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Westbound exiting Tunnel 33 at Cape Horn

This is a different view of the typical scenes of Southern Pacific on Donner Pass. A pair of straight SD45s bracket a tunnel motor on the head end of a westbound TOFC as it exits Tunnel 33 on Donner Pass. Up ahead is the crossing of Long Ravine before entering the town of Colfax. In the distance is Interstate 80. Track No. 1, not occupied by the train, rounds the cliff at Cape Horn while Track No. 2 cuts through the rocky bluff via Tunnel 33 to rejoin the alignment of Track No. 1 right in front of the lead unit. Tunnel 33 is a double track-wide tunnel, but I understand that engines on the eastbound grade had a tough time breathing through this tunnel, so Track No. 1 was kept in place around Cape Horn and Track No. 2 was realigned with the center of the double track tunnel and used exclusively for westbound traffic.

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Uploaded on June 27, 2025
Taken on November 22, 1975