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Rare and remote milage is indeed the best way we can describe this 2 day excursion over
part of the former Southern Pacific Modoc Subdivision in Southern Oregon and Northern California plus a section of the Lakeview Branch. The Modoc line between Klamath Falls and Alturas and several miles towards Wendel to the end of track at McArthur is now owned and operated by the Modoc Northern Railroad. This is a total of 107 miles.
LAKEVIEW BRANCH NOTICE
We will not be able to run all the way up to Lakeview on the Lake County Railroad
because of continued track repair work by the Modoc Northern. Once this work is
completed the track will be upgraded and approved by the Federal Railroad
Association (FRA) to allow a loaded passenger train to run on it. Railroad management
was hopeful that this work would have been completed by October 2008, but a number of
delays have been encountered and the work will now continue on into 2009. If FRA approval
is given on the first few miles of the Lakeveiw Branch by October 11 we will be allowed
to operate our train over this rare milage. This is the reason we are now only offering
a two day excursion on the Modoc Northern.
PHOTO RUN-BYS WILL BE MADE EACH DAY
BELOW IS A SAMPLE OF CURRENT DAY OPERATIONS
SATURDAY OCTOBER 11: (L) Our private charter train will depart from the Klamath Falls, Oregon Amtrak station at 10:00am and run south to Alturas, California making several photo stops and run-bys. Amtrak's northbound Coast Starlight is due in Klamath Falls at 8:25am. If the Coast Starlight is running late we will not be able to hold our departure from the station any later than 10:30am. If you miss this connection you will have to catch a taxi and head south towards the California state line in order to catch up to us. The highway runs right along the railroad at this point. We tie up for the night in Alturas. Lodging provided in local motels.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 12: (L) We reboard our charter train at Alturas and run to the end of track at McArthur to as close to the bumper post as possible and stage a photo stop at this location. From McArthur on south into Nevada the rails have been removed by the Union Pacific. We will have a Modoc Northern engine follow us down to McArthur and pull us back to Alturas. We then head north on the Lakeview, Oregon line on the Lake County Railroad, now operated by the Modoc Northern. We will go as far north into the Pit River Canyon as allowed by FRA track condidtion rules before we have a Modoc Northern diesel tie into the rear of our train and draig us back to Alturas. We then head north for the run back to Klamath Falls with a planned arrival of 5pm.
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