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California Northern
Railfanning Information
Railroad Gif's Drawn and copyrighted by Dan Klitzing. Re-posted here with his permission and my gratitude
For railfans, following the CFNR is fairly easy. There are many roads in the Central Valley making the 2 Valley routes the easiest to see. A bicycle can be a valuable asset as one can ride along the right-of-way on farmers' dirt roads. Trains can be followed pretty easily if you have a scanner and you can talk to the crews who are fairly nice and courteous. It is easiest to talk to the brakeman when they are switching. They also don't seem to mind if you listen to them on scanners. The line from Davis to Tehama is signaled, so you can tell if a train is coming by watching the lights. Please respect their property though, it is dangerous to cross tracks when a train is visible. CFNR rarely if ever operate at night (after 10pm).
California Northern Railroad Radio Frequencies - 06/30/99 |
|||||
Channel |
Site |
Tx Freq |
PL |
Rx Freq |
PL |
01 |
Cal Northern Common |
160.635 |
CS |
160.635 |
CS |
02 |
Cal Northern Common |
160.695 |
CS |
160.695 |
CS |
03 |
Union Pacific Common |
161.550 |
CS |
161.550 |
CS |
04 |
Union Pacific Tehama |
160.320 |
CS |
160.320 |
CS |
05 |
Cal Northern Common |
161.280 |
CS |
161.280 |
CS |
06 |
Union Pacific Tracy |
161.430 |
CS |
161.430 |
CS |
11 |
Sugarloaf Repeater |
160.665 |
91.5 |
160.665 |
CS |
33 |
Sutter Butte Repeater |
160.665 |
131.8 |
160.665 |
CS |
Visiting the CFNR can also present other opportunities. The Sierra Northern (Formerly the Yolo Shortline) is close to CFNR in Woodland - they operate freight trains and also diesel excursion trains over former Sacramento Northern Trackage. And there is the Napa Valley Wine Train. If you are visiting the line from Tracy to Los Banos, its only a short trip to UP's main line over the Altamont Pass to your Northwest or a short hop to the east and UP's Fresno Sub.
