Summit Tunnel

From: "Edward L Hodges" ehodges@ix.netcom.com

I was hiking over Donner Pass yesterday and came across the bronze plaque commemorating the Summit Tunnel project. I looked around in all directions and wondered why the engineers decided to tunnel through so much rock when there appeared to be an alternative. The alternative, to me, seemed to be to add a few extra loops to the route to gain the needed elevation to cross the summit without the need for a tunnel. Would you direct me to the appropriate link which explains why the engineers chose to spend so much time, money, and material to save 125 feet in elevation?

—Ed Hodges, San Jose

Track Plans

From: "Erik Beyer" erikbeyer@att.net

I was raised in Carlin, Nevada and my father worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad. I am working on an HO gauge model railroad layout and would like to model three sections of the Southern Pacific tracks.

I am interested in the Carlin, Nevada yard, the tracks through Palisade and the rock quarry in Palisade, Nevada and the area of the Reno, Nevada yard where the Virginia/Truckee Railroad tracks came together with the Southern Pacific tracks. I am not able to find any plans of any of the rails between Ogden, Utah and Sacramento, California.

Can you be of any assistance in locating the track plans for these three locations?

—Erik Beyer, Reno, Nevada

Jobs - Pay

From: "John/LaDonna Norjen" thenorjens@comcast.net

What did the American workers on the Transcontinental Railroad get paid? What jobs could the American workers do that the Chinese couldn't do?