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71-479: By the 1970s, it was evident that the Connaught Tunnel alone could not meet the increasing traffic demands. The major growth opportunities were primarily in the bulk commodities of coal, sulphur, and potash. In 1980, the estimated construction cost of $ 300 million was almost 20% of CP's gross income for 1979. Furthermore, westbound grain transportation had been an ongoing liability for the railways. Consequently, CP

142-535: A 270-metre-long (880 ft) reinforced concrete box in a cut-and-cover trench. This structure carries both the highway and protects the portal from avalanches. In 1985, the words "Mount Macdonald Tunnel 1988" were stamped into the concrete cladding above the portal. The eastern work camp was near the Mount Shaughnessy Tunnel, and the western one at Flat Creek. A third camp for summer surface workers existed near Rogers. Breaking through on October 24, 1986,

213-527: A locomotive boiler explosion killed three crew members near Glacier. In 1929, two train crew died when their locomotive fell into the ravine when a girder collapsed on the Surprise Creek Bridge. The 1931 flood sent 2,000 replacement ties through the tunnel and filled the west portal cutting to a 20-foot (6.1 m) depth with 10,000 to 12,000 cubic yards (7,600 to 9,200 m ) of mud and debris, which took five days to dig out. Approved in 1958,

284-577: A pair of 70-ton deck plate girders, offloaded near the east portal of the Connaught Tunnel, and hauled up to the highway and down to the site; Cana Construction built. ^j . A railway point. ^k . A railway point. CP built a substation in Revelstoke and from it constructed a 35 kV operating distribution line along the railway right-of-way; originally built using both 69 kV insulators and construction standards. On August 27, 1984,

355-940: A parent company, Banister Construction. In 1969, Banister Construction was acquired by Continental Computer Associates, which changed its name to the Banister Continental Corp. To finance the purchase of Foundation, Banister sold 15 per cent of its own shares to Skanska, and acquired the 52 per cent stake in Foundation. After the sale, Banister operated Foundation as a wholly-owned subsidiary. In May 1990, Banister Continental changed its name to Banister Inc., in June 1994 changed its name to Banister Foundation, and in May 1997 changed its name to BFC Construction. In November 1999, Armbro Enterprises Inc. of Brampton, Ontario, made an all-cash offer to purchase BFC at $ 12.25 per share. Around $ 89 million of

426-629: A parent company, the Canadian Foundation Company Limited, was formed to hold the Foundation Company of Canada and its subsidiaries. Foundation was one of Canada's largest construction firms and was responsible for many of the country's most famous structures built in the 20th century, including the CN Tower and Place Ville Marie . In 1987, the Foundation Company was acquired by Banister Continental Inc. of Edmonton, which became

497-462: A pioneer tunnel advanced from each end, from which cross cuts were made to the main tunnel so work could carry on at a number of headings simultaneously. Compressed air equipment, blasting, steam shovels, and narrow-gauge cars were used. At 23 feet (7.0 m) high and 29 feet (8.8 m) wide, the tunnel would accommodate double tracks . The western side involved penetrating thick mud, extremely hard rock, and finally softer rock. The highest point of

568-531: A route beneath the headwaters of the Illecillewaet River , vulnerable to leakage. The deadline and route fears proved suspect. F.F. Busteed, general superintendent of the Pacific Division, proposed a 5.17-mile (8.32 km) tunnel, which would have shortened the line by 3 miles (4.8 km), reducing the pusher gradient by 10.8 miles (17.4 km) on the east slope and 6.2 miles (10.0 km) on

639-621: A single new company, which brought an end to the Foundation name. In June 2001, Armbro was renamed Aecon Group Inc . In the spring of 1902, Edwin Seton Jarrett (1862–1938), Daniel Edward Moran (1864–1937), and Franklin Remington (1865–1955) formed the Foundation Company, incorporated in New York. Jarrett was a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1889), Moran of Columbia University (1884), and Remington of Harvard University (1887). Soon,

710-516: A snow shed. The crew sustained minor injuries. The line remained closed for a week. In 1985, a nearby rock slide derailed one of the four locomotives hauling a coal train. The tunnel was deepened to clearances matched with the Mount Macdonald Tunnel in 1993 to accommodate double-stack container cars with future electrification. This first 24/7 work project undertaken by CP was a significant engineering challenge. In 1997, eight cars of

