Northern California Explorer
NCE drumhead designed by Martin Rice. Photography by Ken Rattenne except as noted.
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| George Royer and Art Lloyd at Car 3.. The car be empty until Day 2 when Oroville passengers will board.. |
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| Amtrak's final in-service dome car, Ocean View'. |
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| Ex-CZ car Silver Lariat was one of six domes on the train. |
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| Milwaukee Super Dome during the station stop in Sacramento. |
By Don C. Douglas
Friday June 3, 2011
The Northern California Explorer excursion train rolled out of Amtrak'S Emeryville station under cloudy skies at 2:08 p.m., eight minutes late. Jointly sponsored by Central Coast Railway Club and Trains & Travel International, the three-day excursion would run over Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe trackage through the Feather River Canyon and the Inside Gateway to Klamath Falls, returning via the UP Shasta Route to the Bay Area.
The consist was:
AMTK
88 GE P42DC
AMTK 90 GE P42DC
Caritas
Private car with open platform facing power
AMTK 826200 Amfleet Coach
AMTK 825600 Amfleet Coach
AMTK
825400 Amfleet Coach
AMTK 581070 Horizon Cafe Car
AMTK 825300 Amfleet Coach
AMTK 827100 Amfleet Coach
AMTK 100310 Ocean View full dome
511 Scenic
View full dome
MILW
53 Super Dome
Dome Car Silver Lariat
Dome
Lounge Plaza Santa Fe (Pleasure Dome)
Dome
Car Silver Splendor (ex-Silver
Buckle)
ATSF 33 Open platform heavy-weight
(ex-Tamalpais).
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| The Northern California Explorer glides through Rodeo on June 3rd. (both photos: George Manley) | ATSF 33 brings up the markers, adding a classy punctuation point to the train. |
Rear car ATSF 33 featured a Northern California 2011 Explorer drumhead designed by the club's Martin Rice.
Stops were made at Richmond and Martinez to pick up additional passengers. Departing Martinez, the train was delayed for 14 minutes when the Suisun Bay drawbridge was opened to allow an eastbound ship to pass. A stop was made at Davis for additional passengers, with arrival in Sacramento at 4:15 p.m. Passengers were allowed off the train during the twenty-minute stop to photograph the train.
Departing Sacramento at 4:35 p.m. the train made the short trip to Haggin where it turned north to join the former Western Pacific line to Oroville (now Union Pacific's Sacramento Subdivision). At Mounkes, we met a westbound BNSF freight. Passing Sankey, equipment of Modoc Railroad Academy could be viewed on a former Sacramento Northern line. Continuing through Marysville the train crossed the ex-Southern Pacific Roseville-Dunsmuir line, now UP's Valley Subdivision.
A short stop was made at the Oroville Yard where a westbound UP ballast train and a BNSF freight were met. Oroville once had extensive yard operations and was a crew change point under WP. Now the yard is the base for maintenance of way operations and a couple of local freight trains. Arrival at the ex-WP depot was at 6:18 p.m. Many excursionists ate at a buffet dinner at the Western Pacific Brewing & Dining restaurant located in the former depot. Charter buses transferred passengers to local hotels in Oroville and Chico.
Additional Notes On The Consist
Private car Caritas came out from
Chicago and paid for the privledge of riding the NCE. The well-traveled
car was placed just behind the head end power so as not to obscure the
view of those passengers aboard ATSF 33. Caritas passengers ate
and slept aboard their car. - Ken Rattenne
