of years to do it. I am missing Bill and the two in Alaska. Yes, I did see Keddie too, on the original CZ. All great experiences..
Always nice to see your journalistic work. I am looking forward to other sections of the country. How about Pennsylvania?
And how about all the great Canadian places?
Great list and I have seen or been over most of them, and some I might have been as I traveled those routes, just never knew about them. And I was probably over Keddie on the original CZ.
Good list. But you left Keddie, CA out of the mix.