781-407: A train derailed in the vicinity. In 2015, six cars of a westbound freight derailed on Stoney Creek Bridge. The train had diverted to the eastbound route because the Mount Macdonald Tunnel was being vented. The incident occurred when the train lost momentum on the steeper grade and stopped with the cars on the bridge. However, restarting on the curve caused the heavier cars at the front and rear of

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852-567: A train. Although monitored at the Revelstoke control centre, the ventilation system is computer controlled, and adjusts to the type and size of train. Standing at the top of the shaft, near the Rogers Pass highway summit, the ventilation building houses four fans, a standby 2.8-megawatt (3,800 hp) diesel generator, and two elevators. Used by maintenance staff, each open cage takes 11 + 1 ⁄ 2 minutes to slowly descend an open elevator shaft to tunnel level. A straight tunnel would have made

923-422: Is in line with a different calculation of $ 8.45M. In all, the route was shortened by 4.3 miles (6.9 km). In 1919, 30 drums of gasoline and kerosene, used by the concrete mixers engaged in the lining operation, ignited. A tunnel watchman, who rushed some distance to the nearest telephone to alert Connaught station at the eastern portal, did not survive. His warning saved the westbound transcontinental, then at

994-493: Is the longer of the two is disputed. 2005: While clearing ice in the tunnel, an employee died when struck by a falling 225-kilogram (496 lb) chunk. 2019: An avalanche descending upon a stopped train at Wakely derailed seven container -carrying flatcars . Connaught Tunnel The Connaught Tunnel is in southeastern British Columbia , on the Revelstoke – Donald segment. The 5.022-mile (8.082 km) tunnel carries

1065-444: Is to prevent locomotives overheating and remove air pollutants. The opening and closing of the gates at the portals and mid-point assists the extraction process. The mid-tunnel gate structure stands inside a 25-metre-long (82 ft), 27-metre-high (88 ft), and 16-metre-wide (52 ft) cavern. In a power failure, counterweights return all gates to the up position. Each gate has a central wooden panel designed to break if struck by

1136-653: The Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) main line under Mount Macdonald in the Selkirk Mountains . The tunnel, opened by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) in 1916, replaced the previous routing over Rogers Pass . Traffic restrictions imposed by a single track comprising 46 miles (74 km) of 2.2 percent gradients, emerging competition, and snow-related costs, were negative factors. The 1910 Rogers Pass avalanche , and other avalanches on

1207-693: The Crowsnest Pass , because too wide for the Spiral Tunnels , and unloaded at the south end of the new Stoney Creek bridge; supported on 44 custom-designed piers and two abutments; pier heights range from 4.6 metres (15 ft) to 21 metres (70 ft); cut and fill not adopted because it would undermine Connaught Track above, and encroach on highway below; spans installed from early 1987 to that July; walkway on north side; named after John Fox . ^h . Length 1.83 kilometres (1.14 mi). ^i . Length 48 metres (156 ft); single span; comprises

1278-508: The Illecillewaet River for about 1 mile (1.6 km). Let out to tender in April 1913, the bids received were unacceptably high. It was immediately retendered as a cost-plus contract , with bonus and penalty clauses . After negotiations with the lowest bidder, the contract was awarded to Foley, Welch and Stewart (FW&S) in July 1913. The Rogers Pass article shows the summit route details. Only

1349-547: The Panama Canal , which bypassed all North American rail routes, offered some compensation in that grain traffic destined for Europe could travel westward by rail. In 1902, the 7-mile (11 km) Ottertail Diversion, west from Field , eliminated the need for pushers. In 1887, after a 500-foot (150 m) tunnel collapsed near Palliser , the temporary realignment around a bluff of the Kicking Horse River existed until

1420-564: The $ 101.5 million used to make the offer came in the form of a loan from Hochtief , which was convertible into equity. Legally, Armbro had been incorporated on 14 January 1957 in Montreal as the Prefac Concrete Company Limited. Its founder was Etienne Beck, whose son John M. Beck later became head of the company. In 1988, Prefac acquired Armbro Construction, and changed its own name to Armbro Enterprises. Shortly after Armbro mailed

