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The Snow Sheds, Sierra Nevada

In the spring of 1868, the Sierra Nevada were finally overcome by the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR), after almost three years of sustained work. The result was  the establishment of commercial transportation en masse of passengers and freight over the Sierra for the first time. The route of the transcontinental railroad was laid over Donner Summit. The company was sure snow would not be a problem for the railroad over Donner Summit. The snow just had to be pushed out of the way before it accumulated. 1870, just a few months after the Golden Spike was pounded into place completing the first transcontinental railroad, an avalanche covered and tore away hundreds of feet of track. A blizzard followed. Miles of track were blocked and it kept snowing. The snow shovelers and buckers (engines with plows) could not make headway. Workers cleared for six days and still there were 7 miles of snow covered track to go. California was cut off from the nation. Passengers were irate as train after train was stopped. After six days the railroad took stranded passengers up to the snow blocked tracks and told them to walk. Without proper clothing they walked through the snow past small stations with their telegraphers and railroad facilities, and through tunnels. After that winter the Central Pacific built more snowsheds, in all 64 km. of snowsheds, to protect their tracks. They used 65 million board feet of lumber and 900 tons of bolts and spikes. The wooden sheds, sitting in the summer sun, were terrible fire hazards and the mountains of accumulating winter snow could collapse them. So the snowsheds spawned jobs for thousands of workers: fire train crews, track walkers, fire lookouts, carpenters, and snow shovelers. There were so many workers some lived in old freight cars all along the railroad line. Railroad shops, buildings, turn tables, local businesses, worker houses, and even the school and hotel on Donner Summit were connected by snowsheds. In winter some people would never see the light of day. Passengers were not thrilled however. Imagine traveling past some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, but you could not see it. Eventually snow removal improved and sheds were removed. Remaining sheds were rebuilt of concrete so that collapse was no longer a threat. The thousands of workers are gone and with them their towns.

 
February 8th,  2025

 

 
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