The Placer-Sierra Railroad Heritage Society (PSRHS) was formed to preserve and protect the history of the Donner Pass Route portion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Please join us in our efforts and enjoy the website. You can view our MONTHLY NEWSLETTER here.
MONTHLY MEETINGS
PSRHS holds monthly meetings with presentations on topics of regional railroad and other topics. Our meetings are open to all who are interested in local railroad history and operations. Meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday, 7PM at Auburn Veterans Memorial Hall, 100 East St. Directions to the meeting location can be found under the HAPPENINGS tab. Watch this space for details on future meeting programs.
Our Next Meeting will be April 23 at 7pm.
April Program: PSRHS founding member Jim Wood will discuss Current Efforts to Establish a railroad-themed Heritage Park in Colfax.
The idea of an outdoor Railroad Park near the Colfax Passenger Depot has been talked about since the depot renovation was completed in 2007. With a new City Manager and council members showing interest in the concept, its time may finally be here. Jim will discuss ideas being considered to establish outdoor displays near the depot in a park-like setting. The buzz being created by news of UP 4014 Big Boy’s July visit has heightened interest in Colfax’s rich railroad history.
NEW COLFAX RAILCAM
We are excited to announce that the installation of a Southwest Railcams webcam on the restored 1905 Colfax Passenger Depot was completed April 9 by a PSRHS team headed by Paul Greenfield with the help of Jeff Rossi of Southwest Railcams. The camera entered test mode that day, was an immediate hit and went public April 11. The camera provides a terrific view looking westbound from the depot, and downtown Colfax serves as the backdrop for eastbound views. As an added feature viewers can listen to local railroad radio conversations while observing the trains and the downtown area.
To access the Colfax webcam follow this link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmXz1dFsGkM
The link will soon be on our website under the Web Cams tab.
UP 4014 BIG BOY TO VISIT ROSEVILLE & OGDEN
- Public Display in Roseville July 12-13
- Whistle Stop in Colfax Sunday July 14th
- Public Display in Ogden July 20-21
Union Pacific Steam Club has announced the tentative schedule for UP 4014 “Big Boy” to visit California and Utah this July. The tour map shows the westbound journey on the Feather River Canyon Route to Roseville for display on July 12-13, then returning eastbound from Roseville to Ogden on the Donner Route the week of July 14-19. We just received word that the Big Boy will make a brief stop in Colfax July 14 on its return trip to Utah. The new Colfax webcam is ready to capture 4014’s movement through Colfax.
FIELD TRIPS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
We offer one or two field trips and other activities during the year for members and guests. Details on upcoming activities or items of interest are announced on this home page. Selected events also appear in NEXT EVENTS under the HAPPENINGS tab. A complete list of past field trips and meeting presentation topics can also be found under the HAPPENINGS tab.
ARTICLES OF HISTORIC INTEREST
PSRHS philosophy is to share our information and documents with the public. Numerous historical notes, articles and photos are available for viewing and free download under the LOCAL RR HISTORY and the PUBLICATIONS tabs. Feel free to browse these pages and enjoy the content. If you choose to reproduce any of the items viewed on our web site please credit our PSRHS web address as the source.
New to the Website
Right of Way and Track Maps for SP’s Lake Tahoe Branch from the PSRHS Collection are now available for viewing. Find their link on the HISTORIC ARTICLES/MAPS/IMAGES page under the LOCAL RR HISTORY tab.
The two YouTube movies of Hal Wilmunder’s narrow gauge railroads that were shown at our October 2023 meeting can be viewed via links on the ARTICLES & VIDEOS BY OTHERS page under the PUBLICATIONS tab.
RESTORATION PROJECTS
PSRHS members have been instrumental in two major restoration projects, the Colfax Passenger Depot and the Colfax Wood-sided Caboose. Details on these projects can be found under the PROJECTS tab.
CONTACT US
General information about the society and a list of current board members can be found under the SOCIETY INFO tab.