Join the discussion on the following article:
Trains News Wire EXCLUSIVE: BNSF reopens Marias Pass following second avalanche
is this a area were snowsheds were removed?
Mr. Monn from Schweiz reminds us of the great loss of the “CM&P” as some of his get his acronymic.
The “weak snowpack” is just alot of powder, may or may not have a crust, and not packed and solid enough to support more than itself on am imcline. Makes for quite a show, and quite a mess. BNSF workers are doing the hard work this winter, no doubt. I bet there are some pretty interesting close up pictures of this out there…
I think the original builders and/or management knew what they talking about when had snow sheds built only for some of it to be torn down later…
Well, looking at the snow on top of the third unit and boxcars in the first picture I am intensely jealous. It’s been a lousy winter for snow in northern Vermont. (Apologies to those who run trains under those conditions!)
I think that Mr. Fraser has made his point
We in Switzerland have the same problems in the alps every winter mor or less. It hits mostly the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn and some times the Rhätische Bahn. The Gotthardroute of Federal Railways was also hit some years ago and ad moment the emergency is high. You are happy to have 3 passes (GN/NP and CM&P).
Mr. Fraser: No. Snowsheds #5-12 are still in place. They help.
AMTK #8 (EB) departed Shelby, MT at 1643, five hours late. The train came over the “Mountain” empty, the passengers having been bused from Whitefish, MT.
Bring back Homestake Pass!
That new Destination America Channel show “Railroad Alaska” showed an Alaska Railroad crew taking down avalanches the old fashioned way between Takeetna and Anchorage by using a 105 Howitzer to start slides. The expected a couple of little ones but instead got one that crossed the tracks and ended up in a Lake just north of Wassilla. It covered the tracks under 30 feet of snow almost 200 feet long and had to be dug out with Trackhoes and dozers. It was awesome to watch from start to finish.