Amtrak operates hundreds of different trains all across the United States on any given
day.
Most of the long distance trains are pulled by two diesel electric locomotives to supply
enough motive power to get the train over the railroad as quickly as possible and to
provide onboard electricity to the passenger cars.
On occasion, locomotives develop problems while a train is en route.
In cases where the train is unable to continue without the addition of another locomotive,
the host freight railroad will supply one so that the train can safely complete its
journey.
In May of 2023 while on a trip down the west coast, I received word that Amtrak P42DC locomotive
164, recently repainted into the Phase 4 “Northeast Direct” paint scheme would be pulling train
number 5, the westbound California Zephyr across the Sierras and into the San Francisco
Bay Area.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity to see this freshly painted locomotive, I made a
slight detour to Reno, Nevada with plans to chase the train over Donner Pass the next
morning.
During the night, the 164 reportedly had issues relating to one of the locomotive’s electric
traction motors, and so a Union Pacific locomotive was brought in to help the train finish its
journey.
The next day, I got up and headed east to catch the train, as it was running several
hours behind schedule.
I made it to a spot about 15 miles east of Lovelock, Nevada in time to see the train.
In the lead was Union Pacific number 7719, an ES44AC type locomotive built in 2007.
As the train approached Sparks and Reno, it followed the Truckee River, moving along at
a decent clip.
A
little before 5 in the afternoon, the westbound California Zephyr approached the station in
Reno.
The train had made an unscheduled stop at the Union Pacific yard in Sparks to add an
additional freight locomotive for the climb over Donner Pass.
The train passed under interstate 580 and then met its eastbound counterpart, Amtrak
train number 6.
At Mogul, the train was back underway.
Just ahead was the Nevada-California state border.
I decided to get one last shot of the train departing Truckee, California before continuing
my westbound journey to California’s San Fransisco Bay Area.
Thanks for joining me for this little journey following the California Zephyr across Northern
Nevada.
As always, a special thanks to all my supporters on Patreon.
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That’s it for now.
Until next time, I’m Mike Armstrong, I’ll see you down the line.
Thanks for watching.