Western Pacific train picture gallery

I wish I had had more time to photograph the Western Pacific. Growing up along the Southern Pacific I was more interested in Donner Pass than the Feather River Canyon. This was especially true after seeing the works of Steinheimer and other California photographers on Donner. My early trips over Donner Pass in 1972 and 1973 were not very successful. I discovered that Donner Pass was a difficult area for photography. Access was limited and the SP traffic was down to about five trains in each direction during daylight. It wasn't until 1973 that I tried the Western Pacific in the Feather River Canyon. Although traffic levels were about the same as the SP, access to good photo spots were numerous and it was possible to chase trains from James (20 miles north of Oroville) all the way to Keddie. Most of the pictures in this series were taken in the late 70s.

Western Pacific caboose in Ogden

Unfortunately, the Yellow Borg took over the Western Pacific on September 13, 1982. The WP quickly faded to a mere memory. There is a nice history of the WP on the Western Pacific Railroad Historical Society website and more information on the WP Lives website. Clicking on either of these links will open a new window.

Maps of the Western Pacific
Western half
Eastern half

Gallery