Donner Pass Train Tunnel

These photos were taken on a trip with Lew (our uncle) and Bill Levinson (a friend of his into movie/video production). There's lots to see here, so if you're not into trains or photography, you'll probably get bored :-) Because I don't have a color monitor right now, these images haven't been carefully processed for color correction, etc. A few of the photos aren't included here because they were taken for Bill. All photos copyright Peter Eptein 1999. Use by permission only.

Shot on Fuji Velvia and Kodak Gold 200 films.

Click on any picture to see a larger one.

Ok, we're up near Danner Pass at the old train tunnel, called Summit Tunnel or Tunnel 6. This tunnel used to carry steam trains over the pass. Now it sits idle. Here we are looking back through a snow shed, with the tunnel in the distance. These first shots were taken on Velvia film that was in the camera. Not the best film for the job!

A modern tunnel in front of the old tunnel carries a road over the now-abandoned line.

The sky reflected in standing water. The tunnel floor is fairly rough gravel, and is quite wet in places.

Looking through the tunnel from the end with the snow shed. You can just see the glow of sunlight from the other end. The snow shed was built much later, out of cement.

Another snow shed adjacent to the tunnel. This is the snow shed we're looking through in the first shot of the tunnel. It was originally a tunnel, but they removed the top at some point, only to discover that it needed to be covered to keep the tracks clear of snow.

The lower Chinese wall supported the rail bed as the tracks entered the next tunnel down the line: Tunnel 7. You can also see the upper wall. It's unclear why the upper wall was built. The walls were built with Chinese labor, as was much of the line.

Another shot of the Chinese walls.

This shot was taken standing on top of the snow shed looking back at the Summit Tunnel. You can see the snow shed at the entrance to the tunnel.

You can see my shadow as I shot this view from on top of the snow shed, looking down at Donner Lake. Utility lines cross Donner Pass right here.

Nuts and plates hold the snow shed together.

Looking down from on top of the snow shed, Danny is carrying gear to the truck. Bill rented a Ford Explorer four wheel drive for the trip, and we loaded it with gear, as you can see! I'll bet you're wondering what the ladders are for.

The roof of the snow shed is made of segments, each with 4 loops used to lift it into place.

The view of the upper Chinese wall and Tunner 7 from up top.

A closer look at the upper Chinese wall.

Supports for the snow shed on the end of the Summit Tunnel.

Danny is happy with the progress so far :-)

The sun is starting to get low in the sky. Here is Donner Pass. You can see the utility lines going over the pass. This is right next to the Summit Tunnel.

Beautiful evening light.

The gang! Taken with a timer on the shutter using the 35mm wide angle lens that happened to be on my camera at the time.

Another shot, in case the first one didn't work out. Which is better?

Sun sets on Donner Lake.

Another shot of the Summit Tunnel taken from the end with the snow shed.

I took a few shots of Lew for Bill. After that, I tried a neat photographic technique called painting with light. What you do is set up the camera on a tripod in the middle of the night. It's so dark that you can leave the shutter open for as long as you want without exposing the film. With the shutter open, you take a light source and walk around, lighting the scene while avoiding getting light on yourself. Ideally, you should wear black clothes. You're walking right in front of the camera, but if done right, not even a ghost image appears where you were. I used a small 2 AA battery flashlight, and combined with the slow Velvia film, the result was well under-exposed. Next time I'll use a brighter light and/or faster film! This is the last shot of the roll of Velvia. Most of the remaining photos are on Kodak Gold 200 print film.

As soon as I put new film in the camera, Bill and I took shots inside the Summit Tunnel using bright lights and flashes. Some of these turned out quite well. Then I took this shot looking out of the tunnel. You can see the new tunnel just outside.

Looking out the other end of the Summit Tunnel.

Looking in from the end. You can see the truck's headlights and other bright lights Bill is using inside the tunnel. This shot was taken with a 50mm lens.

As above, but with 35mm lens. Exposure is also better.

Small pine cone on a small pine tree growing right near the tracks.

Danny at the truck.

Lew resting. You can see some of the costume he's wearing. It really suited him well!

One of the many old utility poles to be found in the area.

A stunted tree growing in a crack in the rock near Donner Pass.

Utility line running from the pass over the rail line. Danny is resting on top of the snow shed, having carried a heavy tripod up there for Bill.

A closer look.

Red on green.

Red on green.

What was once a tree that had carved its way through this crack in the rock.

The rock nearby.

The rock nearby.

A closer look at the stump.

Bill is looking at a book of old photos taken when the railroad was built. These are small black and white images, but they're stereograms (2 images side-by-side taken from slightly different vantage points). With a little practice, you can merge the images into a single image with depth (3 dimensions). Bill is trying too recreate some of these, and has just discovered that one in particular was taken from way up high. Climbing up there with a big heavy old camera would have been hard enough, but he had to prepare the emulsion, exposed it, and develop it, all in a 5 minute window. Pretty amazing! You can see Danny in the background resting.

