The Snow Sheds: 37 Miles of Wooden Tunnels Built to Stop Trains Being Buried in the Sierra

The Central Pacific Railroad faced a massive operational crisis when its newly completed transcontinental route across the Sierra Nevada was buried under thirty feet of snow every winter. To prevent the snow and avalanches from sweeping locomotives off the tracks, the railroad constructed thirty-seven miles of heavy wooden snow sheds at an elevation of 7,000 feet. The construction and maintenance of these massive structures involved several key facts: Materials and Scale: Built between 1867 and 1870, the project consumed 65 million board feet of 12-by-14-inch timber and 900 tons of iron hardware. Workforce: The tunnels and sheds were primarily built by thousands of Chinese laborers working in brutal conditions, who were paid thirty dollars a month—less than white workers. The Fire Hazard: Because the thirty-seven-mile wooden structure was soaked in creosote and exposed to dry mountain air, a single locomotive spark could easily ignite a catastrophic fire. Human Cost: While the railroad meticulously tracked its timber and iron, the exact number of Chinese workers who died from avalanches, collapses, and exposure remains uncounted, with estimates ranging from 200 to 1,200. #IndustrialHistory #RailroadHistory #CentralPacific #SierraNevada #DonnerPass #ChineseLaborers #TranscontinentalRailroad #SnowSheds