Donner Summit and Donner Lake
Doug Harrop Photography • December 27, 1976
A westbound Southern Pacific train emerges from Tunnel 7, while entering Tunnel 6 on Main 1 near Donner Summit in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California.
Tunnel 6 on Main 1 features the highest point on the original SP main line, crossing Donner Summit at 7,000 feet above sea level. The 1,659 ft. long bore, blasted out of solid granite, required nearly a year to complete, finished by August 1867.
Main 1 was removed from service by SP in 1993, and the ties and rails were repurposed to double track the Sunset Route. Today, the abandoned tunnels and snow sheds of Main 1 serve as a trail for curious hikers and railroad historians.
Donner Summit and Donner Lake
Doug Harrop Photography • December 27, 1976
A westbound Southern Pacific train emerges from Tunnel 7, while entering Tunnel 6 on Main 1 near Donner Summit in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California.
Tunnel 6 on Main 1 features the highest point on the original SP main line, crossing Donner Summit at 7,000 feet above sea level. The 1,659 ft. long bore, blasted out of solid granite, required nearly a year to complete, finished by August 1867.
Main 1 was removed from service by SP in 1993, and the ties and rails were repurposed to double track the Sunset Route. Today, the abandoned tunnels and snow sheds of Main 1 serve as a trail for curious hikers and railroad historians.