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- Bloomer Cut in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, 1870 - Near Auburn, California, some 35 miles east of Sacramento, the Central Pacific Railroad faced its first major obstacle in the form of a rocky ridge. With picks, shovels, and black powder, construction crews made a cut 800 feet long and up to 63 feet deep through the ridge. Work started in February 1864, and the first train rolled through Bloomer Cut in May 1865.
- 1870
- Collections - Artifact
Bloomer Cut in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, 1870
Near Auburn, California, some 35 miles east of Sacramento, the Central Pacific Railroad faced its first major obstacle in the form of a rocky ridge. With picks, shovels, and black powder, construction crews made a cut 800 feet long and up to 63 feet deep through the ridge. Work started in February 1864, and the first train rolled through Bloomer Cut in May 1865.
- Interior View of Snow Sheds in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, 1870 - The Central Pacific Railroad crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains through Donner Pass, some 7,000 feet above sea level. Winter snows -- up to 40 feet in a season -- were a menace, first to the railroad's construction and then to its operation. CP dealt with the problem by building some 40 miles of sheds to protect its track from snowfalls and snowslides.
- 1870
- Collections - Artifact
Interior View of Snow Sheds in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, 1870
The Central Pacific Railroad crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains through Donner Pass, some 7,000 feet above sea level. Winter snows -- up to 40 feet in a season -- were a menace, first to the railroad's construction and then to its operation. CP dealt with the problem by building some 40 miles of sheds to protect its track from snowfalls and snowslides.