Winter on Union Pacific's Donner Pass

Рет қаралды 42,535

3 жыл бұрын

Take a visit to one of the most legendary railroads ever built, the transcontinental mainline across the High Sierras on Union Pacific's Donner Pass. Witness snowplows in action keeping the mainline clear during the winter, plus numerous freight trains, as well as Amtrak's California Zephyr with private cars in tow!

Пікірлер: 72

@davesusek3330 Жыл бұрын

Great video the private cars are the bomb.

@SignalLightProductions Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yes they were some really lucky catches and those cars in particular are very nice.

@markfrench8892 Жыл бұрын

UP may own it now, but it will always be the Central Pacific's Donnor Pass.

@worldcooking Жыл бұрын

How wonderful is this train route!

@danielhack9094 2 жыл бұрын

GLAD TO SEE THE VIDEOS OF THE TRAIN TRAFFIC THROUGH THE DONNER PASS ROUTE. WHEN I LIVED IN THE RENO AREA I USED TO HOP 'FREIGHT TRAINS' FROM RENO TO ROSEVILLE AND BACK. WHAT AN ADVENTURE AND BEAUTIFUL SCENERY!!!! HEAVEN ON EARTH IN MY OPINION. THANKS, DANIEL H.

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It's so pretty out there!

@ClearTrackSpeed 3 жыл бұрын

Donner Pass is the most quietly beautiful mountain passes in all the west; Thanks for sharing

@SignalLightProductions 3 жыл бұрын

It was beautiful. Glad you enjoyed the video!

@charlesbissey9901 Жыл бұрын

11:43 to hear a non e-bell ace was cool

@SignalLightProductions Жыл бұрын

Yeah! Just a small handful of the early ACes have the mechanical bells.

@2244khan Жыл бұрын

The most beautiful train video ever seen and explained with a delightful commentary in the clearest voice and tone. Thanks for sharing❤.

@SignalLightProductions Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your kind words!

@jimallen4809 2 жыл бұрын

This is such a beautiful video capturing iconic views and great trains. I commend you for such a glorious and fantastic accomplishment! It really takes a very special person to do such special things such as this.

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your feedback and enjoy making videos for y'all to watch!

@texxstalker Жыл бұрын

Not enough SNOW! 😀

@SignalLightProductions Жыл бұрын

Yeah I definitely need to go back when it's deeper, especially if the rotaries are out.

@garyreimer6791 Жыл бұрын

Nice video, spent a month every summer on Donner, always love the mallets climbing the pass and sitting in Truckee. It takes 5 diesels to do what 3 cab forwards use to do

@SignalLightProductions Жыл бұрын

I can't even imagine what that must've been like!

@steverudder3321 2 жыл бұрын

Great coverage and narration! Thank you for your comfort sacrifices in making this video.👍 12:50 the echoes of the horns!👍👍Whenever I travel on I-80, I always find myself searching the hillside for RxR tracks and the aqueducts.😁 I'd love to do what you did in this video. And BTW, Praise the Lord!☝

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your kind words! It is a spectacular route for sure. Glad you enjoy the Bible verses too!

@paullindberg9230 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful. mountain scenery. As a former railroad employee. it is some thing. to watch an engineer. work their magic. Thank you for sharing a real professional. videos

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Good train handling is so often overlooked and what a skill it is. I'm a student engineer right now but a lot of folks are really skilled at their craft. Glad you enjoyed the video!

@RTWest-kn5fr 2 жыл бұрын

The bad part of the Donner Pass is knowing the history and questioning yourself... But your excellent selections of scenes, settings, video recording and informative commentary seemed to suppress all of that in me. I passed on eating and just had a coffee while watching. ¡Bien hecho! Well done! Gracias por tu video. R.T. West sends, envía, Puebla, México...

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

It is a fascinating, even if grim, history and I'm glad you enjoyed my video. Muchas gracias!

@darrellborland119 Жыл бұрын

@R.T. West...that is the paradox of great achievement...usually requires some sort of sacrifice, the greater the achievement...in this particular case, toward the fulfillment of "Manifest Destiny". Thanks.

@mslickstrains 3 жыл бұрын

Nice video. Beautiful views. Great information. Props to you for camping in the single digits

@SignalLightProductions 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much!

