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McCloud Rails : Passenger Operations: Excursion Photos
Trains Unlimited Special 2005 Page 1 |
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In early July 2005, the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) held its annual
convention in Portland, Oregon. Trains Unlimited Tours chartered a special train that
was supposed to run from the Bay Area north to Portland via the UP/BNSF "High Line"-
Oroville, Keddie, Nubieber,
Klamath Falls, Chemult, Bend, and Wishram. The train would then have gone down to
Columbia River gorge to Portland. However, a month before the trip date UP withdrew
permission to use its portion of that route, and instead the special had to run up
the old SP mainline through Redding. Trains Unlimited original plans called for several historic diesels to power the special north. However, one by one the planned diesels became unavailable, and in the end the special would be powered with a pair of Amtrak locomotives and an ex-VIA Rail F-unit repainted into the classic Southern Pacific "Black Widow" paint scheme. The change in routing also gave Trains Unlimited a chance to add some connecting shortlines to the route, including the McCloud Railway. The final schedule for the train showed it operating on Saturday, 2 July 05, from Emeryville, CA, to McCloud, CA. Passengers would overnight in various motels around the Mt. Shasta City/McCloud area, with the train continuing north on Sunday, 3 July 05. The photographs on this and the following pages document the two days that the passenger train operated over the McCloud Railway Company. |
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One of the historic locomotives
originally scheduled to pull the consist was ex-Western Pacific GP-20 #2001, currently the property
of the Feather River Rail Society and housed in their Portola Railroad Museum. However, the unit
was removed from the consist shortly before the train was to run. The McCloud Railway approved the
use of the unit on its trackage, however, and TUT sent the unit to Mt. Shasta City. The #2001 is
seen here parked in the interchange tracks in Mt. Shasta City on Friday, 1st July 2005, waiting the
arrival of the schedule the following day. Roger Titus photo
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The NRHS special arrives in Mt. Shasta City, already running well behind schedule. George Landrock photo |
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McCloud Railway #37 was waiting for the special along with the WP #2001 at the upper end of the yard. The
special backed into a middle track, resulting in this shot of the three diesels parked alongside each
other. George Landrock photo |
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The McCloud Railway broke the TUT special into two sections before leaving Mt. Shasta City, with the Amtrak
units left behind. WP #2001 and the F-unit powered the first section up the hill, with the #37 handling
the second section by itself. The first section is seen here grinding up the hill not far out of Mt. Shasta
City. George Landrock photo |
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Another shot of the first section of the train. George Landrock photo |
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The second section grinding up the hill behind the #37. The #37 developed mechanical problems, and
eventually the crew employed a broomstick to jam a relay open so that the locomotive would keep
operating. George Landrock photo |
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Another shot of the first section rolling uphill. George Landrock photo |
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One more shot of the first section. George Landrock photo |
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Michael Zetocha was the engineer for the first section. He is seen here sitting in the cab of the #2001.
George Landrock photo |
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Looking forward at the power for the first section from on board the train.
Ken Storey photo |
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The crew continues to try to diagnose the #37's mechanical problems on the way up the hill.
George Landrock photo |
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