Snow joke for 'Sierra

UPTON and his fellow “Sierra Snow Fighters” are responsible for clearing the tracks and keeping the trains running in one of the snowiest stretches of railroad tracks in North America.

The magnitude of their job can be summed up with one mind-boggling metric: 38 feet. That’s the average snowfall at Donner Summit, one of the highest points of their service unit.

“We are a proud, get-it-done railroad team. While everyone else is waiting for the storm to pass or the highways to reopen, our Union Pacific crew is out there clearing the tracks with some of the biggest, baddest machines in the snow-moving business,” said Upton, senior manager – Track Maintenance.

The team can back up its pride with an impressive record. “Service on this mountain hasn’t stopped since 2011,” said Upton.

This season alone, they have already moved or cleared 310 inches of wet, heavy snow – otherwise known as “Sierra Cement” – including 138 inches that fell in December.

Upton and his team are one of several snow-fighting teams at Union Pacific who work to keep the nation’s supply chain moving and America’s shelves stocked during extreme snowstorms in states such as Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Minnesota.

The Sierra Snow Fighters are responsible for maintaining 245 track miles *349 km) from Reno to Roseville that goes from sea level in the Sacramento Valley to the 7000-foot summit at Norden, California.

There are more than 700 curves on their section of the track, which goes under the Interstate 80 corridor 23 times.

During a typical winter season, which starts in early November and extends through to April, The Sierra Snow Fighters will see a “dozen decent storms,” if not more, Upton said.

“When Interstates are closing, and trucks are being forced off the road, railroads are able to run thanks to the men and women at Union Pacific who brave the elements and keep our tracks open. Our crews’ commitment and efforts on the ground to keep the lines cleared during extreme weather is a testament to the tenacity of railroaders,” said Jeremy Ritch, general director – Maintenance of Way, Operating.

One of the worst winters in the Sierra Nevada