CA Zephyr to Reno in January

Hello, I will be taking my first train in the snow on January 15 from Oakland/Emeryville to Reno.

I am a bit "scared," I know there will be LOTS of snow over Donner Pass during this time of the year, but what would it take for the Zephyr to be "stranded" or severely delayed?

I don't want to be on a train stuck in the mountains w/o power or food for hours at a time.

Has this ever happened in recent times? Should I be worried? Didn't this happen a long time ago to a Union Pacific passenger train in the 50s?

What is the snow forecast looking like for Donner Pass this winter?

By all means, take the trip. That is not to say that there might not be delays: there could be, depending on the weather. But, the chances that you will get stranded are nil. The weather forecasting and snow removal technology have changed a lot since the infamous stranding of the City of San Francisco 57 years ago.

Unless your travelling with someone named George Donner, you will be fine. Better than fine, because winter in the Sierras is a special time, and the view from the train is unsurpassed. This photo is from a trip in January, 2008, just west of Donner Pass:



Take the trip.

Oh, a train probably gets stranded up there once every fifty years or so, but overall there's no doubt that your odds for a comfortable, spectacular, and on-time trip are far higher on Amtrak than they are on either an airline or on I-80. I've done the route in January, and it's utterly gorgeous. So I'm agreed: take the trip.

BTW, here's a great old newsreel of the time in 1952 when the Southern Pacific's "City of San Francisco" train got stuck:

PRR 60 said:

But, the chances that you will get stranded are nil. The weather forecasting and snow removal technology have changed a lot since the infamous stranding of the City of San Francisco 57 years ago.

Click to expand...

Well, I wasn't going to mention it ... but there was that eastbound California Zephyr that got stranded up there overnight in February 2008.

lisall said:

Hello, I will be taking my first train in the snow on January 15 from Oakland/Emeryville to Reno.I am a bit "scared," I know there will be LOTS of snow over Donner Pass during this time of the year, but what would it take for the Zephyr to be "stranded" or severely delayed?

I don't want to be on a train stuck in the mountains w/o power or food for hours at a time.

Has this ever happened in recent times? Should I be worried? Didn't this happen a long time ago to a Union Pacific passenger train in the 50s?

What is the snow forecast looking like for Donner Pass this winter?

Click to expand...

If you get stranded up in the Donner Pass and you notice that

(i) the dining car doesn't seem to run out of food,

(ii) the dining selections include "mystery meat" not described in detail on the menu, and

(iii) the number of fellow passengers seems to have diminished for no obvious reason,

then you might want to get a bit concerned.

"Lady Fingers" for dessert should give you pause for thought!

DET63 said:

If you get stranded up in the Donner Pass and you notice that
(i) the dining car doesn't seem to run out of food,

(ii) the dining selections include "mystery meat" not described in detail on the menu, and

(iii) the number of fellow passengers seems to have diminished for no obvious reason,

then you might want to get a bit concerned.

Click to expand...

I disagree. Shut up, and enjoy your mystery meat.

zoltan said:

DET63 said:

If you get stranded up in the Donner Pass and you notice that
(i) the dining car doesn't seem to run out of food,

(ii) the dining selections include "mystery meat" not described in detail on the menu, and

(iii) the number of fellow passengers seems to have diminished for no obvious reason,

then you might want to get a bit concerned.

Click to expand...

I disagree. Shut up, and enjoy your mystery meat.

Click to expand...

"Tastes like chicken..."

"Waiter, there's a hair in my soup!"

:lol:

I am sure you will be fine.

In December 2006 and December 2008 I did a round-trip to San Fran and back on the California Zephyr and it was absolutely beautiful!!!