@darrellborland119 Жыл бұрын

As an "Original Transcon RR" fan, visiting Donner Pass, and the Summit Tunnel-walk-thru is an awesome experience, in light of what it took to build the original RR. We can only imagine the toil, inch by inch, to blow thru it's unyielding granite....18 months under the direction of James Strobridge, and finished 1867, opened '68. Thanks for the video, from Darrell. Subscribed...

@SignalLightProductions Жыл бұрын

It really is an impressive feat! Thanks for watching!

@DanMeyer80 2 жыл бұрын

Came through there on the Zephyr this past May. Still had plenty of snow on the ground. Very scenic ride, if you haven't rode the Zephyr, I highly recommend you do so!

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Got to ride it last year (check out my video on the trip). Beautiful country!

@stuartsherman5975 2 жыл бұрын

Great video and narration. Keep up the awesome videos.

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I'm trying to post a little more often than I have been.

@Scainmusic 2 жыл бұрын

Great video! (Carson - Ohio)

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Carson! Glad you enjoyed it!

@cliftonyoung881 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome video beautiful view

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It's some spectacular scenery

@MustangsTrainsMowers 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent video!

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@natgass8102 2 жыл бұрын

excellent video and commentary, just found your channel great work!

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I appreciate the comment!

@truckinpoppop6777 2 жыл бұрын

Nice stuff, man!

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@harrychest4303 2 жыл бұрын

Donner pass had snow in mid June of 2019. Zephyr was expensive but impeccable service

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

That's really neat! Amtrak travel is always worth the expense in my opinion.

@guitartrainbillkalkman77 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent video despite the focusing issues.

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much! It was disappointing for sure, but thankfully the issue had been resolved.

@jacquesblaque7728 Жыл бұрын

At 24:00 as #131 passes through Soda Springs you can clearly see that amidships it has a compressed-air bottle riding clear of the rail by only an inch or so.

@SignalLightProductions Жыл бұрын

Yeah they're pretty low slung

@jacquesblaque7728 Жыл бұрын

@@SignalLightProductions Well, #131 is hanging extra low, waiting to get snagged/smacked. Look at the height of the other unit's air bottle.

@paradoxicalcat7173 Жыл бұрын

Great presentation! Nicely narrated, but less of the "focus failure" commentary. We get it. As others have said, just allowing the train to roll by would be nice. The way you captured the Amtrak at the end is how many more of the trains should be filmed, too. Not all, obviously (the way you edited the Amtrak passing the tunnels was good).

@SignalLightProductions Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@cats0182 Жыл бұрын

Winter? Must've been relatively mild. Very little snow. Snowplows in action? Yep, sitting on the ready track and going back and forth for some reason on clean track. The CZ with a private car? It was there. Passed by twice. Whoopee. Not what I expected from your title and description. Maybe I missed something. So be it.

@SignalLightProductions Жыл бұрын

I'm sorry you were disappointed. The video was filmed in January with temperatures below freezing most of the trip so I can assure you I was cold even if it wasn't dumping snow. It was a relatively mild winter that year, but I didn't call the video "snow fighting on Donner" so I wasn't exactly misleading anyone.

@MegsHappyLife 2 жыл бұрын

that thug walking towards you that one time was trespassing right? amazing scenery! im going through there in April on the California zephyr .

@natgass8102 2 жыл бұрын

he probably was a hobo looking to catch a ride but you need to do that at places the train has to stop!

@dhenschel4 2 жыл бұрын

Nicely done set of clips, thanks for sharing. The only comment is the plural of Sierra is Sierra, there is no 'Sierra's'.

@SignalLightProductions 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@oubrioko 2 жыл бұрын

1:25 specially modified *GP38-2*

@Ottos_ScLm_Race_videos_2009_on Жыл бұрын

So now how much of the UP railroad is the transcontinental railroad and how much is it the line UP put in? I know they don't use SP snow sheds at 7000' level. I have watched people drive through them.

@SignalLightProductions Жыл бұрын

That's a good question. I'm not sure how many miles were bypassed, but you can see the tracks pretty well on Google Earth.

@Ottos_ScLm_Race_videos_2009_on Жыл бұрын

@@SignalLightProductions Ya I may google map it. I like doing that.

@Ottos_ScLm_Race_videos_2009_on Жыл бұрын

@@SignalLightProductions Ok I looked Just the part up by the Sugar Bowl Ski area. UP line goes under the Ski area. The old SP / Continental Railroad went around the Ski area and up higher. If you ever Google Map it look for Norden and the white snow shed.