View source for Feather River Route

{{Short description|Railway section in Northern California, Nevada and Utah}}
{{For|the Georgia-Pacific logging railroad|Feather River Railway}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox rail line
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| name             = Feather River Route
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| logo             = West_pacific_railroad_logo.jpg
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| image            = KeddieWye.JPG
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| caption          = Keddie Wye, 2013. Above is the Western Pacific Railroad logo, with the name of the Feather River Route.
| type             = 
| system           = [[Western Pacific Railroad]] (formerly)<br />[[Union Pacific Railroad]]
| status           = Operational
| locale           = [[California]]<br />[[Nevada]]<br />[[Utah]]
| start            = [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Depot (Salt Lake City)|Salt Lake City]]
| end              = [[Western Pacific Depot|Oakland]]
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The '''Feather River Route''' is a [[rail transport|rail]] line that was built and operated by the [[Western Pacific Railroad]]. It was constructed between 1906 and 1909, and connects the cities of [[Oakland, California]], and [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]]. The line was built to compete with the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]], which at the time held a nearly complete monopoly on [[Northern California]] rail service. The route derives its name from its crossing of the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]], where it follows both the North and Middle Forks of the [[Feather River]]. The route is famous for its impressive engineering qualities and its considerable scenic value. All of the route is now owned and operated by the [[Union Pacific Railroad]]; however, the Union Pacific has transferred significant portions of the route to other lines. The portion still called the Feather River Route by the Union Pacific runs from the [[California Central Valley]] to [[Winnemucca, Nevada]] and has been divided into three subdivisions named the Sacramento, Canyon and Winnemucca subdivisions.

== History ==
[[Image:FeatherRiver.JPG|thumb|left|A rare example of a bridge crossing over another bridge: [[California State Route 70|State Route 70]] crosses over the railroad bridge, which crosses over the [[Feather River]] near Pulga.]]

=== Early history ===
Interest in building a transportation artery through the Feather River Canyon and across the deserts of [[Nevada]] and [[Utah]] began with the discovery of [[Beckwourth Pass]], in the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]], in 1850. The pass, at {{convert|5221|ft|m}} in elevation, is the lowest pass through the Sierra Nevada. In the 1860s, Arthur W. Keddie began surveying in the Feather River Canyon, in order to find a suitable route for such an artery. He eventually found such a route, and helped to found the Oroville and Virginia City Railroad Company in 1867 to build a railroad along it. Political pressure from the [[Central Pacific Railroad]], among other factors, led to the end of all construction efforts by 1869.<ref name="wrr">{{Cite journal |last=Borden |first=Stanley T. |year=1968 |title=Western Pacific R.R. Feather River Route |journal=The Western Railroader |publisher=Francis A. Guido |volume=31 |issue=338 |pages=5–18}}</ref>

Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, little progress was made in forming a company to construct the railroad line. Some interest remained, because the proposed route was much less steep and passed through the Sierra Nevada at a point {{convert|2000|ft|m}} lower than that of the recently finished [[First transcontinental railroad]], owned by the [[Central Pacific Railroad]] between [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] and [[Ogden, Utah]]. The [[Union Pacific Railroad]], which terminated in [[Ogden, Utah|Ogden]] at the time, considered building the line multiple times throughout this era to bypass the Central Pacific and access the [[Pacific Coast]] on its own. None of these proposals resulted in any level of action, and the idea was widely considered dead by the 1890s.<ref name=wrr/>

{{see also|Gould transcontinental system}}
Interest in a line through the Feather River Canyon was renewed in 1900, when the Union Pacific Railroad, then led by [[E. H. Harriman]], took control of the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]]. Subsequently, Harriman decided to close off access to the Southern Pacific to all railroads other than the Union Pacific, leaving all other railroads unable to access the [[Pacific Coast]] from Salt Lake City. Foremost among these railroads was the [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad]], the westernmost part of an {{convert|11000|mi|km|sing=on}} transcontinental rail network organized by [[Jay Gould]]. Jay's son and successor, [[George Jay Gould I|George Gould]], decided to obtain access to the Pacific Coast. Hence, on April 3, 1903, the [[Western Pacific Railroad]], backed heavily by Gould, was founded in [[San Francisco]].<ref name=wrr/>

