Located along the #2 track, carved into existence during the 'Harriman era' of upgrades to the old Central Pacific, tunnel 27 has the interesting distinction of having 3 portals with two at its east end. As the story goes back in the 1960s SP was lowering floors in the Donner tunnels with new higher clearance cars showing up on trains. Tunnel 27 had a concrete floor which required work crews to 'drill and blast'. Crews overdid the 'blasting' and when the smoke settled it was discovered that the tunnel walls near the east end were cracked and bulged inward. Work crews daylighted the damaged portion of the tunnel but left the original granite east portal standing, which still does to this day. With both east portals of tunnel 27 framing the scene UP 8149 roars up the western slope, bent on Donner Summit.