Danny relaxing out on the rocks.

Amber flowers. I didn't have my macro lens, so I made do with my 35mm lens.

Another shot of Danny.

Local rock texture.

A plaque explaining that this is the pass taken by early wagon trains as people first settled here in California. The pass was named Stephen's Pass. When the Donner party was largely wiped out and those who survived resorted to cannibalism to stay alive, the pass was apparently renamed, as it is reffered to as Donner Pass today.

A view of the back of the upper Chinese wall. You can also see the small tunnel for the train to go under the rail line.

A closer look at the back of the upper Chinese wall.

The upper Chinese wall, end on.

A square shaft extends down tothe middle of Summit Tunnel. Today it is capped by a heavy plate supported by rows of rail welded side by side. There is no way to see down the shaft, but you can see up from below if you've got a bright light. This shot and a bunch to follow are taken from up top. Around the plate covering the shaft is a strange substance which has a springy feel when stepped on. I don't know why it was put there or what it is. Very strange.

More.

More.

More.

And yet more!

The bark of a tree across the road from the top of the shaft.

This and the following pictures were taken from a little hill across the road from the top of the shaft. You can't see the top of the shaft, but it's around the middle of the frame.

As above.

Next I took 4 shots is a row of the same thing, shifting the camera sideways a bit between each. Here is one of these you can click on to see details. Below I've paired up some of these to make stereograms like those Bill was looking at in his book. To view these, take off your glasses if you're near-sighted, and put your eyes about a foot away from your monitor. Now stare through the screen, off into space. Let the two screens merge into one. Relax, and don't forget to blink once in a while. You'll start to see depth in the image. Concentrate on a distant part of the image, then slowly look around the image. Be patient. You'll eventually see a three dimensional image.

Stereogram24

Stereogram34

Climbing around a bit from the top of the shaft, you reach several spots with wonderful views. Here is Donner Lake from one such view.

Here you can see both the Summit Tunnel (Tunnel 6), and Tunnel 7, with the snow shed in between.

As above, but from a different perspective, with Donner Lake on the left.

Bill shooting from way up high. You can see Donner Lake far below.

Another shot of Bill in action.

And two more shots of the tunnels and the lake...

Lew and the tunnels. You can't actually see the Summit Tunnel, but we're sitting right on top of it!

Danny in about the same place as Lew is above, with Lew behind him. This last shot was the start of a fresh roll of Velvia.

Well, that's all the photos I took on the great tunnel expedition, but Danny has yet to scan and publish the photos he took.

