Date: 01/31/05 Nostalgic PLA Equipment Move
Part 8 - Widows Through The Canyon Author: espeeboy Only a mile or so from the Niles
Canyon Railway Museum in Sunol, the
urban sprawl of the East Bay and Fremont comes to an end at "The
Canyon" as railfans and RR crews call it. Niles Canyon used to host two
railroad rights of way with WP's Oakland Sub on the south side and SP's
tracks on the northern end. Both mainlines lead to the central valley
via Pleasanton, Livermore, Altamont and Tracy. After SP dumped its ROW
in the early 80's, all trains on both the SP and UP (WP's new "merger
daddy") moved on to the UP Oakland Sub.
On Saturday January 8, 2005,
these were the tracks where the PLA
relocation museum train movement cut its way east on tis finaly leg to
the Hearst siding museum interchange track.
Here we are in the Canyon just west of Brightside where the UP tracks
cut under Niles Canyon road. This is after coming out of the long
Tunnel #1 and approaching the small Tunnel #2. Sprinted pretty fast
against traffic without a sidewalk or even real curb for this shot. I
think Engineer Lou is looking up at us.
A few minutes earlier a few of us
are camped out at Niles Junction.
Train
is approaching the Niles Junction Diamonds. This is where the UP
Niles Sub lined straight south becomes the Warm Springs Sub (tracks
right to left). Our train is coming off the Centerville Line heading
east (off the Niles Sub running west) and is taking the post 1996
merger interchange track to zig-zag on to the Oakland Sub
Lou
is smiling perhaps posing in the cab (well he has no where to go)
and Harry Wong ("tracktime") and Mikey J. are down on the ground
wondering if this photo will end up on trainorders.com... (yup)
Three
locomotives that just belong around Niles. Starting to make their way
up the Canyon..
Here
we have the Niles Junction railfans taking a photo of the rear end
PLA SSW Hack crew taking a photo of the Niles Junction railfans!
Gotcha groundhog! Curving across the creek bridge at
Sunol. Keith Ode looks back as the 5472
banks on curve past the Sunol bridge... Chugging around the bend (from due
east to due north) at Downtown Sunol. The train has finally reached its
destination at Heart Siding.
The
Niles Canyon Railway's little "Tonner 298" comes out across the
protected road to assist in the transfer of PLA owned museum cars while
Ed and co-crewmember hop off the Cotton Belt hack at the rear of the
train...
"Okay
you take the fat railfan, you take the short one, you take the
family out and I'll take that espeenut with the poison oak rash, Break
on two - one, two HUT!"
Really, the nice and organized
Niles Canyon Railway
volunteer crew is seen getting their action plan to move all of the PLA
cars off UP territory (for good) and on to Museum owned right of way.
That's all for part 8, thanks
for hanging with me this far. In part 9
we'll see some of the museum moves plucking PLA member owned cars one
or two at a time. We'll also see the Black Widow + one WP Geep light
power move return west through the canyon to go get some PLA stored
Fremont Steam Engines!!! Stay tuned...