The original Central Pacific line over Donner Pass saw its first train run on June 18, 1868. For 125 years, trains ran over the Donner Pass Summit, passing through a 1,659-foot tunnel. In 1925, Southern Pacific added a second track to Donner Pass. Between Shed 47 and Norden, SP bored Tunnel 41 (known as "The Big Hole"), a 10,322-foot tunnel, at a much lower elevation than Main 1 over the top. However, SP used both mains until 1993. Then, SP removed 6.7 miles of Main 1 over the summit out of service to reduce operating costs. The rails were removed when SP shut down Main 1 in 1993. In this shot at Norden, the original Main 1 split from the new grade to run the 6.7 miles over the summit. The shed in the distance was Main 1, and a shot section of track still exists out of the shed. The manifest here is on Main 2, headed for "the Big Hole".
Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster.
