From: Clarence.Matthews@p3.f117.n207.z1.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Bungee Jumping on the Union Pacific
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Oct  1 1992
Date: 01 Oct 92  20:49:11

 GG> Organization: University of Virginia
 GG> From: ggg9y@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Garth G. Groff)
 GG> Message-ID: 1992Sep25.123459.14685@murdoch.acc.virginia.edu
 GG> Newsgroups: rec.railroad

 GG> UP/WP RIGHT OF WAY

 GG> John Mosbargers item about trail biking on the old WP
 GG> right-of-way in Feather River Canyon prompted some
 GG> memories of an interesting trip I took there with my
 GG> parents in the 1960s.

 GG> We visited a place called Electra, which as you might 
 GG> suppose was a powerhouse. It belonged to the Pacific
 GG> Gas and Electric Company.  We traveled for a number of
 GG> miles over what I remember as a gravel road to reach
 GG> the parking area on the west (north?) canyon wall.  From
 GG> there we took a long inclined railway down to the 
 GG> powerhouse near the water level.  After a visit there we
 GG> walked across a long wire rope suspension bridge (only
 GG> for pedestrians) across the river.  The bridge had light
 GG> rails spiked to its deck, perhaps 2' gauge.  There was a
 GG> small 4-wheeled push car which groceries and supplies 
 GG> could be carted across the river on.  On the far side we
 GG> boarded a second incline which took us up to the WP tracks.
 GG> The WP had stopped running on this line several years
 GG> before, but part of the former mainline was used by 
 GG> Georgia Pacific's Feather River Railway to move lumber 
 GG> from their mill at Feather Falls until the lake finally
 GG> covered the tracks.  We saw no train (they were still
 GG> running their Shays occasionally, though it was usually
 GG> an SW-1 on the train).  Across the tracks we took a 
 GG> third incline up to the top of the canyon where there was
 GG> a small village for the workers at the power plant.  I
 GG> remember about a dozen nice bungalows around a green lawn
 GG> and everything connected by sidewalks.  There were massive
 GG> electric streetlights in front of every home.  Although
 GG> there was a forestry road into the place, no cars were
 GG> allowed in the village.  They were all parked across the
 GG> canyon above the powerhouse.  I remember thinking what a
 GG> great place it would be to grow up, and feeling sad that
 GG> it was soon to be covered by water.  I also wondered what
 GG> it would be like to get a piano in there.

I am new to this Echo, but find the above message quite interesting.  One of
my dearest friends grew up at Electra.  She new it is Big Bend.  The stories
are fascinating!  And yes, they had a piano in their home!  But it did not
come across the inclines and bridge.  There was a limited access road, lane
lane for sure, that hugged the mountain.  I have seen from her collection many 
photos of how it was and how it is.  Rather interesting.  Small world.


 GG> Anyway, I wonder if John's friends found this location and
 GG> what might still be there.  The powerhouse was a large 
 GG> stone or brick building and might still be partly intact
 GG> (though maybe still under water since it was almost at river
 GG> level).  There would certainly be foundations of the houses
 GG> and scars from the inclines.  They were, by the way, self-
 GG> service, much like an elevator.

 GG> ~S
 GG> --
 GG> Garth (Haridas) Groff
 GG> "Not yet famous author"
 GG> ggg9y@poe.acc.virginia.EDU         Chant "Govinda Bohlo Hare"


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