Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/364820
ByJeanBarton Everythirdyearaspe- cial excursion train from Emeryville to Portola runs on the former Western Pa- cific Route as part of the Portola Railroad Days Fes- tival. I have ridden Amtrak from Davis to Truckee, and always wanted to ride the train in the Feather River Canyon, since it was on my bucket list. Now I can say "Been There, Done That." The Western Pacific Railroad was the last transcontinental line to be built. Portola is a division point between East and West with all trains stop- ping here to change crews and motive power. Union Pacific took over Western Pacific in 1982. After leaving Sacra- mento, the train was to swing onto the former Western Pacific route, where only freight trains run now. Because of the rising cost to operate a train like this the tour company felt that it might be the last excursion train to Portola, since costs now exceed $ 50,000 per day. There were to be eight pri- vate rail cars on the pri- vate charter train. Unfortunately, one car didn't leave Emeryville because of mechanical problems. That was to be the car Mt. Lassen Mo- tor Transit party of thirty was to ride in. Climbing aboard we were told to find a seat in one of the other cars. My cousin Jacqueline Leininger and I were at the back of the group, so we kept walking through the cars looking for two seats. Earlier I had met Cindy and Dave from Yuba City, long-time rail buffs on their fourth trip up the Feather River Canyon. They will be going back east by train, to cheer for the Giants next month. Did the Rose Parade by Amtrak while I rode Mt. Lassen Transit. They were at a table for four in the Silver Lariat, a California Zephyr railroad car, where Cindy and Dave graciously allowed us to sit and visit with them. Their tickets were Pre- mier with lunch and wine served on white table cloth, china with name of car, silverware, and wine served in stemmed glasses. Just like the old days, riding a train with dining car. Beautiful pink Peru- vian Lilies on each table. Our ticket was coach with a box lunch. But the Silver Lariat air conditioning was work- ing the entire journey, while one of the cars was hot because their air con- ditioning had quit. Those up in the dome got more than they had bargained for, with the sun beating down. Leaving Oroville, where we got on, the train was gradually climbing, as we went over the west branch of Lake Oroville. There were a series of tun- nels as we went under Big Bend Mountain for several miles, and when we came out in the lower reaches of Feather River Canyon it was no longer oak trees, but pine. It was 91 miles in a north-east direction to Por- tola. On the train it took us four-and a-half hours, while Troy and the bus made the trip in two hours 10 minutes. Even the semi- trucks were passing us. There were 32 tunnels the train traveled through. Some were short, and some lasted a long time in the darkness. You looked across the river and we would see cars stopped and people taking pictures of our pas- senger train. Dave said he saw the same car stopped several times at different locations while the pho- tographer took pictures of our train. Thanks to Dave and Cindy we knew about the Keddie Wye, which has two legs on bridges over the Feather River and Spanish Creek. It was the scene of the "Last Spike" ceremony on Nov. 1, 1909. Keddie, six miles west of Quincy was named af- ter Arthur W. Keddie, the original surveyor of the railroad route through the canyon. We didn't go by Quincy, but we could see the saw- mill across the meadow to the south. Western Pacif- ic's charter required that the mainline grade not ex- ceed 1 percent. The rail- road survey placed it high above the American Val- ley at the Quincy Junction, and it required a grade of nearly 4 percent to bring the Quincy Railroad Co. up to mainline level. A few miles east of the Massack rest area is the Williams Loop, the rail- road makes a continuous one mile loop in a 1 per- cent grade to gain altitude. Crossing over itself, the track gains the necessary elevation required. It was such a gradual slow climb that you didn't realize you were crossing over the track below, if Dave hadn't told and shown us. "At Spring Garden, a 7,344 foot tunnel pene- trates the divide under Lee Summit. The tunnel trans- fers the railroad from the North Fork Feather River drainage to the Middle Fork. Arthur Keddie's sur- veys proved that the North Fork would accommodate a 1 percent railroad grade, while the extremely rug- ged nature of the Middle Fork country made rail- roading impractical in that area," from Plumas County's 7 Wonders of the Railroad World. Many people from the city loved the view of the pine and fir trees, the rocks the train tracks were chiseled through, the view of the different PG&E hydro dams and power houses, and then the meadows east of Quincy. Jacqueline and I have driven Interstate 70 many years, so we were disap- pointed with the view be- cause it was nearly the same view from the high- way. When they had cat- tle at Pentz and summer feed in Plumas County they drove the canyon. We drive the canyon when it is snowing on Highway 36 coming home from a cattlemen convention in Reno. ***** The tickets for the 5th annual Beef n Brew, hosted by Tehama Co. Cat- tleWomen and Downtown Red Bluff Business Associ- ation are on sale for $20 at The Loft, Plum Crazy and Red Bluff Gold Exchange. Or click on the Pay Pal link to purchase your tick- ets online. Please print re- ceipt and bring the day of the event to get your wrist- band. The day of the event, tickets will be $25. Information about the event can be found at red bluff beefnbrew.com. The website has infor- mation about the spon- sors, the 70 craft beers that will be served, and the beef appetizers. We are proud of our website, thanks to Mandy Selvester. We have $150 for each beef appetizer vendor that will be served by the businesses, the restau- rants, and the individu- als thanks to the generous beef sponsors. Thanks to Ten Point Ranch, Red Bluff Chysler- Dodge-Jeep, McGlynn & Clark - Attorneys at Law, Corning Ford, Ani- mal Health International, Growney Motors, Golden State Farm Credit, Certi- fied Hereford Beef, Turri Family Farm, Jim Bass Roping Arena, Shasta Livestock Auction Yard, Rolling Hills Casino, Peacher Construction, Ur- ban Farmacy and Certified Angus Beef. If you would like to be part of the evening as a beef appetizer vendor, please contact Cathy Tobin at 833-9961 or okherefs@ gmail.com. JEAN BARTON Train ride from Emeryville to Portola CONTRIBUTED The Keddie Wye on the former Western Pacific Railroad line draws the photographers on the Feather River Canyon. Leaving Oroville, where we got on, the train was gradually climbing, as we went over the west branch of Lake Oroville. There were a series of tunnels as we went under Big Bend Mountain for several miles, and when we came out in the lower reaches of Feather River Canyon it was no longer oak trees, but pine. Deli-TastyBurgers-Wraps NewTo-GoSection Thursday, Friday & Saturday Lunch & Dinner Buffet Happy Hour with Cocktails, Food & Entertainment Saigon Bistro 723 Walnut St. Red Bluff 528-9670 Lic.#911130 Ifyou'retiredof potholesanddustyroads HOWABOUTCHIPSEAL! 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