1491-511: The 1920s. To improve visibility on the 1929 introduction of the Selkirk locomotives , trains switched to the left-hand track before entering the tunnel. In 1950, multiple aspect signalling was installed. In 1954, diesel locomotives became standard. Pusher units cut into westbound freight trains at Beavermouth, before disconnecting at Stoney Creek. On occasions, when pushers worked through to Glacier, crew were required to wear respirators, owing to

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1562-679: The 694-foot (212 m) Palliser Tunnel (1906). In 1909, the Spiral Tunnels replaced the Big Hill . The three basic options within the Selkirks were to use the Big Bend, double-track the summit, or dig a tunnel. The Big Bend route was not a viable contender. Estimates indicated that a tunnel would be cheaper than snow sheds and operational costs for double-tracking the summit. Three schemes were considered. In 1912, Thomas Kilpatrick, superintendent of

1633-494: The FCC and its subsidiaries and became the parent of the Foundation group of companies. In February 1964, at the request of the federal government, the company released president Shaw to take on the role of deputy commissioner-general of Expo 67 . His replacement was Robert D. Armstrong. In 1968, A. Janin & Company of Montreal began acquiring shares of the company, and by the mid-1970s held 96 per cent of Foundation's common shares. At

1704-530: The Foundation Company became America's foremost builder of foundations. Among the buildings in New York City for which the Foundation Company built foundations were the Trinity Building , Woolworth Building , Whitehall Building , Singer Building , Bankers' Trust Building , and Municipal Building . The company worked also on bridges, dams, mines, and power plants throughout the country. In 1910, Moran left

1775-454: The Foundation Company was founded in 1902. In 1909, Foundation was invited by the Canadian Pacific Railway to build caissons as part of the construction on Windsor Station in Montreal. Foundation operated in Canada from 1910 until 1924. That year, R. E. Chadwick and a group of investors bought out the company's Canadian operations and incorporated the Foundation Company of Canada Limited. In 1963,

1846-496: The Montreal district, and for a time, acting chief engineer for the parent company in New York. In 1924, Chadwick persuaded the directors of the Foundation Company to form a Canadian subsidiary. Chadwick worked with Montreal financier Victor Montague Drury (1884–1962), the son of Charles William Drury and brother-in-law of Lord Beaverbrook , to raise the capital. On 22 September 1924, the Foundation Company of Canada Limited received its articles of incorporation. The first president

1917-404: The Mount Shaughnessy Tunnel. Because of the tunnel's length and lack of electrification, it uses a ventilation system consisting of a series of huge fans which clear the tunnel of diesel exhaust left behind by the locomotives. The tunnel also has large doors at the portals and the mid-point which can open and close whenever the tunnel needs to be cleared out. The purpose of the ventilation system

1988-469: The Mountain Subdivision, suggested a 7-mile (11 km) tunnel, which would have shortened the line by 4.4 miles (7.1 km), reducing the pusher gradient by 13.8 miles (22.2 km) on the east slope and 6.9 miles (11.1 km) on the west one. This alignment would have eliminated the bridges at Mountain, Surprise, and Stoney creeks, but was rejected owing to perceived construction deadlines, and

2059-583: The PaCT slab, can be repaired with epoxy resin in minor cases. Injecting the resin restores structural integrity. Slab removal and replacement is needed in serious cases. From 1993 to 2020, a total of 115 metres (378 ft) of PaCT were replaced in the two tunnels. The hardware for power, communications, and signalling is obsolete. The slow ventilation systems can take 45 minutes to purge the air after each train. In 2019, consultants were advising on possible improvements, but it will probably take 5 to 10 years to modernize

2130-527: The Selkirk Construction joint venture (comprising S.A. Healey, Foundation Company of Canada , and Atlas Construction) began blasting from the east portal. By mid-October, sufficient room existed to install their 6.7-metre-diameter (22 ft), 18-metre-long (60 ft) tunnel-boring machine (TBM). In December 1985, the tunnel passed 110 metres (360 ft) below the Connaught one, almost directly beneath

2201-497: The Selkirks track was just inside the western portal. Three steam shovels were based on the west side and one on the east. Death and injury were not uncommon. Mirroring the advance across the pass in the 1880s, concern for the health and safety of workers was not a priority. Beating world monthly tunneling records, the pioneer headings met in December 1915, and the main bores in July 1916. The unacceptably high cost projection scrapped

