MK wrote:

> Is it possible that the UP does not want
> to invest on Donner Pass and is destined to become
> a Tennessee Pass ghost? Or a bike trail? <

NO ! The debate of FRC vs Donner is a debate that goes on with many fans in California. Seems most SP fans argue for Donner and WP fans for FRC. The main points are FRC is 150 miles longer, but has max grades of roughly 1%, and can handle doublestacks. Donner has 2.2% in some areas and currently can not handle double-stacks. However, it is mostly double-tracked, shorter, and even with deep snow at times, it has a better record of staying open in severe storms due to slides in FRC (of course, that was under SP management and before the double-stack problems made FRC essential). Given those notions, reality is neither is going anywhere in the near future. From a business perspective, UP has only so much capital to invest and at the moment, those dollars are best spent expanding capacity on the Sunset Route and in other areas. Keep in mind that much of the "info" you get about UP's long-term plans are driven by railfans with personal preference to one line over the other...