Each year at the beginning of August, I do a photo survey of my railroad. This helps document progress through the year and serves as a useful focal point for blog viewers to see the complete railroad. Last year’s survey may be found at:
https://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-railroad-at-year-eleven.html
Prior years may be viewed by working back through the links for prior years at the top of each annual survey.
This year I chose to do my photo survey in the midst of my August operating session. I had two guest operators within a full crew. Dick D. was one of those and was engineer on the chosen train. Regular crewmember Craig P. served as Dick’s conductor. The session picked up from the prior operating session at 1:30 am on the fast clock (3:1 ratio). That time period on the daily line-up features a fleet of priority trains leaving Eugene RR-West (southbound—toward California) followed by more general freight traffic.
We will follow the 01-EULAY. This is the first general manifest train of the day sent south from Eugene with traffic for Los Angeles and beyond. In the 1984 era represented by the rolling stock and locomotives on the layout, this train is headed for the large SP classification in West Colton, CA, on the east end of the Los Angeles Basin. The train will pass through another large classification yard at Roseville, CA, but will not have work in that yard.
Eugene Arrival-Departure Yardmaster Vic N. (right) works with yard switcher David L (Left) in the arrival-departure yard. The A-D Yard features reverse loop staging for RR-West trains. The yard crew is responsible for sorting outbound cars into appropriate classification tracks for road freights.
Engineer Dick D. (left) and Conductor Craig P. (right) have picked up their train from a departure track and are working out of the A-D Yard. Their train’s locomotives are seen between them. They will work out of Eugene on the “West Main” while a RR-East train arrives via the Eugene Mainline and “East Main” immediately in front of them.
The 01-EULAY works its way through the Eugene Depot area while the Eugene Classification Yard crew continues working. Rear to front (left to right) in the view are West Switcher Bob L, Yardmaster Emerick S, Engineer Dick D., and East Switcher Rick A.
With no mainline traffic passing through, Eugene City Switcher John B. (red cap, rear) takes advantage of the break to cross over the mainlines to switch industries at the RR-East end of the depot complex. The five double slip switches I installed to help create the second mainline between the two Eugene Yard complexes (my “Covid Project”) get a workout during full operating sessions such as this August 2024 session.
Conductor Craig P. watches as our train enters single track at the RR-West end of Eugene. The mock-up for Eugene Planing is against the backdrop wall. We met a former manager of that plant during our Alaska tour—small world! My “RIP Track” (Repair In Place) area is in the foreground. Crewmembers place bad order cars or cars and car card mismatches in this area. I succeeded in repairing a half dozen cars from this area before this operating session.
Our train crosses the Willamette River on its way into Springfield.
Dick D. (left) brings the 01-EULAY into Springfield on the siding. Greg B. (right) waits with his RR-East train on the mainline.
Our train has progressed through much of Springfield with major industries now in view including Rosboro Lumber in the foreground, National Metallurgy peeking in on the right, Clear Fir (doors and window moldings) in the mid-ground, and Tilbury Cement (green silo) back toward the depot.
Another view of the heavy activity at Springfield as our train passes through on the siding in the foreground. The RR-East train is on the mainline in the middle. Meanwhile, Mike L. uses the drill track to assist his work on the Marcola Branch in the back with a pair of low-nose GP9s as his power.
Our train has rounded the turnback curve at the end of the Springfield peninsula with Engineer Dick D. in control (right). Rodger C. is behind him observing the action. Rodger’s locomotives are waiting at Oakridge to serve as helpers for our train. The large Neste Resins (Arclin) wood chemical plant dominates the scene on the Marcola Branch, while the last vestiges of an earlier agriculture era hang on, represented by the green grain/seed elevator on the left.
Our train rolls past Westfir and the Western Lumber mill. We are crossing the bridge over the North Fork of the Willamette River and will plunge through Tunnel 22 into Oakridge. Dick D. (right) and Craig P. (center) watch their train while Loren M. watches his train at Wicopee in the background.
