(The Associated Press distributed the following article on November 21.)
ASHLAND, Ore. — Mining crews in Southern Oregon started work Thursday on scooping debris out from the historic Siskiyou Mountain railroad tunnel that caught fire earlier this week.
The goal is to get the tunnel back on track within a month after a 300-to-400 foot section collapsed during Monday’s fire.
“It’s still smoldering,” said Gerald Carter, assistant general manager of Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad Co. “We believe we got the fire out.”
He said his company wants to get the 3,105-foot tunnel operational as soon as possible.
While crews excavate debris, the company plans to shore up the tunnel with steel, getting rid of the burned joists coated with creosote.
Sections of railroad track also will be replaced as necessary because they buckled and expanded during the fire.
Crews will conduct seismic tests to determine the stability of the tunnel, and Carter said the railroad hopes to avoid having to blast to help clear the debris.
Investigators think that the fire was sparked by transients or trespassers.
Two trains used the tunnel daily. They are being routed to Union Pacific tracks north of Eugene and through the Klamath Falls area to Weed, Calif.
On Oct. 11, 1923, the tunnel was the site of the West’s last great train robbery.