Updated 07-24-2011. The Feather River Canyon in Northern California is home to Union Pacific’s Feather River Route which is a single track running in the Sierras from Sacramento California, thru Oroville, thru Portola, to Reno Junction, then on to Winnemucca Nevada, Salt Lake City Utah and Chicago. Construction of the route began following the establishment of the Western Pacific Railroad (WP) in 1903 and was completed in 1909. The original California Zephyr operated daily from Oakland to Chicago over the WP’s Feather River Route from 1949 until 1970. The forming of Amtrak in 1971 saw the creation of The San Francisco Zephyr which was replaced in 1983 by Amtrak’s new California Zephyr but this train used the Donner Pass route west of Reno. WP was never very profitable but retained its independence until 1982 when it was merged with UP. In less than three months virtually all signs of WP ceased to exist as UP painted and renamed everything. Today there is no passenger service thru the Feather River Canyon except for rare occasions when UP’s Donner Pass Route is closed for snow or repairs.