Actually as far as I have heard, the BNSF would like to eliminate the snowsheds all together. This cost them millions of $$$ in maintenance. They would rather take their chances with the 100-year "event" odds. Since the trees have grown up in most places from when the sheds were built, there is not as many snow slides as there used to be. There are still a couple of steep snow chutes, but they want Glacier National Park to let them use artillery cannon shots [as in other places] to cause a "controlled" avalanche and then they can clean them up with dozers. It's probably not a bad idea as it works in other places. Of course the NIMBY's and their sort don't want it and it's probably not such a good idea to have explosions in a National Park. Plus...the railfan's would lose one of the few wooden snowshed photo ops left.

Anyway...no decision has been bad - yet. My guess is that BNSF will have wooden snowsheds in the Rockies for a good long time to come.

Talk to ya later,
Dale Jones
www.railroads-of-montana.com