back

	Ok, we're up near Danner Pass at the old train tunnel, called Summit Tunnel or Tunnel 6. This tunnel used to carry steam trains over the pass. Now it sits idle. Here we are looking back through a snow shed, with the tunnel in the distance. These first shots were taken on Velvia film that was in the camera. Not the best film for the job!
	A modern tunnel in front of the old tunnel carries a road over the now-abandoned line.
	The sky reflected in standing water. The tunnel floor is fairly rough gravel, and is quite wet in places.
	Looking through the tunnel from the end with the snow shed. You can just see the glow of sunlight from the other end. The snow shed was built much later, out of cement.
	Another snow shed adjacent to the tunnel. This is the snow shed we're looking through in the first shot of the tunnel. It was originally a tunnel, but they removed the top at some point, only to discover that it needed to be covered to keep the tracks clear of snow.
	The lower Chinese wall supported the rail bed as the tracks entered the next tunnel down the line: Tunnel 7. You can also see the upper wall. It's unclear why the upper wall was built. The walls were built with Chinese labor, as was much of the line.
	Another shot of the Chinese walls.
	This shot was taken standing on top of the snow shed looking back at the Summit Tunnel. You can see the snow shed at the entrance to the tunnel.
	You can see my shadow as I shot this view from on top of the snow shed, looking down at Donner Lake. Utility lines cross Donner Pass right here.
	Nuts and plates hold the snow shed together.
	Looking down from on top of the snow shed, Danny is carrying gear to the truck. Bill rented a Ford Explorer four wheel drive for the trip, and we loaded it with gear, as you can see! I'll bet you're wondering what the ladders are for.
	The roof of the snow shed is made of segments, each with 4 loops used to lift it into place.
	The view of the upper Chinese wall and Tunner 7 from up top.
	A closer look at the upper Chinese wall.
	Supports for the snow shed on the end of the Summit Tunnel.
	Danny is happy with the progress so far :-)
	The sun is starting to get low in the sky. Here is Donner Pass. You can see the utility lines going over the pass. This is right next to the Summit Tunnel.
	Beautiful evening light.
	The gang! Taken with a timer on the shutter using the 35mm wide angle lens that happened to be on my camera at the time.
	Another shot, in case the first one didn't work out. Which is better?
	Sun sets on Donner Lake.
	Another shot of the Summit Tunnel taken from the end with the snow shed.
	I took a few shots of Lew for Bill. After that, I tried a neat photographic technique called painting with light. What you do is set up the camera on a tripod in the middle of the night. It's so dark that you can leave the shutter open for as long as you want without exposing the film. With the shutter open, you take a light source and walk around, lighting the scene while avoiding getting light on yourself. Ideally, you should wear black clothes. You're walking right in front of the camera, but if done right, not even a ghost image appears where you were. I used a small 2 AA battery flashlight, and combined with the slow Velvia film, the result was well under-exposed. Next time I'll use a brighter light and/or faster film! This is the last shot of the roll of Velvia. Most of the remaining photos are on Kodak Gold 200 print film.
	As soon as I put new film in the camera, Bill and I took shots inside the Summit Tunnel using bright lights and flashes. Some of these turned out quite well. Then I took this shot looking out of the tunnel. You can see the new tunnel just outside.
	Looking out the other end of the Summit Tunnel.
	Looking in from the end. You can see the truck's headlights and other bright lights Bill is using inside the tunnel. This shot was taken with a 50mm lens.
	As above, but with 35mm lens. Exposure is also better.
	Small pine cone on a small pine tree growing right near the tracks.
	Danny at the truck.
	Lew resting. You can see some of the costume he's wearing. It really suited him well!
	One of the many old utility poles to be found in the area.
	A stunted tree growing in a crack in the rock near Donner Pass.
	Utility line running from the pass over the rail line. Danny is resting on top of the snow shed, having carried a heavy tripod up there for Bill.
	A closer look.
	Red on green.
	Red on green.
	What was once a tree that had carved its way through this crack in the rock.
	The rock nearby.
	The rock nearby.
	A closer look at the stump.
	Bill is looking at a book of old photos taken when the railroad was built. These are small black and white images, but they're stereograms (2 images side-by-side taken from slightly different vantage points). With a little practice, you can merge the images into a single image with depth (3 dimensions). Bill is trying too recreate some of these, and has just discovered that one in particular was taken from way up high. Climbing up there with a big heavy old camera would have been hard enough, but he had to prepare the emulsion, exposed it, and develop it, all in a 5 minute window. Pretty amazing! You can see Danny in the background resting.
	Danny relaxing out on the rocks.
	Amber flowers. I didn't have my macro lens, so I made do with my 35mm lens.
	Another shot of Danny.
	Local rock texture.
	A plaque explaining that this is the pass taken by early wagon trains as people first settled here in California. The pass was named Stephen's Pass. When the Donner party was largely wiped out and those who survived resorted to cannibalism to stay alive, the pass was apparently renamed, as it is reffered to as Donner Pass today.
	A view of the back of the upper Chinese wall. You can also see the small tunnel for the train to go under the rail line.
	A closer look at the back of the upper Chinese wall.
	The upper Chinese wall, end on.
	A square shaft extends down tothe middle of Summit Tunnel. Today it is capped by a heavy plate supported by rows of rail welded side by side. There is no way to see down the shaft, but you can see up from below if you've got a bright light. This shot and a bunch to follow are taken from up top. Around the plate covering the shaft is a strange substance which has a springy feel when stepped on. I don't know why it was put there or what it is. Very strange.
	More.
	More.
	More.
	And yet more!
	The bark of a tree across the road from the top of the shaft.
	This and the following pictures were taken from a little hill across the road from the top of the shaft. You can't see the top of the shaft, but it's around the middle of the frame.
	As above.
	Next I took 4 shots is a row of the same thing, shifting the camera sideways a bit between each. Here is one of these you can click on to see details. Below I've paired up some of these to make stereograms like those Bill was looking at in his book. To view these, take off your glasses if you're near-sighted, and put your eyes about a foot away from your monitor. Now stare through the screen, off into space. Let the two screens merge into one. Relax, and don't forget to blink once in a while. You'll start to see depth in the image. Concentrate on a distant part of the image, then slowly look around the image. Be patient. You'll eventually see a three dimensional image.
Stereogram24
Stereogram34
	Climbing around a bit from the top of the shaft, you reach several spots with wonderful views. Here is Donner Lake from one such view.
	Here you can see both the Summit Tunnel (Tunnel 6), and Tunnel 7, with the snow shed in between.
	As above, but from a different perspective, with Donner Lake on the left.
	Bill shooting from way up high. You can see Donner Lake far below.
	Another shot of Bill in action.
	And two more shots of the tunnels and the lake...

	Lew and the tunnels. You can't actually see the Summit Tunnel, but we're sitting right on top of it!
	Danny in about the same place as Lew is above, with Lew behind him. This last shot was the start of a fresh roll of Velvia. Well, that's all the photos I took on the great tunnel expedition, but Danny has yet to scan and publish the photos he took.