With a mix of brake smoke, fog and smoke from fireplaces lingering in the forest air, a Westbound grain train creeps down Donner Pass on a wet February morning.

Climbing Eastward at Baxter, the weekday Reno Snow Train will soon be overlooking the American River.

Only about three months remained in the life of the Southern Pacific as AC4400CW rolled Westbound past Rocky Point (or American). #232 was among the last group of locomotives that would be purcha... (more)

A mid-train helper on a heavy manifest out of Ogden, Utah provides added braking power as the train negotiates the steep grade and numerous curves of Donner's western slope.

#6 is just past Alta, passing the townsite of Towle. This day E8 #326 (formerly UP 929A) led all the way over the hill without the usual FP7 -- I guess the weather, in SP's mind anyway, was not "a... (more)

ex-SP, now belonging to Amtrak, #6453 is leading the Eastbound San Francisco Zephyr at Baxter. SP required Amtrak to use the F-units during "adverse weather" as they did not like the plows on the ... (more)

On the long curve on which the SP enters the town of Alta from the West, SD40T2 #8288 has one other tunnel motor and three SD40's as it heads up Donner Pass

Conforming to SP's requirement that one of their former FP7 units lead the Zephyr over Donner Pass during "adverse" weather, #116 is leading two SDP40F's at Rocky Point, East of Alta, CA.

The UP 3839 East works upgrade at Baxter.

UP1983 and UP1996 lead the Roper Train up Donner Pass seen here passing through the red clay of Alta

With the behind schedule eastbound ASJNP grinding up over Donner Pass in the PH hours and overgrown Sierra pine tree shadows taking over, not a lot of sun-on-nose possibilitie presented themselves... (more)

As the head end of a westbound freight disappears around a curve, SD45 9039 comes into view, pushing hard behind the caboose of an uphill train at Alta.

SD45 9039 pushes hard on the rear end of a long eastbound as a westbound flashes by on Number 1 Track.

UP #4052 rounding through Alta, CA.