=== Construction ===
[[File:Western Pacific in Feather River grand canyon.JPG|thumb|A Western Pacific passenger train in the Feather River canyon, {{circa|1910s}}]]

Construction of the line began in 1906 and continued under harsh conditions. In the Sierra, a total absence of roads, along with rockslides in the Feather River Canyon and extreme temperature fluctuation, made working conditions uncomfortable and dangerous. In the deserts of [[Nevada]] and [[Utah]] high temperature and lack of water made conditions similarly difficult. Construction costs skyrocketed, nearly bankrupting the contractors building the line. Labor turnover was extremely high, due to the miserable working conditions. Nonetheless, progress inched further, although slower than anticipated, due to the challenges caused by the need for many long tunnels on the Sierra portion of the route.<ref name=wrr/>

When the line was finished in 1909 it spanned a total of {{convert|927|mi|km}}, and had been built at the then ferociously expensive cost of $75&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{format price|{{inflation|US|75000000|1909}} }} in {{inflation year|US}}). It featured a ruling grade of 1%, making it only half as steep as [[Southern Pacific Railroad|Southern Pacific's]] [[Donner Pass]] line, its primary competitor.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carrere, J.F. |date=28 August 1910 |title=Westward Ho over the Western Pacific |work=Sacramento Union |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SU19100828.2.168 |access-date=1 May 2017 |quote=From Salt Lake to San Francisco is {{convert|921|mi}} over the Western Pacific, and as the distance from Sacramento to San Francisco over the same route is {{convert |139 |mi}}, it follows that from the capital of California to the capital of Utah is {{convert |782 |mi}}. While that is longer than the route of the Southern Pacific the lower grade over the new road enables it to more than make up in speed what it loses in distance.<br/>{{pad |1.0em}}[...]&nbsp;Salt Lake City is {{convert |4224 |ft}} above sea level. The highest point on the Western Pacific is {{convert |5819 |ft}} at Silver Zone, one hundred and fifty miles west of that city. So there is quite a rapid ascent going east, but from Silver Zone until California is reached the altitude is never less than 3800 feet, so that the natural grade is not heavy compared with some of the other roads. For {{convert |42 |mi}} in one place the road is perfectly straight and perfectly level, for other long distances it does not exceed two-fifths of 1 per cent, and it never passes 1 per cent. |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514174143/https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SU19100828.2.168 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== History under the Western Pacific ===
[[Image:1930 D&RGW WP.jpg|thumb|left|Combined Western Pacific/Denver & Rio Grande Western route map ({{circa|1914}})]]
{{citation needed span|text=The traffic levels of the Feather River Route fluctuated considerably between its completion in 1909 and the purchase of the [[Western Pacific Railroad]] by the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] in 1983. Between 1909 and 1918, traffic rose with the onset of [[World War I]], although such gains vanished in the 1920s and 1930s. The construction of the [[Gateway Subdivision|Inside Gateway]] line, completed in 1931 between [[Keddie, California|Keddie]] and [[Bieber, California]], failed to alleviate the problem. Yet in 1936, in spite of falling traffic, the Western Pacific rehabilitated the Feather River Route using [[Reconstruction Finance Corporation|RFC]] funds. As a result, the line was in optimal condition at the onset of [[World War II]] in 1939. |reason=section does not cite sources |date=October 2018}}

{{citation needed span|text=Traffic levels on the route exploded during the first year of the war. Freight traffic doubled, and passenger traffic increased sixfold. Traffic increased steadily in both categories over the next few years of the war. In response to this, the Western Pacific installed [[Centralized Traffic Control]] between [[Oroville, California|Oroville]] and [[Portola, California]], in the Sierra Nevada, during 1944 and 1945. |reason=section does not cite sources |date=October 2018}}

[[File:PalisadeCanyonNV.jpg|thumb|Palisade Canyon on the [[Humboldt River]], between [[Battle Mountain, Nevada|Battle Mountain]] and [[Carlin, Nevada|Carlin]]. The Feather River Route and [[Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)|Overland Route]] run parallel on opposite sides of the river]]

