Today's "short leg" UP844 Steam trip over the ex-SP "Cal-P" route into the Bay Area took it West from Roseville for a distance of 104 miles. Rather than battle nasty WB-80 traffic out of Roseville... (more)

The UP844 Steam special just 12 minutes into it's Oakland-bound journey exits the American River Bridge. Late summer-like temps hit the mid to high 90's across Northern California today.

With my snow boots/pants left at home, I wasn't going to hike away too far into the Donner Winter leftover North face snow. So a simple Yuba-G wedgie shot from a rock 20ft from the tracks was fine... (more)

Also known as Bloomers Cut, this area just West of Auburn was completed by the CPRR in early 1865. Named for the local Bloomer family landowners, this 63 foot near-vertical by 800 foot long cut wa... (more)

UP steam to Donner Pass! Today's UP844 tour leg starts in Sparks, NV (Reno), but our chase across the Sierra begins a little further West in the NV foothills. With "Heritage Unit Help" assisting u... (more)

For 2009, UP finally blessed us NorCal railfans with a return of Steam to Donner. It has been 10 years since UP Steam last crossed over SP's High Sierra route and today was a great example of a ni... (more)

The CDTX2012 was leading San Joaquin #715 North out of Bakersfield on July 19, 2007 when it hit an (empty) gas tanker truck at a grade crossing in Shafter, CA plugged from full 79mph trackspeed... (more)

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY SP HERITAGE UNIT! Going back to April Fools Day 2007, the UP 1996 rests her heels for a meet after some 70mph running SB along Highway 99. It is about 90 minutes before sunrise ... (more)

The MP Heritage Unit makes it's first visit to the Bay Area skirting the San Pablo Bay in Pinole on it's way West to Oakland. NorCal is doing well with 4 of the 6 Heritage units being in either SA... (more)

Live from Salt Lake City, morning breaks and UP's "Heritage Loco Gathering Day" is here. For the official invitee even the units have just been staged on a wye leg curve - gonna be hard to shoot. ... (more)

The "Heritage 6" are finally together for the first time at UP's special Heritage Loco gathering event on 06.30.07. A preview staging of the locomotives was set-up Friday allowing a select few get... (more)

While lost Humpback Whales swim in the Suisun Bay a mere 1/2 mile away, my attention was momentarily diverted to the unpatched SP8613. Here she is seen pulling in the Oakland-Benicia LRJ50 transfe... (more)

Moments before the inbound crew goes on duty, the unpatched SP8613 with patched ex-Espee GP40-2 brothern rests a few more minutes in Benicia, CA. Look carefully and you might note that the previou... (more)

Northern Californians got a double treat this Holiday weekend w/ the Olympic UP 2001 leading into Oakland via Feather River + leading out of state via Mt. Shasta! Here the outbound IOASE Sunday Se... (more)

With the mothball fleet as a backdrop, the Oakland-Roseville Hauler pauses to let it's conductor walk up to the power. Of note tonight are the 2 inland humpback whales making their way back to the... (more)