Tracking West
Newcastle Climb
During the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, the entirety of the line was single track. As time went on, most of the trackage would see the addition of second tracks, which included a few double track tunnels. Donner Pass would end up with two, one at Blue Canyon, and another one in the foothills at Newcastle.
I’ve always found the tunnel at Newcastle interesting, specifically because of the track’s layout coming out of the east portal. While the later constructed Track 2 stays on a decently flat grade, the adjacent Track 1 shoots up a 2.65% grade. In general, the grade on the original alignment is steep around here, with trains being forced to navigate a 2.42% grade coming into town. Due to this, the Southern Pacific realized running trains on a directional track system would be the way to go. While the far less demanding Track 2 would be used for the eastbound traffic, westbound traffic would have to navigate the challenging grade with sharp twists and turns Track 1 throws at trains. However, when UP modernized Donner in the late 2000s and early 2010s, this directional traffic would make a massive shift.
While directional traffic would still exist over the Sierras, it was mostly eliminated for Donner. Since most of the westbound traffic consists of heavy loaded trains, the UP would shift most of the westbound traffic to the WP’s consistent 1% grade through the Feather River Canyon. Due to this, very few westbound trains would take Donner, with the only regulars today being Amtrak, MSPRV, a Z, and a weekly I stack. This would lead to a pattern where Track 2 would be the preferred track for all traffic on the western slope west of Colfax. Meanwhile, Track 1 became the backup in case any opposing traffic was on the line at the same time. However, when you realize how big the eastbound trains usually are, it becomes apparent why SP had directional running.
The manifest pictured here is a prime example. MRVNP, a North Platte bound manifest that originates in Roseville, is a massive train that navigates the mountain daily. On this day, the manifest was running a 3x3x0 configuration, but with Amtrak being lined down Track 2, the heavy beast was lined up the other track. Despite Track 1 being slow in general, the weight of this train kept all six locomotives in full throttle the entire way up, but it was barely enough to keep the beast moving. Even though I-80 was very busy and located close to the tunnel, the sound of the locomotives was overpowering the highway even from a few miles away. When the train finally showed up, the sound of prime movers in full throttle was deafening as the manifest slowly pushed up the grade. Even though it’s only thirteen miles from Roseville, where this manifest originated, Newcastle has been known to stall trains like this one once in a while. While this train may not have stalled, I’m sure the crew had the thought it might in the back of their mind.
Newcastle Climb
During the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, the entirety of the line was single track. As time went on, most of the trackage would see the addition of second tracks, which included a few double track tunnels. Donner Pass would end up with two, one at Blue Canyon, and another one in the foothills at Newcastle.
I’ve always found the tunnel at Newcastle interesting, specifically because of the track’s layout coming out of the east portal. While the later constructed Track 2 stays on a decently flat grade, the adjacent Track 1 shoots up a 2.65% grade. In general, the grade on the original alignment is steep around here, with trains being forced to navigate a 2.42% grade coming into town. Due to this, the Southern Pacific realized running trains on a directional track system would be the way to go. While the far less demanding Track 2 would be used for the eastbound traffic, westbound traffic would have to navigate the challenging grade with sharp twists and turns Track 1 throws at trains. However, when UP modernized Donner in the late 2000s and early 2010s, this directional traffic would make a massive shift.
While directional traffic would still exist over the Sierras, it was mostly eliminated for Donner. Since most of the westbound traffic consists of heavy loaded trains, the UP would shift most of the westbound traffic to the WP’s consistent 1% grade through the Feather River Canyon. Due to this, very few westbound trains would take Donner, with the only regulars today being Amtrak, MSPRV, a Z, and a weekly I stack. This would lead to a pattern where Track 2 would be the preferred track for all traffic on the western slope west of Colfax. Meanwhile, Track 1 became the backup in case any opposing traffic was on the line at the same time. However, when you realize how big the eastbound trains usually are, it becomes apparent why SP had directional running.
The manifest pictured here is a prime example. MRVNP, a North Platte bound manifest that originates in Roseville, is a massive train that navigates the mountain daily. On this day, the manifest was running a 3x3x0 configuration, but with Amtrak being lined down Track 2, the heavy beast was lined up the other track. Despite Track 1 being slow in general, the weight of this train kept all six locomotives in full throttle the entire way up, but it was barely enough to keep the beast moving. Even though I-80 was very busy and located close to the tunnel, the sound of the locomotives was overpowering the highway even from a few miles away. When the train finally showed up, the sound of prime movers in full throttle was deafening as the manifest slowly pushed up the grade. Even though it’s only thirteen miles from Roseville, where this manifest originated, Newcastle has been known to stall trains like this one once in a while. While this train may not have stalled, I’m sure the crew had the thought it might in the back of their mind.