Heads up all. Modoc Northern unit #7780 was spotted in Roseville Yard earlier today!! Thought some of you may be interested in trying for pics.
Well hopefully she's still there on Tues. I'll be stalking her all day if I have to. Need a pic for my roster.
Well, no luck gettin a shot today. UP has her buried in the yard. Would take a tele shot but can't get nothin but the very rear end. I waited a couple hrs for them to move the consist blocking my view but they didn't and it would've been a poor shot anyhow. Oh well, maybe later this week they'll have her in the open.
Modoc Northern is a fairly new (2005?) shortline here in Cali. It is in the far northeast corner running from Alturas to Klamath Falls,OR. I was in the area just before startup and missed getting pics by a month or two. I was very surprised to see one of their two units in Roseville. I assume it is here for some sort of servicing. Kinda a rare deal I would think for it to show up here. I keep rosters of all Nor-Cal shortlines on my Foothill Rails site and need a pic of these locos for my roster. I will be trying again tomorrow (thurs).
B30-7 ex SP or SSW #7780. The other is a B23-7. The owners were thinking bout getting some C40-8s from somewhere. Also they were possibly goin to get a second ex SP B30-7.
Where do they normally keep their power? This may call for a fieldtrip south of Klamath Falls................
(Speculation here but...) There are 2 reasons (off the top of my pointed little head) that I can think of where they (Modoc Northern) would send the unit to Roseville - Traction motor repair or wheel repair both of which are usually beyond the capabilities of most shortline railroads. Either one of these operations may include a complete change out of the traction motor/wheel/axle assemblies (i.e., unit change out) although minor wheel repair (repairing a small flat spot, or trueing the wheel flange, etc.) can usually be done on a wheel lathe. Roseville has both a wheel lathe and a "drop pit" (where the wheel/axle/traction motor assemblies can be "dropped" [removed] from the unit as a complete assembly). Best of luck hunting it down...Let us know how it all turns out...
Yeah, alot of shortlines have sent units to Roseville for such work. Caltrain and California Northern especially. Well, no dice on pics. Just got back from searching the yard high and low. I believe she is gone unless she was hiding in the wash rack or inside the shop. The line of locos she was attached to is now lined up outside the shop but I didn't see 7780 anywhere.
A recent posting on Yahoo Shortline group indicates the 7780 is on its way to Utah Central. Utah Central is the owner of the Modoc Northern. Major Bummer!!! Now I won't be able to get pics at all.
Hey John or taz; Do you all know what railroad used the track that runs east of Hwy99 from about Lodi, CA through Wilton, Sheldon, on up to South Sacramento? It's an abandoned track now but I recall (as a very young boy trains running on it through Wilton) It also runs right past my house. It's nice place to ride my horses along.
No problemo. CCT is "abandoned" from Lodi north to Sac. I put abandoned in quotes cause just a month or so ago I was in S.Sac and noted shiny railheads and boxcars that had been moved around. Somebody is still working it sometime.
