I was just at Donner Pass for the first time since my childhood. I was well aware that one track had been removed, but the signifance of how dramatic the abandonment was didn't hit me until I saw Tunnel 6 and the line near the Chinese Wall and snowsheds completely abandoned.

One question comes to mind. Given this quote below, how likely is it that UP will actually restore Track 1 through Tunnel 6 and its original alignment? A local historian at Soda Springs told me that UP is considering it and it implies that below also.

Might it really be restored?

"In conjunction with major ongoing upgrades and expansions being made to the Port of Oakland in order to better accommodate the rapidly growing North American trade with Asia and the Pacific, the cooperation of the UPRR, the Port's principal rail partner, has been sought to "construct a second track and raise tunnel clearances over Donner Pass for container trains linking California with the rest of the country."[11] This would likely require either a new parallel tunnel next to Tunnel #41 or the replacement of the summit section of Track #1 between the Norden complex and Shed #47[u][/u]"