Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Indian Valley Record
Greenville, California
HOME Browse Search List Of All Titles New! Global Image Search
Free Search  Subscribe  Sign In
May 25, 2011     Indian Valley Record
PAGE 21     (21 of 34 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
© Indian Valley Record. All rights reserved.     Upgrade to access Premium Tools
 
PAGE 21     (21 of 34 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
May 25, 2011
 
Newspaper Archive of Indian Valley Record produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter Wednesday, March 25, 2011 11B All aboard for Highline-Gateway special June 3-5 A special passenger train celebrating the 80th anniver- sary of the last spike driven at Beiber will run June 3 - 5, from Emeryville to Klamath Falls, Ore. Passengers will be able tQ enjoy breathtaking views of the Feather River Canyon, Lake Almanor, Lassen Peak and Mount Shas- ta. For a full range of prices and availability, visit train- trips.biz or call (800) 359-4870 or (775) 453-1004. • Western Pacific built the Northern California Exten- sion (NCE) between Keddie and Bieber, 112 miles to the north, which was completed in 1931. The Great Northern Railroad built the line north of Bieber with a line running to Klamath Falls, Ore., and on to the Columbia River Gorge in Washington state. This was the lasf major railroad con- struction in the West and Cal- ifornia completing the final link for rail baron Arthur Curtiss James and his Great Northern Empire. This gave him access to California. The Western Pacific and Great Northern met at Bieber, where the last spike was driven Nov. 10, 1931, cele- brating the completion of the remote Highline and Inside Gateway Route. This made the San Francisco-based Western Pacific a north-south carrier through its connec- tion with the Santa Fe at Stockton and the Great Northern at Bieber. Trains could now operate from Stockton via Bieber all the way to the Columbia Riv- er Gorge at Wishram, Wash., and on to the Pacific North- west, operated by the Western Pacific and Great Northern Railroads. This new line had several names, including Northern California Exten- sion, the Inside Gateway and the Highline. The Highline has always been a freight-only route ex- cept for a loggers' special of- ten referred to the Paul Bun- yan Express. Few people know that Paul Bunyan's sec- ond.home,was right, here in the High Sierra at Westwood. This non-public train ran from Westwood near Lake AI- manor to Halls Flat to trans- port the Red River Lumber Company loggers to this-re- mote area to cut trees in the mid 1930s. It has be.en over 50 years since a public excur- sion train has operated over the entire Highline Route be- tween Keddie-Bieber and Kla- math Falls. TheBNSF Railroad has ap- proved a one-time-only spe- cial train over this remote freight-only railroad line to celebrate the driving of the golden spike 80 years ago. This special charter excUr- sion is being called the North- ern California Explorer (NCE) and the nonprofit Cen- tral Coast Railway Club from the Bay Area is operating it. Trains & Travel Internation- al, based in Reno, has been given the job of promoting and selling tickets on the NCE excursion train. This special train will de- part Emeryville at 2 p.m. for the run to Oroville Friday, June 3. The city of Oroville is planning a special local cele- bration when the train ar- rives in town. The train will stop to pick up passengers at Richmond, Martinez, Davis and Sacramento. Passengers will spend the night in local hotels and motels in the Oroville and Chico areas. • There is a special Oroville option being offered for folks that €ould like to join the ex- cursion Saturday, June 4, for the run into the spectacular • Feather River Canyon and Highline. These passengers can park their cars at the Am- trak Station in Chico and a charter bus will pick them up and transfer them to the Oroville train station to board the NCE train. Then Sunday, June 5, they will de- train at Chico and will have access to their cars. They can also park at the former West- ern Pacific Oroville train sta: tion, which is now owned and operated by the Western Pa- cific Brewing and Dining Company. Saturday, June 4, the NCE passenger train will dePart Oroville at 9 a.m. and contin- ue eastbound into the Feather River Canyon and High Sier- ra on its journey to K.eddie and on to Klamath Falls. With a morning departure from Oroville, this will allow won- derful views of Lake Oroville, which is full for the first time in many years, and the Feath- er River Canyon to Keddie. Because of the heavy winter there is a lot of snowmelt and the Feather River and all of the canyon reservoirs are now full. Opportunities to see waterfalls abound. At the Keddie Wye, the train will turn north on BNSF's former Western Pacif- ic Inside Gateway Route, passing Greenville and West- wood. For many miles spec- tacular views of Lake A1- manor and Lassen Peak can be seen from the train as the rails run on a ledge overlook- ing the lake and snow-capped volcanO. Departing the lumber mill town of Westwood, the NCE will travel through a remote region of dense forests that very few folks ever