Issues and Information

   Some residents of Serene Lakes have expressed concerns about train blockages at the crossing on Soda Springs Road.  The frequency of these blockages has been reduced dramatically over the last several years, as SLPOA has worked with the Union Pacific to identify the causes of the blockages and to implement corrective actions. 

    Most often, the blockages are short in duration, around 15-30 minutes (“no big deal”).  Very infrequently, extended blockages lasting 1-3 hours have occurred.  The greatest concern I hear is, “What can we do if the crossing is blocked during a medical or fire emergency.”  With Soda Springs Road being the only entrance/egress during the 8 months of winter, this is a genuine problem.

    As the head of the Union Pacific Liaison Committee for the SLPOA Board, I have been involved with this issue for the past several years.  My goals have been to gather information useful in understanding the issues, to assess the frequency of incidents, to establish a good working relationship with key managers within the Union Pacific and the Federal Railroad Administration, and to work toward the reduction of blockages in the future.

    The Union Pacific genuinely wants to be a good neighbor.  They actively seek to understand and correct problems that lead to blockages.  In recent years, the incidence of blockages has been reduced to only once or twice a year.

 Reasons for Blockages

    There are two basic reasons trains get stopped at our crossing: operational and emergency/breakdown.  Operationally, trains are stopped on the Summit because there are only single tracks on the grades down to Roseville and Reno.  Because there are two tracks on the Summit, the U.P. uses it as a “siding” to let trains pass each other when coming from opposite directions, or when a fast train needs to pass a slow one.  With this said, there are over two miles of double tracks on both sides of Soda Springs Road.  If U.P. dispatchers are doing their job right, they should be able to stop trains operationally without blocking our crossing.  On the other hand, such operational blockages don’t often last over 30 minutes.

    Relative to emergencies and breakdowns, the trains are stopped due to unsafe track or equipment problems.  Most often, it is because they do a “brake check” at the top of the grade before descending down towards Roseville.  If there is any problem, they stop the train immediately, because a train with any brake problems going down the grade is a serious safety risk.  The process the U.P. uses to resolve brake issues involves the conductor walking the length of the train to set the manual brakes, diagnosing and fixing the problem, and then walking the length of the train to release the manual brakes.  It can take 1-3 hours to implement. 

   These emergency/breakdown blockages are the ones that infuriate local residents.   It should be noted that they are not due to callous disregard on the part of U.P. employees relative to the problems they are creating for Serene Lakes residents.   They are trying to address a real-time safety issue, which takes priority.

 What to do in an Emergency

    During the summer there is a second way in and out.  It is the original dirt road through Summit Valley (the Dutch Flat-Donner Lake Wagon Road and then the Lincoln Highway) before the current Highway 40 was created.  To find it, coming from Serene Lakes, you cross over the small bridge at the Soda Springs Resort and take a right into the next parking lot.  You’ll see the road at the east end of the lot.   It goes for about five miles (takes 8-10 minutes) and exits at the access road to the Judah Lodge at Sugar Bowl.  If you are concerned about emergency situations, you should certainly take a test drive down this road to familiarize yourself with it. 

    During the winter, this is not an option, because the dirt road is not plowed.  If the crossing is blocked in an emergency, you have two options.  You will need your cell phone with you (there is generally good reception at the crossing):

1.  Call 911.  They have a direct connection to the U.P. dispatcher in Omaha, Nebraska and will try to expedite a clearing of the crossing.  Our fire and rescue teams are aware of this as well.

2.   Call the U.P. crossing hotline number 800-848-8715 and select Option 1 for police/fire emergency.  This will put you in touch directly with the emergency dispatch center in Omaha. 

    Both parties will need to know the crossing you are at.  The official designation is DOT# 753179K.  Also, “the Soda Springs Road crossing in Soda Springs, CA” should suffice.

     If the train cannot be moved because of equipment breakdown problems, 911 can dispatch an evacuation helicopter in the event of a medical emergency.  In fire emergencies, there is a fire truck stationed off Short Road adjacent to the Sierra Lakes County Water District building that can be manned by a crew flown in.

What about Non-Emergencies

  The California PUC has established rules that trains are not to stop for more than 10 minutes in a position that blocks a crossing.  This does not include the time when the train is moving, either before or after the blockage.

  If the train has been stopped at the crossing for more than 10 minutes, this is a reportable incident.  Here’s what to do if you feel inconvenienced and want to report the incident directly to the U.P. (once again, having your cell phone with you will be helpful):

   Call the U.P. crossing hotline (800-848-8715) and select Option 4.  This will put you in contact with a 24-hour response person, whose job it is to log the incident in the U.P database, investigate it, and get back to you with an estimate as to when the crossing will be cleared.  The logging part gets the incident on record, and central U.P. management reviews the database regularly to analyze and resolve the issues at problem crossings.

Report the Incident to SLPOA

  Finally, you need to report each incident to me (Gene Bowles), because I have established a process with local Union Pacific management personnel for them to investigate in detail each incident I report.  My email is gene.bowles@stanfordalumni.org, my fax is 530-426-0691 and my home phone is 530-426-0690.

  The information I need is:

1.      The date and time.

2.      The ID numbers stenciled on three different railcars in the train (allows U.P management to identify the specific train and crew).

3.      A description of the circumstances.  What was happening and how long was the crossing blocked?  Any other information relevant to how big an inconvenience this caused.  Did this create a safety problem in any way?

  My contact at the U.P. (the Manager for Operations over the summit) has agreed to investigate personally all incidents that I report to him.  I need to get the information to him within 24 hours of the occurrence, so the incident can be traced to a specific train and its details are still fresh in the minds of those involved.  He will assess the root cause of the problem and implement the corrective action needed to avoid similar circumstances in the future.  As it turns out, he is often unaware that a blockage has even occurred and, without my input, lacks the information needed to investigate it properly.

    My contact has also agreed to get back to me with his findings and conclusions.  I, in turn, will forward his response to the person reporting the incident.  This is the basic process we have used to dramatically reduce the number of blockages at the Soda Springs crossing. 

    I would suggest you make a copy of this article to put in the glove compartment of your car. If you are stopped unexpectedly by a train at the crossing, it will remind you of the most effective actions you can take and provide you with the information you need to proceed.