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2272-607: The University of Toronto with a degree in mechanical engineering. From 1907 to 1909 he worked on staff at the university, and from 1909 to 1911 he worked for the city engineer in Toronto as engineer in charge of bridges and docks. On 1 January 1911, Chadwick joined the Foundation Company in Montreal as superintendent for the Montreal district. He would go on to serve as superintendent for the Winnipeg district, manager and acting chief engineer for

2343-418: The annual meeting in 1968, the company appointed Henri-François Gautrin president. Janin began selling its shares in 1978, and concluded the sale in early 1980. Half the shares were purchased by the public, while half were acquired by Skanska , a Swedish construction company. Following the sale by Janin, Andrew Gilmour McCaughey (1922–2014) replaced Gautrin temporarily as chairman during the transition period. At

2414-422: The approaching tunnels joined. Cementation Canada sank the 8.5-metre-diameter (28 ft), 350-metre-deep (1,150 ft) ventilation shaft. MK drilled and blasted the gate chamber below, and air tunnels to, this shaft. After concrete lining, the tunnel height is 7.9 metres (25 ft 10 in), and the width is 5.2 metres (17 ft) on the straights, and 5.5 metres (18 ft) on the curves. In September 1988,

2485-455: The board. Only five members of the 1961 board were reelected, while nine resigned. The resignations counted much of the company's old guard, including Chadwick, Drury, and Rutley. Robert Fletcher Shaw was appointed president, while Samuel Fingold (1911–1970), chairman and president of Slater, was elected chairman of the board. On 19 April 1963, the company incorporated the Canadian Foundation Company Limited. The new company acquired all shares of

2556-401: The bridges at Mountain, Surprise, and Stoney creeks. The tunnel was completed 11 months ahead of schedule and below budget. One calculation of costs listed tunneling $ 4.91M, tunnel track $ 0.16M, approaches $ 0.86M, and ventilation $ 0.11M, totaling $ 6.04M, less the salvage value of the abandoned line $ 1.67M. Extending the concrete lining during 1919–1925 added a further $ 2.60M. The $ 8.64M total

2627-599: The company to found his own firm. In late 1909, the Canadian Pacific Railway hired the Foundation Company to build caissons as part of the construction of Windsor Station in Montreal. Foundation formed a new subsidiary, the Foundation Company Limited, to carry out its Canadian work. The company went on to win the contracts for pier work on the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1906, Richard Ellard Carden Chadwick (1885–1966) graduated from

2698-405: The country's largest publicly traded construction company. Banister Continental – which changed its name to Banister Inc. in 1990, Banister Foundation Inc. in 1994, and BFC Construction in 1997 – continued to operate the Foundation Company as a subsidiary through 1999. In December 1999, BFC Construction was acquired by Armbro Enterprises Inc. On 1 January 2001, Armbro amalgamed Foundation and BFC into

2769-606: The crest and eastern slope of the tunnel route is underground. The primary construction camp was near the western portal, a secondary one was near the eastern portal, and a minor one was at Bear Creek. The western portal one, housing 300, was approached either from Loop Spur or the government road from Glacier House . The eastern portal one, housing 200, had only rail access. Both comprised a police post, small hospital, general store, offices, apartments, bunkhouses, kitchen, dining hall, and lounge, with electric lighting and plumbing for water and sanitation. Operating three shifts daily,

2840-408: The curves at Illecillewaet. On hearing the radio message, a 60-car eastbound freight accelerated to safely reach Illecillewaet siding (Mile 98.1), before three crew members stepped clear of their train. The runaway's three lead locomotives, 45 cars, a remote control locomotive , and the following 22 cars, were destroyed on derailing at Mile 94.4. The impact shifted a bridge from its footings and damaged

2911-423: The electrification plan. Instead, ventilation fans were installed. East of the tunnel, the plan for double-tracking to Six-Mile Creek was amended to a level 2.8-mile (4.5 km) single track connecting with the existing line at Stoney Creek. This reduced the pusher gradient on the east slope by 7.2 miles (11.6 km), 2.4 miles (3.9 km) less than specified. However, it retained the substantial investment in