Jim M. organizes the Oakridge Turn at Oakridge and will switch local industry as the mainline moves traffic. Our 01-EULAY is arriving in the background. It will have a mid-train helper inserted into the train here.
Jim M. (left) is working at Oakridge with the Oakridge Turn while helper Engineer Rodger C. (right, blue shirt) watches the mainline action to the left.
Our train crosses Salmon Creek as it leaves Oakridge and begins its climb of the Cascades. The railroad climbs at a continuous 1.8 percent from here to Cascade Summit.
Dick D. controls our train as it climbs out of Oakridge. Ground cover has been applied in the corner. Trees for the forest are next.
Rodger C. controls the returning helpers on the point of a RR-East train controlled by Mike B. Dispatchers often take advantage of a RR-East train to add helpers returning downhill to Oakridge. This train is passing under Montieth Rock, an interesting volcanic plug found in the Salt Creek Canyon used by the railroad to climb the Cascades.
Our 01-EULAY is in McCredie Springs. I “imagineered” a quarry in this location. Although there are no quarries served by the railroad here, there are several road-served quarries in the immediate area.
A RR-West train climbs out of McCredie Springs, crossing Eagle Creek. The large viaduct/trestle at Shady Creek looms in the background. Craig L. (center) controls the helpers while Mike B. (background) controls the entire train.
Loren M. controls a RR-East train downhill out of Wicopee and into Tunnel 20. The station village at Cruzatte is seen on the level above the train at Wicopee. While compressed in many ways, this pairing of stations—high and low—occurs in the middle part of the Cascade climb.
The 01-EULAY is arriving at Wicopee (lower track) while a RR-East is descending through Cruzatte. Helper Engineer Rodger C. is on the left. Engineer Keith K. has the train at Cruzatte. Crew for our 01-EULAY, Craig P. and Dick D. are on the right. Our uphill train is taking the Wicopee siding to allow the RR-East downhill train to keep rolling through on the Main. It is best to keep the downhill trains rolling rather than exhausting their air brakes and then needing to release those brakes to start rolling, which can be a challenge for safe train handling.
After meeting the downhill RR-East train at Wicopee, our train crosses Salt Creek Trestle with Engineer Dick D. (left) and Helper Engineer Rodger C. (right) seen through the trestle towers.
Our train ventures out onto Noisy Creek Trestle, guided by Rodger and Dick. My railroad features all three of the steel viaducts/trestles found on the Cascade Line.
After crossing Noisy Creek Trestle (in the background), Dick D. brings our train into Cruzatte. Cruzatte has a typical SP “company village” built to provide housing for track maintenance and operating personnel in the remote mountain region. Better road and four-wheel drive vehicles plus changes in railroad operations eventually made such villages obsolete.
Dick and Rodger are bringing their train out of Cruzatte and over Shady Creek Trestle while the RR-East train they met at Wicopee slips over Eagle Creek below them.
The 01-EULAY pokes out of Tunnel 5 and its rock shed on its way toward the summit.
Our train is entering Cascade Summit as the crew of Rodger C, Craig P, and Dick D. looks on.
Rodger C. has cut off his helper locomotives and is moving them onto the Beattie Spur—the usual collection point for helpers at the summit.
With the light helpers over on the Beattie Spur (actually a siding), Dick and Craig put their train back together to continue further RR-West toward California.
Our train is entering Crescent Lake and the end of its journey on my railroad. Crescent Lake was the historic RR-Division meeting point between the Portland and Shasta Divisions. The SP merged much of the Shasta Division into a new Oregon Division in 1964. Crescent Lake on my railroad features a twelve-track reverse-loop staging yard as implied by the locomotive sets in the foreground.
Orchestrating the August 2024, operating session was Dave H.
I am happy that operations on my railroad have settled into a regular routine with most of the crew now familiar with multiple aspects of the operation. This has been one of my goals for this effort.
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