“In preparation of the coming weather and as a precautionary measure, we are prepping ballast trains and equipment in the event that we need to respond to a washout or other rain/flood related event,” Justin Jacobs, UP’s director of corporate relations and media in Roseville tells Trains News Wire. UP earlier sent out spreaders and flangers to clear the two main lines and move snow farther off the right-of-way, he added.
As of midday Thursday, Amtrak’s website showed Train No. 6, the eastbound California Zephyr, running at close to track speed but 38 minutes late over the 7,000-foot pass between Roseville and Truckee, Calif., after being stung four hours on Wednesday. Its westbound counterpart arriving early in Truckee on Wednesday fell 38 minutes behind schedule by the time it loaded passengers and reached Roseville.
Also on Thursday, the Sugar Bowl ski area near the railroad summit at Norden reported 38 inches of fresh snow in 24 hours with a storm total of 81 inches.
For truckers and other motorists, chain restrictions on Interstate 80 began Sunday night with the route closed briefly Wednesday morning and then from early that afternoon until about 6 a.m. Thursday.
Meanwhile the National Weather Service issued flood watches for up to 15 inches of rain on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada and a foot on the east from Saturday afternoon into Monday morning.
“Amounts of precipitation this high have not been seen since December 2005,” the weather service forecast office in Sacramento, Calif., reported.
The 30 miles of railroad between Truckee and Cisco may get mostly rain as snow is forecast above 7,000 to 8,000 feet.
Not so fast, washout, I believe east of Colfax, has stopped traffic on the Mountain. Yesterday’s 6 was turned there and returned EMY. Today’s 6 started in Reno, probably the turned 5. Dixieland is listing Service disruptions for 5/6.
When I rode the westbound Zephyr last January, I-80 looked horrible. Meanwhile, here we were, streaking by with no obstacles in our way. Granted, the train was running several hours late, but I didn’t care.
The most important part missed in this story was that the water drinking people of California need every drop of that wonderful rain or snow. Bring it on, and when deep enough get those rotaries into action. Be prepared and never scrap any snow fighting equipment unless replaced by a more modern machine of the winter war.
When will Amtrak start to publicize this aspect of its service? Trains hardly even slow down for weather conditions that routinely paralyze highways and airports. Granted, even trains aren’t immune to disastrous weather, but it doesn’t take a weather disaster for non-rail transportation to grind to a halt while the trains sail on by.
An October trip eastbound on the CZ showed Norden abandoned and equipment mostly based in Roseville.