get to see or experience unless they worked for the railroad or the Red River Lumber Company. At Norvell the high point on the Highline is reached at 5,735 feet. Another dozen or so miles to the north is Halls Flat where snowplows are turned on a wye track and the special Paul Bryan Express train ran to Camp Bryan. De- parting here, the line drops down into Little Valley and then runs along a rock shelf almost a thousand feet above the Pit River with breathtak- ing views of Mount Shasta. Northeastern Health Center URG 0 Northeastern Health Center 1850 Spring Ridge Drive * Susanville (next to Banner Lassen Medical Center) 25.1-5000" A service of Northeastern Rural Health Clinics Quality Healthcare, Your Choice... Our Commitment Sliding Scale • Insurance • Payment Plans , After crossing the Pit River Bridge, the rail line swings into Big Valley where the small village of Bieber is lo- cated. At Bieber, plans are being made to unload the passen- gers to observe the re-driving of the last spike at the exact location where Arthur Cur- t4ss James, the president of the Great Northern Railroad, drove it 80 years ago. After the ceremony the train departs and continues northbound on the former Great Northern, passing Lookout Junction where' there once was a connection with the McCloud River Rail- way and then along the shores of Egg Lake, which is normally dry, but with all of the snowmelt now contains water. The railway runs by the remote Hollenbeck Butte and soon passes Mammoth Cave before crossing a very remote area of Lava Beds Na- tional Monument. North of here, the tracks run along a section of the Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge where passen- gers will be able to view thou- sands of birds and waterfowl. Soon after the train enters Oregon it will arrive in Kla- math Falls. Passengers will stay in local motels and ho- tels. Sunday, June 5, the North- ern California Explorer de- parts Klamath Falls at 8 a.m. and travels south on the for- mer Southern Pacific Shasta Route. For most of the morn- ing, snow-covered Mount Shasta will be visible ahead of the train and passengers in the dome cars will have spec- tacular views of the moun- tain. After climbing to Grass Lake Summit, the train will pass the massive 14,162-foot Mount Shasta. Amtrak's Coast Starlight runs though here at night so it will be a re- al treat to see the breathtak- ing scenery in daylight. After passing Black Butte and Mount Shasta City, the rail line winds down into the Sacramento River Canyon and around Cantara Loop. Soon historic Dunsmuir is passed as the rails run deeper in the Sacramento River Canyon all the way to Lake Shasta and Redding. Again, with the heavy winter and spring snowmelt, Lake Shasta is full for the first time in many years and the railroad runs over several high bridges above the water. At Tehama, the line continues down the East Valley Route to Chico where the OroviUe pas- sengers can detrain. Chico is scheduled for 2 p.m. Passen- ger stops will also be made at Sacramento, Davis, Martinez and Richmond before arrival back in Emeryville, which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Folks who wish to ride the Northern California Explorer excursion train should make their reservations .soon, as it is filling quickly, but there are a few seats still available. Prices start at only $398 for the once-in-a-lifetime train excursion. The Central Coast Railway Club is a nonprofit San Jose- based rail historian organiza- tion dedicated to the preser- vation of western railroad history with a special empha- sis on the Bay Area and San Jose. Affiliated with the Na- tional Railway Historical So- ciety as the Central Coast Chapter, the club meets on the third Friday of everY month at the Caltrain station in Santa Clara. Don't miss this year's PLUMA COUNTY PICNIC Saturday, June 4 ° 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds, Quincy Lots to do and 10ts to see! • Sierra ( :ade Street R0dders • Chili C00k-0ff • S w & Shine • Cow PI0p Drop • 4-H She lanship & Awareness = Plant Sale • Lions Pancake Breakfast • And Much More! NEW THIS Y R! PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES: Alexander Enterprises 281-6411 Alley Cat Cafe 283-0902 Ayoobs Main St. Styles 283-0940 C. Brawley Jeweler/Goldsmith 925-330-0960 Country Style Family Hair Car 284-7279 Dr. Gregory Sawyer, DDS 283-2811 Epilog Books 283-2665 Feather River Inn Golf Course 836-1253 Flanigan-Leavitt Insurance Agency, Inc., 283-1112 Good Vibrations 258-4663 Graeagle Associates 836-1234 Greenhorn Creek Ranch 283-0930 Harmony Bookkeeping 394-7002 LL Capital 283-9770 Mary Kay-Susan Nesbit 283-1699 Feather Publishing Co., inc. 283-0800 Morning Thunder 283-3526 Mt. Huff Golf Course 284-6204 Plumas Community Radio-KQNY 91.9 FM 283-5494 Plumas County Museum 283-6320 Security 1 Lending 836-1225 Select Environmental 916-286-3899 Sierra County Historical Society 916-862-1310 Skyline Home Improvements 284-7931 Tidbits 284-6750 Town & Country Properties - Squeek Crane 283-3386 Tupperware-Ashley Stevenson 249-3411 US Bank 283-6610 Welch Construction 596-4608 or 258-7551 White Water Laboratory 284-1568 Womack Construction 596-3364 Xocai Healthy Chocolat 836-0820