UP Double-stacks over Donner Pass

I just read in today’s “Sacramento Bee” that Union Pacific has finished work on 15 tunnels on their ex SP Donner Pass line to accomodate double-stack trains, which evidently means that Oakland-Ogden traffic will be re-routed from the Feather River Canyon to the more direct Donner Pass line.

The work consisted of lowering the floors in some of the tunnels and cutting ‘edges’ in the linings of other tunnels. I know that UP has been sending some double-stackers up the “Hill” of late, but using the original old Central Pacific grade between Rocklin and Colfax, which has few tunnels, but is much steeper than the relaid early 20th–Century “Harriman” second track (which is generally used for eastbound traffic and has a much easier grade).

But evidently, at least according to the “Bee”, the double-stackers are now able to use the eastbound line with no problems between Roseville and Truckee.

Evidently, UP also plans to relay portions of the double track between Emigrant Gap and Truckee that were taken out by SP.

Does anyone have more information on this? It appears that UP did this kinda/sorta on the ‘quiet’. But it looks as if Donner Pass is going to have quite a few more trains on it in the future–despite the grades, it certainly makes sense to me, as it’s the more direct route east from California.

Does this mean that the Feather River Route will go quiet, except for BNSF High Line trains between Oroville and Keddie? Or will UP continue to use Feather River for less expedited freight?

Tom

This isn’t exactly news, nor was it done quietly. I don’t know if you’ll be able to access this UP news release, but it was issued on November 23:

https://www.uprr.com/newsinfo/releases/service/2009/1123_donnerpass.shtml

Just looked at the site provided by Carl out at Donner area and a tunnel with freshly cut notches in the roof structure for clearance.

It certainly must be a “sound” engineering practice as it is being done many places, etc…It just seems a risky process to cut into the arched roof area as they are doing…It would seem to me to really provide a natural configuration {breaking line}, to split open, etc…But…it seems they are getting away with it.

Surely that can’t be done where tunnels are lined with brick back in so far from the entrance…

If it said that it was wrong.

Quentin:

The notched tunnels are largely through hard Sierra granite, so there’s no brick involved. The tunnels that were not bored through granite had the floors lowered, from what I have been told. But as a native Californian, I can assure you that there’s hardly any rock in the world harder than Sierra Granite. [:P]

Tom

timz:

Explain. Seriously. I’d like to know.

Tom

Thanks Tom…it certainly would be better being very hard rock, but it is being done in eastern lines too…I’m sure they are comfortable with it or it wouldn’t be done. Just makes me think about it…Think of scribing a line in glass and then applying a bit of pressure, and bingo…it’s broken.