RSS FeedDetouring on the Trunk II
by Steve Eshom
The nice thing about the section of the Trunk between Dike and Nena is the access. You can easily pick up a train south of Dike and then give chase south towards Maupin. Train speeds vary from 25-35 mph and with all the bends in the river the road often takes a shorter route. In that stretch there is 17 miles of gravel road that is in generally good shape plus another 10 miles that is paved. I did that with the UP 5423 south which I caught at Sinamox, the bridges and Sherar, and finally at a river access near Maupin. The road south of Maupin is not in very good shape and 15 to 20 mph is about the max so chasing is out of the question. The UP 5423 ran away from me on that stretch though I nearly caught when it went into a 10 mph restriction north of Nena. With good planning though you can get a shot north of Maupin and then muddle along the road south and get one more.
The Deschutes is a popular fishing river. Since it was a beautiful day there were several fisherman and a couple of drift boaters on the river. I’m sure most of the time the fisherman don’t pay any attention to the trains but this one actually gave it a glance.
The Z-BRLC crosses the White River north of Maupin. This spot is in good light all day from sun up to sun set.
Clear block! BNSF 4171 North illuminates the rock wall at MP 45.1.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Chasing is easy when the road traffic was as minimal as it was. I’d never drive it the way I did when it gets busy there. They do patrol the roads during the fishing/rafting season.
Nice photos you picked up on this trip.
Dan
March 18th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Thanks for the tip on the patrols and traffic. I’ll have to remember that as fishing and rafting pick up.
April 12th, 2008 at 9:01 am
[…] Oregon Trunk sub hoping to again capture some of the detouring UP trains. Unlike my previous trip this time I was bound for Madras with the focus on the South Jct. to Crooked River segment. I […]