With the OP declaring the Cascade Tunnel was a mistake - what would have been the 'right' way to surmount the problems Cascade was intended to fix if it wasn't the Cascade Tunnel and the trackage leading to and from it.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACD With the OP declaring the Cascade Tunnel was a mistake - what would have been the 'right' way to surmount the problems Cascade was intended to fix if it wasn't the Cascade Tunnel and the trackage leading to and from it.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Murphy Siding BaltACD With the OP declaring the Cascade Tunnel was a mistake - what would have been the 'right' way to surmount the problems Cascade was intended to fix if it wasn't the Cascade Tunnel and the trackage leading to and from it. Well, I'm the OP and that wasn't me that was saying that.We'd have go back 11 years and read the article to find out all the details. Here's from my first post that started this thread: That's the title of an article in the current (Jan. 2010) Trains Magazine. In a nutshell, the author, who worked for GN/BN/BNSF from 1963 to 1999, says that GN made a mistake in 1929 with its new tunnel and alignment. He feels, that GN could have kept the old tunnel, and moved the west approach to the south side of the valley, and (?) stretched out the rise on the west side.
Well, I'm the OP and that wasn't me that was saying that.We'd have go back 11 years and read the article to find out all the details. Here's from my first post that started this thread: That's the title of an article in the current (Jan. 2010) Trains Magazine. In a nutshell, the author, who worked for GN/BN/BNSF from 1963 to 1999, says that GN made a mistake in 1929 with its new tunnel and alignment. He feels, that GN could have kept the old tunnel, and moved the west approach to the south side of the valley, and (?) stretched out the rise on the west side.
It is easy to second guess decisons that were made a century ago based on data of the day in light of the data developed over the intervening century. People can only make decisions on the data presented to them - not guessing what the unknown of the next century will present.
BaltACD Murphy Siding BaltACD With the OP declaring the Cascade Tunnel was a mistake - what would have been the 'right' way to surmount the problems Cascade was intended to fix if it wasn't the Cascade Tunnel and the trackage leading to and from it. Well, I'm the OP and that wasn't me that was saying that.We'd have go back 11 years and read the article to find out all the details. Here's from my first post that started this thread: That's the title of an article in the current (Jan. 2010) Trains Magazine. In a nutshell, the author, who worked for GN/BN/BNSF from 1963 to 1999, says that GN made a mistake in 1929 with its new tunnel and alignment. He feels, that GN could have kept the old tunnel, and moved the west approach to the south side of the valley, and (?) stretched out the rise on the west side. It is easy to second guess decisons that were made a century ago based on data of the day in light of the data developed over the intervening century. People can only make decisions on the data presented to them - not guessing what the unknown of the next century will present.
Earlier in the thread there was mention of the new tunnel bypassing slide zones. Which would makes sense to include that in the survey of a new alignment. Given what happened at Wellington 19 years prior to the new Cascade Tunnel. I'm surprised this former GN employee didn't take that into account.. Along with lowering the summit for better operation compared to the even steeper and more dangerous profile of the original route..
Did the author do a detailed snow study? The original route on the north side of the valley would have been along south (sun) facing slopes, which have particular avalanch producing qualities. However, a line along the south side of the valley, along north facing slopes would have more long lasting snow and the original line was well up into the heavy snow level. In Colorado, the original Tennessee Pass line on the north end of the tunnel, ran along a north facing slope and had persistent snow and ice. They eventually relocated the line to a sunnier side of the valley.
Murphy Siding In a nutshell, the author, who worked for GN/BN/BNSF from 1963 to 1999, says that GN made a mistake in 1929 with its new tunnel and alignment.
In a nutshell, the author, who worked for GN/BN/BNSF from 1963 to 1999, says that GN made a mistake in 1929 with its new tunnel and alignment.
Well, just because he was an employee of the railroad in question, doesn't mean his assertion earns any additional validity. The rebuttal by someone whose opinion really does matter, Robert W. Downing, retired Vice-Chairman and Chief Operating officer of Burlington Northern (and now deceased, unfortunately) appeared in the May 2010 issue of TRAINS, page 5. The first sentence is: "Contrary T. Michael Power's article 'Cascade Tunnel: An Engineering Mistake', the Cascade Tunnel was no mistake" and then convincingly explains why.
Mark Meyer
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