nanaimo73 posted "Continental Divide Crossings" in 2006 and in talking about Campbell Pass NM said: In the last few years this crossing has passed Union Pacific's mainline to be the busiest corridor, handling about 150 GMT. Is this still true? Anyone have more info on Campbells Pass? Thanks.
The 1882 Cambells Pass construction crested at an elevation of 7250.
A second main track was constructed later which reduced the maximum elevation to 7227.
Currently both mains are used with both eastward and westward trains depending upon the priority of the train.
The highest elevation on the BNSF southern transcon is in Arizona at MP 350.7, just west of Flagstaff, with an elev. of 7354.
BJDIRWINnanaimo73 posted "Continental Divide Crossings" in 2006 and in talking about Campbell Pass NM said: In the last few years this crossing has passed Union Pacific's mainline to be the busiest corridor
timz BJDIRWIN nanaimo73 posted "Continental Divide Crossings" in 2006 and in talking about Campbell Pass NM said: In the last few years this crossing has passed Union Pacific's mainline to be the busiest corridor Presumably he meant the highest-tonnage Continental Divide crossing? If so, one wonders whether UP's crossing was ever ahead of SFe's, since Powder River coal is already east of the divide.
BJDIRWIN nanaimo73 posted "Continental Divide Crossings" in 2006 and in talking about Campbell Pass NM said: In the last few years this crossing has passed Union Pacific's mainline to be the busiest corridor
Presumably he meant the highest-tonnage Continental Divide crossing? If so, one wonders whether UP's crossing was ever ahead of SFe's, since Powder River coal is already east of the divide.
Don't forget grain and soda ash go to PNW ports. Closure of coal mines along UP's route in Wyoming have helped reduce tonnage as well. The only remaining mine I believe is Black Butte all this coal heads east over the Divide. So at one time that would have been true for the UP. It should also be noted UP crosses the continental divide twice.
He means, after an eastward UP train leaves Pacific drainage it crosses a 25?-mile basin before it reaches Atlantic drainage. So UP doesn't actually have a "Continental Divide" crossing. (The Continental Divide is the place where you pour a glass of water on the ground and half the water ends up in the Pacific and half in the Atlantic. No such place on the UP main in Wyoming.)
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