Re: NNG: Donner Pass abandoned snow sheds, February 9th (photos)

cdaspit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks but no, that's not correct:
>
> "The tunnels were used by trains for 125 years,
> until 1993 when the line was rerouted through a
> new tunnel running through Mount Judah, named
> after the railroad pioneer. The Donner Pass and
> the tunnels are named after the Donner Party, a
> group of explorers en route to California who
> became stranded in the Sierra Nevada region due to
> heavy snow and resorted to cannibalism to
> survive."
>
> [www.atlasobscura.com]
> mmit-tunnels

cdaspit,

The new Summit Tunnel is known as Tunnel 41. And goes between Mt Judah and Donner Peak. Looking at the Google Maps I can't see any newer construction, I haven't been over Donner since 2009, went through the Track #1 on Amtrak SF Zephyr in 1982.

In guess John Signor got it all wrong then, in his book Donner Pass. Which is where I drew my reply from.

Caption on pg 115.
During 1924-25, between a point west of Summit and Eder, a 4.07-mile line change was constructed entirely independent of the existing grade as the final stage of the Sierra double-tracking program. A new summit tunnel 10,320 feet in length was incorporated into this work