Re: Tennessee Pass

If anyone ever rode the route of the CZ and view the layout of the line, a great deal being in canyons, you can see that one good earthquake would put it in serious trouble. Having another way to protect the traffic, much being coal on contracts, is good horse sense. Not saying that the west side of the ‘T‘ pass might also have hillside problems, but who can guess? I believe the real reason for not abandoning the line is the interest of BNSF to operate it and invade the territory further.
Just remember the land shift on the D&RGW in Utah that dammed the whole valley, resulting flood covered a town, and required a new tunnel to open the railroad. Fixing a dormant track is cheaper than building new tunnels to get around Gore Canyon, for example.