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2982-457: The final track concrete was poured. The paved concrete track (PaCT) rests on a 2.4-metre-wide (7 ft 10.5 in), 230-millimetre-thick (9 in) reinforced concrete slab. The height clearance can accommodate any future electrification. A fleet of 50 dump cars were built exclusively for the project. About 5,000 tons of material were removed daily from the western side. Parks Canada allowed some dumping about 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) from

3053-475: The following year a single track down the center (replacing the double tracks) provided sufficient clearance for tri-deck automobile carriers . In 1972 and 1976, the tunnel fans and housing sustained extensive damage on catching fire. In 1977, soon after departing the Glacier siding (Mile 85.9), a westbound loaded 109-car coal train lost control, and broadcast a warning that they were travelling too fast to make

3124-631: The latter. The opening of the Grand Trunk Pacific (GTP) posed a threat to CP's grain and Asian trade. Using a single locomotive, GTP could haul 2,041 tons from Edmonton to Prince Rupert , via Yellowhead Pass , four times the weight CP could haul across the mountains on its main line. The opening of the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) via the Yellowhead to Vancouver , the premier destination, prompted greater alarm. The opening of

3195-489: The mountain peak. On completion, Selkirk Construction had advanced 8.45 kilometres (5.25 mi) westward. On October 5, 1984, the Manning-Kumagai (MK) joint venture (comprising Manning Construction and Kumagai Gumi) began from the west portal. Using the drilling and blasting method, 30 men, rostered in 3 shifts, completed 5.8 kilometres (3.6 mi) eastward. Meanwhile, the highway was temporarily relocated to construct

3266-489: The mountainside along this section to accommodate the new lower track. ^d . Length: 96-metre (315 ft); 2 × 250-ton spans. Height: about 44 metres (145 ft) below Mountain Creek bridge on Connaught Track. Cana Construction completed in fall 1985. ^e . A 2,700-metre (8,800 ft) siding; named after Mike Wakely, a former chief construction engineer, who oversaw the years of preparatory work, but retired before

3337-437: The need for pushers. To enable the reintroduction of double tracks , three schemes required a 1.8-metre (6 ft) lowering of the Connaught Tunnel floor, complemented by a new approach to serve the east portal: However, lowering the floor would be extremely difficult while maintaining traffic flow. Three schemes offered a straight new tunnel at a lower elevation: Mike Wakely, Regional Engineer, Special Projects, suggested

3408-452: The offer, the BFC board voted to reject it. In December, the offer was revised to include a ¢75 dividend, bringing the price to $ 13.00 per share. The BFC board voted to recommend approval of the deal. By late December, Armbro had acquired 95 per cent of BFC shares, and on 13 January 2000, the BFC stock was delisted. On 1 January 2001, Armbro merged BFC Construction and the Foundation Company, which

3479-467: The pass, influenced but did not unduly pressure CP to consider alternatives; however, snow clearing and maintaining snow sheds was an ongoing burden. Rarely assigning more than one pusher locomotive per train, trains over 1,016 tons had to be cut. Higher capacity locomotives had helped, but the next leap forward would not occur until the Selkirk locomotives emerged in 1929. In 1912, the average of eight trains (peaking at 11) per day in each direction

3550-416: The portal, creating a bed for track twinning. The remainder was dumped outside the park boundary at various proposed double-tracking sites between Golden and Revelstoke. The 500 cubic metres (660 cu yd) of rubble produced daily at the eastern end was dumped into a large depression to create the grade. Minus the 48-metre (156 ft) bridge, this fill covered the 1,337-metre (4,386 ft) distance to

3621-435: The presidency and became the first chairman of the board. The new president was Frederick George Rutley (1890–1981), who held the post until 1958. That year, Rutley succeeded Chadwick as chairman, remaining in office until 1962. In March 1962, Slater Steel Industries Limited of Hamilton acquired around 500,000 of Foundation's 1,188,816 shares. At Foundation's annual meeting on 26 April 1962, eight Slater nominees were elected to

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3692-557: The remaining Canadian assets of the Foundation Company, making the Foundation Company of Canada a wholly independent company. That year, Chadwick assumed the presidency. Under Chadwick's leadership, Foundation formed several subsidiary companies. These included the Construction Equipment Company Limited (1922), Foundation Maritime Limited (1930), Foundation of Canada Engineering Corporation Limited (1953), and Geocon Limited (1954). In 1952, Chadwick stepped down from

