Opened on November 30, 1867, after two years of blasting, Tunnel 8 at Donner Pass was used continuously for 130 years by the trains of the Central Pacific, and Southern Pacific. The Chinese worked hard to blast through the solid granite rock, to achieve a route for Westbound trains. The thought of cab forwards, Black Widow F units and SD45's leading manifest trains down the grade is astonishing, considering I was in a Chevrolet Trailblazer giving myself my "wrong-main running" tour. The road, now owned by Union Pacific, is used hundreds of times a day by folks, whether railfans, offroader types, or just hikers, it's quite an interesting trip.