{{citation needed span|text=From the late 1940s through to the early 1970s, freight traffic on the line grew slowly, while passenger traffic fell substantially. |reason=section does not cite sources |date=October 2018}} This did not stop the Western Pacific from introducing the ''[[California Zephyr (1949–1970)|California Zephyr]]'' in 1949. The ''Zephyr'', which operated over three railroads on its route between [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] and [[Chicago]], gained immense recognition but failed to last past the year 1970, when lack of riders and unprofitability forced the Western Pacific to abandon the service.{{sfnp|Schafer|Welsh|1997|p=68}}

In 1957, a portion of the route between Oroville and Intake had to be relocated to make way for the [[Oroville Dam]].<ref name="SWP">{{Cite web |date=October 8, 2008 |title=History of Water Development and the State Water Project |url=http://www.water.ca.gov/swp/history.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823082851/http://www.water.ca.gov/swp/history.cfm |archive-date=August 23, 2010 |access-date=April 2, 2012 |publisher=California Department of Water Resources |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The new line features the [[North Fork Bridge (California)|North Fork Bridge]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gascoyne |first=Tom |date=July 12, 2001 |title=Empty Promise |url=http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content?oid=4879 |access-date=2010-10-12}}</ref><ref name=Starr>{{Cite book |last=Starr |first=Kevin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kvkNf-HZTt4C&pg=PA278 |title=Golden Dreams: California in the Age of Abundance, 1950-1963 |date=September 10, 2009 |page=278<!--rerouting-->,279<!--groundbreaking-->,281<!--dynamiting--> |publisher=Oup USA |isbn=978-0-19-515377-4 |access-date=2010-09-25}}</ref> {{citation needed span|text=which is {{convert|1000|ft|m}} long and {{convert|200|ft|m}} high. The line began operation in 1962. During the 1970s, the Feather River Route experienced modernization, as operations became computerized. |reason=section does not cite sources |date=October 2018}}

=== Shared trackage agreement ===
The Feather River Route parallels the [[Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)|Overland Route]] in central Nevada between [[Weso, Nevada|Weso]] (near [[Winnemucca, Nevada|Winnemucca]]) and [[Alazon, Nevada|Alazon]] (near [[Wells, Nevada|Wells]]). The [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] and Western Pacific came to a shared trackage agreement to use [[directional running]].<ref name="yuccamountain">{{Cite web |year=2005 |title=Eureka County, Yucca Mountain Existing Transportation Corridor Study |url=http://www.yuccamountain.org/impact_report/section3.htm |access-date=2010-05-08 |publisher=Eureka County – Yucca Mountain Project}}</ref> Eastbound trains of both companies used the tracks for the Feather River Route while westbound trains used the Overland Route.<ref name="benchmark">{{Cite map |publisher=Benchmark Maps |title=Nevada Road and Recreation Atlas |url=http://www.benchmarkmaps.com |edition=2003 |year=2003 |scale=1:250000 |page=41–44 |isbn=0-929591-81-X}}</ref> In the shared track area, the tracks mostly run on opposite sides of the [[Humboldt River]]; at some points the two lines are several miles apart. Crossovers were constructed where the lines run in close proximity to allow bi-directional service to the areas previously only accessible from one of the lines, such as [[Battle Mountain, Nevada|Battle Mountain]]. There is a grade separated crossover of the two lines in the shared track area near [[Palisade, Nevada]]. This results in trains following [[right hand traffic]] in the eastern half of the shared track area, but [[left hand traffic]] in the western half.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2005 |title=Eureka County, Yucca Mountain Existing Transportation Corridor Study |url=http://www.yuccamountain.org/impact_report/section3e.htm |access-date=2010-05-08 |publisher=Eureka County – Yucca Mountain Project}}</ref>

By 1967, a second section of the Feather River Route was converted to directional running. The easternmost portion of the line ([[Shafter Subdivision]]), from the [[Kennecott Smokestack]] of the [[Bingham Canyon Mine]] smelting facilities to the end of the line in downtown [[Salt Lake City]] was operationally combined with the [[Lynndyl Subdivision]] of the former [[Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad]] for a continuous dual track into Salt Lake City. Initially this required a crossover between the two tracks. When the WP and UP merged in 1983, the crossover was eliminated.<ref name="strackup">{{Cite web |last=Don Strack |date=October 19, 2018 |title=Union Pacific In Utah, 1900-1996 |url=http://utahrails.net/up/up-in-ut-1900-1996.php |access-date=November 28, 2018 |publisher=UtahRails.net}}</ref>

===Present===
{{Shafter Subdivision|collapsed=y}}
{{Elko Subdivision}}
{{Winnemucca Subdivision}}
{{Canyon Subdivision}}
{{Sacramento Subdivision|collapse=y}}
The Western Pacific was purchased by the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] in 1983. In 1996, the Union Pacific acquired the Southern Pacific, resulting in both lines between Oakland and Utah being owned by the same company.<ref name=yuccamountain/> After the acquisition, the Union Pacific truncated the Feather River Route to the meeting points of the two lines near [[Sacramento, California]] and Winnemucca, Nevada.

