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ColdRain&Snow said:
Quick question about the UP rotaries. In the videos I saw of one heading up to Donner from Roseville yesterday, it was venting off a great deal of steam. When I looked up UP's Roseville based rotaries, they were listed in a roster with the power described as "Power: Electric, power from F7B MW8208" and similar entries. Was that rotary steam powered, and is the second railcar behind the rotary some type of power car?

Thanks for any info as these machines are quite interesting.
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Both rotaries in use on Donner were originally steam powered, but are now electric powered. The unit behind each plow is the "B Unit", a former cabless slug unit of a "F" diesel locomotive set. The electric power for the plow comes from the B unit.

As for the steam coming from the plow set, I not really sure what that represents. My pure guess would be that the set retained steam heat and it comes from a steam generator in the B unit.

The following is a ink to an old Trainorders thread with some good technical information on the UP (SP) rotaries. For machines that are rarely used, they sure are fascinating beasts.

Link
 
It appears Donner Pass is still blocked, with 5(25) turning at Reno. I'm wondering if there is equipment west of the pass that is, in effect, out of LD service. Might explain why 5(27) didn't leave Chicago today.
 
Grandpa D said:
It appears Donner Pass is still blocked, with 5(25) turning at Reno. I'm wondering if there is equipment west of the pass that is, in effect, out of LD service. Might explain why 5(27) didn't leave Chicago today.
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And the word from the ticket agent is no 5 from Denver to EMY tomorrow :-( We'll just have to go in the summer!
 
Were scheduled to ride the Zephyr on Friday, April 1st from Martinez to Truckee. Do you think everything will be resolved by then?

-Roberta
 
So, how bad was the weather in the Sierras? How does it look and sound when the UP put rotaries on the mountains for the first time in 13 years. Check out this video by a Trainorders member who trek'd into the mountains to get a look at the operation.

This is why the Zephyr is not running west of Reno.

 
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Awesome footage! Would also love to be on the first Zephyr through following the Rotary. Would also be fun to go through the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra's during a snow event. (as long as the trains keep running!)
 
roberta said:
Were scheduled to ride the Zephyr on Friday, April 1st from Martinez to Truckee. Do you think everything will be resolved by then?

-Roberta
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Roberta, I too am scheduled on the Zephyr on April 1st and came here seeking information on the weather's expected impact. The rain has stopped here in San Francisco, which is a good sign for the snow stopping in the Sierras. Let's just keep our fingers crossed for you and yours and me and mine. I am moving to Orlando by Amtrak so I really have to be on that train since the landlady is expecting us out by Friday morning. I expect that the train will be full of skiers, and that we will have have a pretty ride if conditions allow us to get through.
 
PRR 60 said:
So, how bad was the weather in the Sierras? How does it look and sound when the UP put rotaries on the mountains for the first time in 13 years. Check out this video by a Trainorders member who trek'd into the mountains to get a look at the operation.
This is why the Zephyr is not running west of Reno.

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No trailing rotary for bidirectional plowing after all.
 
WhoozOn1st said:
So, how bad was the weather in the Sierras? How does it look and sound when the UP put rotaries on the mountains for the first time in 13 years. Check out this video by a Trainorders member who trek'd into the mountains to get a look at the operation.
This is why the Zephyr is not running west of Reno.

Click to expand...

That's because the trailing rotary derailed and they cut it off and left it behind for crews to eventually rerail it.

Guess they figured that they'd gamble and just keep going hoping that they won't have to reverse for some reason and can get through before turning around at a lower elevation with less snow.
 
Just a side note: As of Friday, when the latest storm was getting underway, the Sierra Nevada snowpack (which provides much of California's water) stood at 159% of normal for this time of year. One helluva winter!
 
TraneMan said:
Steve4031 said:
What happens when this stuff melts!!!
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I am sure there will be some flooding! WOnder if any of this snow or else where will help Lake Mead?
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I wouldn't expect flooding from snowmelt as both state and federal water projects are being operated pretty conservatively this year in California. We've had localized flooding and plenty of slides from saturated soil and, some say, lousy building practices that increase runoff and decrease drainage capacity.
 
We are California Zephyr passengers who learned last night that there will be a bus from Emeryville to Reno instead of the scheduled bus from San Francisco to the train in Emeryville. At least Amtrak is still providing transportation. My companion is disappointed, but I think that we will be just fine as long as there is a train from Reno to Chicago like we expected.
 
Have a great trip ... hopefully, there won't be any other changes!
 
SanFranciscan said:
We are California Zephyr passengers who learned last night that there will be a bus from Emeryville to Reno instead of the scheduled bus from San Francisco to the train in Emeryville. At least Amtrak is still providing transportation. My companion is disappointed, but I think that we will be just fine as long as there is a train from Reno to Chicago like we expected.
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You're lucky. I was booked on the same train on the 29th. They called to say it was canceled from EMY and no bus transportation to Reno was possible.

They did rebook me for a date in April so everything worked out ok.
 
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