Having just crossed into Southern Colorado, Amtrak's Southwest Chief catches the last few rays of sunshine as it negotiates the tight twists and turns of Raton Pass. At over 7,500' above sea level... (more)

Whatever it takes. In the early 1960s, construction began on the Oroville Dam. Once the dam was completed, the resulting reservoir flooded the Western Pacific mainline east of Oroville. A new rout... (more)

Winterstorm Dion has left the Feather River Canyon as a winter wonderland. On the evening of December 6th, 2013, snow began to fall in Northern California. By morning, there was a solid 6 inches t... (more)

The Zephyr Returns. On Father's Day of 2015, a recreation of the famous California Zephyr traveled roundtrip from Oakland to Portola. The train consisted of four stainless steal rail cars,... (more)

Completed in 1934, the Dotsero Cutoff was built by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad in order to shorten the journey between Denver and Salt Lake City. Previously, westbound trains at Denve... (more)

Union Pacific 1983 rolls past the Keddie Wye as it helps guide a detoured intermodal train down the Feather River Canyon. An increasingly rare searchlight stands on the trestle just outside of Tun... (more)

On a cold winter evening, the railroad has sprung to life. An eastbound grain train has pulled up to Switch 9 to wait for the passing MNPRV. Tucked in the middle of all this action is the rotary s... (more)

With a crew running low on hours, BNSF 7797 races up the Feather River Canyon at the Rock Creek Trestle. Due to delays in Oroville and Pulga, this train averaged less than 20mph between Mounkes (s... (more)

High in the Rocky Mountains, searchlight signals still stand guard alongside the Tennessee Pass Route. Although this route has been inactive for over 20 years, the signals still appear to be in go... (more)

The waters of the Feather River sit as smooth as glass as an eastbound BNSF baretable train rumbles across the Rock Creek Trestle on a brisk and cloudy day in Northern California.

BNSF 729 cruises through the depths of the Feather River Canyon as it leads a large manifest along the ex-Western Pacific mainline near Pulga.

Colorado's Western Slope is home to gritty mountain railroading. Heavy trains, deep canyons and treacherous curves are common along this route. Here, a loaded coal train running 2x2x2 thunders thr... (more)

The new crew of the ZCSLT checks out their interesting ride on the foamer express.

Another cold day in the High Sierras draws to a close but the action is just beginning for the Union Pacific Railroad. Throughout the day, the Truckee-based Jordan Spreaders were working to clear ... (more)

In November of 2009, Union Pacific instituted a major change to operations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Numerous tunnels along the Donner Pass Route were retrofitted in order to fit double stac... (more)