3763-693: The selected option, which provided a 1.0% grade from Rogers, and a west portal 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) west of Glacier station. The budget, including approaches, was $ 600 million. In 1975, preparatory work began in earnest. The 34.8-kilometre (21.6 mi) route of surface track and tunnels, within a 30-metre (100 ft) wide right-of-way, uses continuous welded rail. ^a . Connaught Track and Macdonald Track diverge; named for former Pacific Region V.P.; previously called Rogers. ^b . Length: 40-metre (130 ft); two span; double track; Cana Construction completed in July 1984. ^c . Connaught Track had to be moved 9.1 metres (30 ft) into

3834-467: The shaft location clearly visible from the summit monument. To hide the complex, a slight kink was made in the tunnel alignment. On November 9, 1988, the first official train travelled the Macdonald Track westward. About 535 metres (1,755 ft) west of the west portal, R.S Allison, CP president, connected the last track clip. On December 12, 1988, the first revenue train, hauling coal, passed through

3905-404: The station, from proceeding into the tunnel. Nine workers escaped on a handcar from the east portal, and one watchman staggered from the west portal. To deal with crumbling rock in the roof, the concrete tunnel lining was extended from 7,837 feet (2,389 m) to 26,512 feet (8,081 m). Prior to the 1925 completion of the project, falling rock killed or injured several workers. In 1928,

3976-569: The time, McCaughey was chief financial officer of Molson . In 1981, Paul Gábor Opler (1923–1988) became chairman, while Rolf Kindbom was appointed president. Opler remained in the chair until 1984, when McCaughey replaced him. Kindbom, a Swede, had worked for Skanska since 1961. In the spring of 1987, Banister Continental of Edmonton reached an agreement to acquire the Foundation Company. Banister had been founded in Edmonton in 1948 by Ronald Kitchener Banister (1917–1993) as Banister Pipelines, along with

4047-461: The time, this was the largest single judgement obtained in a BC court. W.J. Hackman (1928–1953) was the first child born in the tunnel. The birth occurred on the westbound CP No. 2. Passenger train. The next birth appears to have occurred in 1939. Foundation Company of Canada The Foundation Company of Canada Limited was a Canadian construction company that operated from 1924 to 1999. The company's origins lay in New York City, where

4118-676: The title from the Cascade Tunnel (1929) 12.6 km (7.8 mi) as the longest railway tunnel in the North America. The project was the largest CP expansion of capacity since the building of the transcontinental in the early 1880s. In 2016, the tunnel was inducted into the North America Railway Hall of Fame. Tunnel 4 of the Cuajone –El Sargento line in Peru is of similar length, and which

4189-450: The track summit from 4,342 feet (1,323 m) to 3,794 feet (1,156 m), shorten the line by 4.4 miles (7.1 km), reduce the pusher gradient by 9.6 miles (15.4 km) on the east slope and 5.9 miles (9.5 km) on the west one, and eliminate the Stoney, Surprise, and Mountain creek bridges. The tunnel grade would be 0.95% westward. At the west portal, the route required a diversion of

4260-452: The train to lift the lighter middle cars from the track. The first commercial train was December 1916, which traveled via Loop Spur, since the pass line remained in use until a few days later. The most northern part of the Loops between the two hillsides, which had been a long trestle, but likely infilled around 1906, needed to be breached by the new line. Automatic block signalling came in

4331-616: The tunnel fumes. The tunnel blocked radio communication. The 1974 realignment west of Beavermouth moved the connection point to Rogers. After the 1988 opening of the Mount Macdonald Tunnel, westbound traffic primarily used that lower gradient route, with Connaught handling eastbound. During the pusher station's existence, six engineers, six maintenance workers, and nine locomotives were based at Rogers. Five-engine units were used on heavy trains carrying grain, coal, and potash. Four-engine units were used on other freights. When opened,

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4402-652: The tunnel ranked eighth in length: However, it took the title from the Hoosac Tunnel (1875) 7.64 km (4.75 mi) as the longest railway tunnel in North America until displaced by the Moffat Tunnel (1928) 10.0 km (6.2 mi) in 1928. Officially opened in July 1916 by the Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught , the governor general, the Selkirk Tunnel was renamed the Connaught Tunnel weeks later. In 2001,

