Western Railroad Discussion > Tunnel Tuesday

Here are a couple head-end tunnel views from California mainlines:

1. Tunnel #41 - Donner Pass
2. Tunnel #26 - Santa Susana Pass
3. Golden State Freeway and Antelope Valley Freeway Interchange - Antelope Valley Line between LA & Lancaster/Palmdale.

JMW
http://waidephoto.smugmug.com/Trains



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/14 23:24 by jmw.

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In the second image you can see the little drainage sumps with pumps that SCRRA installed back in October, 2000.
Tunnel 26 (near Chatsworth, CA) is in sandstone with alternating strata of hard, impervious rock and softer, water-bearing rock.
If the water is not drained away the soft rock turns into mud and the track surface gets bad.
In 2000 we removed all the track, replaced the ballast, and improved on the pumping.
As far as I know it is still good for 40 MPH.

I hope to have a post on this work at some future time.

Thanks for posting.

Exceeeeedingly cool!
And two out of three are near the areas where I grew up.
Great post!

My favorite is Pic 2!!!

railstiesballast Wrote:
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> In the second image you can see the little
> drainage sumps with pumps that SCRRA installed
> back in October, 2000.
> Tunnel 26 (near Chatsworth, CA) is in sandstone
> with alternating strata of hard, impervious rock
> and softer, water-bearing rock.
> If the water is not drained away the soft rock
> turns into mud and the track surface gets bad.
> In 2000 we removed all the track, replaced the
> ballast, and improved on the pumping.
> As far as I know it is still good for 40 MPH.
>
> I hope to have a post on this work at some future
> time.
>
> Thanks for posting.

When the CP drilled their new Mt. MacDonald tunnel, they laid a full-length concrete pad for the rails. Would that be a good thing for Tunnel 26, given the drainage issues??

Tunnel in first picture is about one third of the way west bond through Tunnel 41. on Donner Summit.

Thanks JLY!

JMW