Was the old Santa Fe Transcon ever snowbound?
I recall reading of snowstorms and bilizzards in Arizona and New Mexico, where on the Navajo Reservation, people (living in hovels), sheep and cattle starved and/or froze to death.
I don't know if such storms ever delayed or stopped completely movements on the Transcon. I know through the Sierras, (Amtrak and other) trains on the SP and WP were literally stopped in their tracks several times.
RJ Emery near Santa Fe, NM
Exactly what do you mean by, "Snowbound?"
The area around Flagstaff has experienced quite a few heavy snowfalls, which undoubtedly resulted in delays until the tracks could be cleared - usually by the railroad's own snowplows. However, the land isn't contoured in such a way as to invite avalanches, which are the major cause of extended blockages in the Sierras.
Raton pass (Colorado-New Mexico) also invites heavy snow, but the grades were the major reason for building the Belen Cutoff lower, flatter and farther south.
I took a quick look, but didn't find anything like the City of San Francisco incident, which tied up Donner Pass for a couple of weeks. As for the Navajo Reservation, it is mostly to the north of the BNSF and at higher elevation. It is also remote, and the road grid is no prize - I have driven through it, so I know whereof I type.
Chuck (former transcontinental four wheel flier)
There was the SP's City of San Francisco on Donner Pass in 1952. They had 222 people stuck on the snowbound train for days. Here's a newsreel link. You can Google the rest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-Yew1UQuQE
rjemery Was the old Santa Fe Transcon ever snowbound? I recall reading of snowstorms and bilizzards in Arizona and New Mexico, where on the Navajo Reservation, people (living in hovels), sheep and cattle starved and/or froze to death.
Did you perhaps mean "...living in hogans..."?.
Well, the forum software failed again, refusing to put this in as a link to an article on the traditional Navajo hogan:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogan
.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Yes, in late December 1967, there was a massive winter storm that covered the Northern part of AZ in heavy snow as far west as Kingman. SF borrowed rotary snowplows from SP to open the main line. Most of the time the snows in this region are not heavy enough other than to use the plows on the locos, and train traffic is so frequent (there are more trains running today than in 67') that the tracks stay clear of snow.
I remember that storm, although I can't recall exactly in what year it was. Several of the main highways and Interstates (only partially built) were blocked and closed, some up to three days. As I recall, there was also at least one storm repeat in January.
What I do recall most vividly was all the snow I had to shovel that winter. Homeowner snowblowers were not yet in vogue.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.