4473-558: The tunnel was inducted into the North America Railway Hall of Fame. When partway through the project, rock drillers J. A. McIlwee and Sons encountered an unexpected predominance of crumbly slate, FW&S dismissed the subcontractor, rather than negotiate a contract variance. After several appeals, including a hearing of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council , the courts awarded McIlwee about $ 576,000 for breach of contract. At

4544-437: The tunnel, and saved an hour on the journey. The official opening of the $ 422 million tunnel was in May 1989. The crest at the west portal is 90 metres (295 ft) lower than the Connaught crest. The 0.7% gradient westward eliminated the need for pusher locomotives. Nowadays, locomotives can climb the grade at 32 kilometres per hour (20 mph). Loaded coal trains travel at 14 to 21 kilometres per hour (9 to 13 mph) through

4615-892: The tunnel. Twelfth longest railway tunnel when opened: Seikan Tunnel (1988) (Japan) 53.85 km (33.46 mi) Daishimizu Tunnel (1982) (Japan) 22.20 km (13.79 mi) Simplon Tunnel (1906) (Switzerland) 19.80 km (12.30 mi) Shin Kanmon Tunnel (1975) (Japan) 18.71 km (11.63 mi) Apennine Base Tunnel (1934) (Italy) 18.51 km (11.50 mi) Rokkō Tunnel (1972) 16.25 km (10.10 mi) Furka Base Tunnel (1982) (Switzerland) 15.44 km (9.59 mi) Haruna (1982) 15.35 km (9.54 mi) Monte Santomarco Tunnel (1987) (Italy) 15.04 km (9.35 mi) Gotthard Tunnel (1882) (Switzerland) 15.00 km (9.32 mi) Nakayama (1982) 14.86 km (9.23 mi) Mount Macdonald Tunnel (1988) 14.66 km (9.11 mi) However, it took

4686-424: The tunnel. To ensure frequency vibrations do not cause damage to the track structure, the speed limit for all traffic is 48 kilometres per hour (30 mph). CP repairs 15 to 61 metres (50 to 200 ft) of PaCT each year. Drain holes cored down to a longitudinal collector drain under the tunnel reduce failures from excessive surface water. Slab cracking, owing to insufficient lateral and longitudinal reinforcing in

4757-482: The west one. John G. Sullivan, chief engineer, recommended a 5.3-mile (8.5 km) tunnel, similar to, but more expensive than, the Busteed one. All proposals eliminated the Loops on the west slope of the pass route . The stated advantages were three-fold. Primarily, the tunnel lowered the grade; secondly, it shortened the distance; and thirdly, it bypassed an avalanche-prone zone. The specified alignment would lower

4828-442: The work was properly underway, and died soon after, never to see the completed project. ^f . Length: 210 metres (700 ft); seven spans. Height: about 150 metres (500 ft) below Stoney Creek bridge on Connaught Track. ^g . Length: 1,229 metres (4,032 ft); Pitts Engineering Construction began work in 1985; 45 × 27.18-metre (89 ft 2 in) steel spans, each weighing 82 tonnes; brought from Calgary via

4899-411: Was John Williams Doty (1879–1961), an engineer originally from Toronto who was president of the Foundation Company in New York. Chadwick was vice-president and general manager, and Drury was vice-president. The company's directors were A. J. Brown, Franklin Remington, Noah A. Timmins , F. H. Phippen, Ernest-Rémi Décary, W. F. Angus, Frank Quilter, and C. B. McNaught. In 1929, Chadwick and Drury bought out

4970-416: Was forecast to double over the next four years. The program to double-track much of the route through the mountains could create a bottleneck at Rogers Pass. Following the 1906–1908 recession, by 1912, passenger and freight volumes surpassed records. Whereas passenger train length could increase, freight could not, because of weight capacity limits. Furthermore, the former had priority, causing siding waits for

5041-665: Was unwilling to proceed with a new tunnel unless the Crow Rate , which did not cover the variable cost of grain movement, was addressed. In response, the federal government gradually increased this rate from 1983, before abandoning rate regulation in 1993. The need for pusher locomotives was another encumbrance. During the pusher station's existence, six engineers, six maintenance workers, and nine locomotives were based at Rogers. Five-unit engines were used on heavy trains carrying grain, coal, and potash. Four-unit engines were used on other freights. A significant grade improvement would eliminate

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