On a hot August afternoon, a Modoc Northern train descends the 2.2% grade down Howard's Gulch. The clearing in the forest was created when Southern Pacific had a nasty wreck here in the early 80s.
When the Modoc Line was closed to through traffic in 1987 and 1988, Southern Pacific ran a train from Klamath Falls to Alturas and return twice a week. The Alturas Turn carried interchange to/fro... (more)
A westbound train on the Modoc Line crests the grade up Howard's Gulch at Ambrose. From here to tie-up at Klamath Falls, it is all downhill or level.
The Alturas Turn is about to crest the grade up Howard's Gulch between Canby and Ambrose. From here, it should be just a couple of hours up the Modoc Line to home at Klamath Falls.
An eastbound Modoc Line train begins the descent down Howard's Gulch not long after the Rio Grande/SP merger. The UP unit on the point is ironic, as UP's acquisition of SP eight years later would ... (more)
