|
Feather River Route One A geographical Tour: San Francisco to Keddie by Ken Ratt
Feather River Route One A geographical Tour: San Francisco to Keddie by Ken Rattenne
Hard cover with dust jacket Reflections from the lights on some photos
Copyright 1989
143 pages
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE Metropolis
THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO
THE WEST IN WESTERN PACIFIC: OAKLAND A TALE OF TWO TRAINS
DO YOU KNOW THE WAY...
THE OTHER CANYON
PART TWO Big Valley
ALTAMONT AND BEYOND HOME PORT
VALLEY SPEEDWAY
PART THREE River Deep, Mountain High99
OROVILLE AND BEYOND THE CANYON
PART FOUR Personal Glimpses
PASSING COOKIES
DAYS OF THE BIG MIKE BIG JACK BLUES
BIG BOILER BLUES
PIE ON THE FLY
BUMPER CARS
SLEIGH RIDE
BACKUP MOVE
PULL THE CORD
PART FIVE WP Train Symbols
WESTBOUND MAINLINE TRAINS EASTBOUND MAINLINE TRAINS LOCALS AND TURNS
It has been eight years since the Western Pacific lost its independence by merger into the Union Pacific System. Though all who knew the WP lament the loss of one of the West's most endearing railroads, most know that had the WP been left to its own devices the tiny transcontinental would eventually have been forced into bankruptcy, a fate too many great railroads have experienced in the last 20 years. Because of the marginal nature of the company's profits, it would have taken only one catastrophic act of Mother Nature to shut the railroad down permanently. Such an event occurred in the winter of 1986 when most of the former WP route through the Feather River Canyon was badly damaged by an incredible series of storms that taxed even the resources of the vast UP system. Had Western Pacific been going it alone, the cost of
repairing the line alone would have bankrupted the company, and under such circumstances the survival of the Feather River Route would have been doubtful.
Today, the Western Pacific (though no longer a corporate entity) lives on in the memories
and photographs of those who were exposed to the company. New owner Union Pacific, long known for its generosity, has donated a vast amount of WP equipment to various museums and societies over the years, thus enabling future generations of railfans to experience a bit of what WP was about.
The Feather River Route grew out of a former project of mine, the 1984 calendar, Tales of the Western Pacific. Though termed by some the best-kept secret of 1984, the calendar showed an intense interest by the railfan community for the WP. CTC BOARD publisher Dale Sanders once mentioned to me that a lot of people call Western Pacific home, and keeping this in mind, I have endeavored to present a salon of the railroad, both in its heyday and in its last days before merger into the Union Pacific in 1982.
The Feather River Route is not meant to be an all-encompassing historic volume (though you will find much history), nor a technical treatise on motive power and rolling stock (though much of the railroad's hardware is presented). It is meant to convey the "feeling" of the railroad-the relationship between people and machines, and the battle they waged against nature and economic setbacks to keep trains running. Western Pacific ran through some of the most beautiful and most desolate country in the land, and it took the ingenuity of management and employees alike to keep the cash-poor line from going the way of the country's bankrupt railroads.
This first volume will take the reader from corporate headquarters in San Francisco to the tiny, but once very important railroad town of Keddie, deep in the Feather River Canyon. Along the way, Western Pacific's trains, route, and many of its people will be presented. The second volume of the Feather River Route will pick up at Keddie and end in Salt Lake City.
All pictures are of the actual item. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
Shipping charges
Postage rates quoted are for shipments to the US only. Ebay Global shipping charges are shown. These items are shipped to Kentucky and then ebay ships them to you. Ebay collects the shipping and customs / import fees. For direct postage rates to these countries, send me an email. Shipping to Canada and other countries varies by weight.
Payment options
Payment must be received within 10 days. Paypal is accepted.
Terms and conditions
All sales are final. Returns accepted if item is not as described. Contact us first. No warranty is stated or implied. Please e-mail us with any questions before bidding.
Thanks for looking at our items.
| 
