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Photos

West Portal Of Tunnel 36, View To Northeast, 135mm Lens. Note The Notched Wingwalls That Originally Held Timber Posts Of The Original Timber Snowsheds, Miles Of Which Once Enclosed And Protected The Railroad From The Ravages Of Sierra Winters. Note A

Photo taken by Ed Anderson for the Historic American Engineering Record

View photos at Library of Congress

BH Photo #299205

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Description

The Central Pacific First Transcontinental Railroad is a segment of the western half of the first transcontinental railroad, built from Sacramento, California to Promontory Summit, Utah between 1863 and 1869, where it joined the Union Pacific Railroad which had built west from Omaha. For the purpose of the current project, the first transcontinental railroad was found likely to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places at the national level of significance under Criterion A for its significance in transportation history, in uniting the East and the West, and in the development of the West. The railroad's period of significance is 1869 to 1945, from the line's completion in 1869, through the years of its role in the settlement and development of the West, to the conclusion of the railroad's achievements in World War II. Tunnel 36 is a contributive element of this historic property.

Tunnel 36 is a 326-foot, single track railroad tunnel, with reinforced concrete portals and wingwalls. The wingwalls are notched, originally to carry supporting beams of adjacent timber snowsheds. The tunnel is on a three degree, thirty-five minute right curve, and carries the tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad's (formerly Southern Pacific) Donner Pass line.

-- Historic American Engineering Record

Facts

Overview: Tunnel on Union Pacific Railroad
Location: Nevada County, California
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1924
Railroads: - Central Pacific Railway (CPRR)
- Southern Pacific Railroad (SP)
- Union Pacific Railroad (UP)
Design: Tunnel
Dimensions: Total length: 326.0 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude: +39.32863, -120.58925 (decimal degrees)
39°19'43" N, 120°35'21" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 10/707793/4356017 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:: Cisco Grove
Inventory numbers: HAER CA-209
BH 63442 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Update Log

October 9, 2014: Added by Dave King

Sources

HAER CA-209 - Central Pacific Transcontinental Railroad, Tunnel No. 36, Milepost 176.92, Yuba Pass, Nevada County, CA
Dave King - DKinghawkfan [at] hotmail [dot] com

UP - Tunnel 36