The far western portion of the line, west of [[Stockton, California|Stockton]], now the [[Oakland Subdivision]], is now used by the [[Altamont Corridor Express]]. A portion of the line through downtown [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] is now used by the [[Blue Line (SacRT)|Blue Line]] of the [[Sacramento Regional Transit District]]. East of Winnemucca, the former Feather River Route has been combined with lines from the former [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad]] to form the [[Central Corridor (Union Pacific Railroad)|Central Corridor]].<ref name="uprr">{{Cite map |url=http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/maps/attachments/upcomnam.pdf |title=UPRR Common Line Names |publisher=Union Pacific Railroad |access-date=2009-01-04}}</ref>

[[File:Union Pacific freight train in the Feather River Canyon-3872.jpg|thumb|A Union Pacific freight train in the Feather River Canyon, Butte County, California, March 2022]]

The [[Western Pacific Railroad Museum]], a preservation society founded in 1984, is located next to the Union Pacific rail yard in [[Portola, California]]. The remaining portion of the Feather River Route follows a corridor similar to that of [[State Route 70 (California)|State Route 70]] in California and former [[State Route 49 (Nevada)|State Route 49]] in Nevada.

== Points of interest ==
* [[Lake Oroville]]
* [[Tobin Bridges]]
* [[Pulga Bridges]]
* [[Keddie Wye]]
* North Fork Bridge
* [[Williams Loop]]
* [[Spring Garden Tunnel]]
* [[Clio trestle]]
* [[Western Pacific Railroad Museum]]
* [[Beckwourth Pass]] / Chilcoot Tunnel
* [[Black Rock Desert]]
Along portions built as part of the Feather River Route that are currently assigned to other lines:
* [[Niles Canyon]]
* [[Altamont Pass]]
* [[Carlin Tunnel]]
* [[Pequop Mountains|Flower Pass tunnel]]
* Arnold Loop/[[Silver Zone, Nevada|Silver Zone]] Pass
* [[Bonneville Salt Flats]]
* [[Saltair, Utah|Saltair Resort]]

== Lines served ==
*[[Oakland Subdivision]] ([[Oakland, California|Oakland]] - [[Altamont Commuter Express|ACE]] Maintenance Facility [[Stockton, California|Stockton]])
*[[Sacramento Subdivision]] (Stockton - [[Oroville, California|Oroville]])
*Canyon Subdivision (Oroville - [[Portola, California|Portola]])
*Winnemucca Subdivision (Portola - [[Weso, Nevada]] (junction near [[Winnemucca, Nevada]]))
*[[Elko Subdivision]] (Weso - [[Elko, Nevada|Elko]] Freight Yards)
*[[Shafter Subdivision]] (Elko - Smelter ([[Kennecott Smokestack]]))
*[[Lynndyl Subdivision]] (Smelter - [[Salt Lake City]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maps – Geographic Information System |url=https://railroads.dot.gov/maps-and-data/maps-geographic-information-system/maps-geographic-information-system |access-date=July 28, 2020 |publisher=[[Federal Railroad Administration]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
* {{Cite web |date=1998–2002 |title=Western Pacific History |url=http://www.wprrhs.org/wphistory.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723035849/http://wprrhs.org/wphistory.html |archive-date=July 23, 2013 |access-date=July 18, 2007 |publisher=Western Pacific Historical Society}}
* {{Schafer-Classic}}

{{Western Pacific Railroad}}

[[Category:Western Pacific Railroad]]
[[Category:Feather River]]
[[Category:History of Plumas County, California]]
[[Category:Transportation in Plumas County, California]]
[[Category:Rail lines in California]]
[[Category:Union Pacific Railroad lines]]