Document text
50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 7, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 5, 2005 Reopening scheduled for Siskiyous’ tunnel 13 ASHLAND — Tunnel 13 on the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad Co. line through the Siskiyou Mountains, closed since vandals set a fire in it 16 months ago, is set to reopen this week. "We expect to open (tonight) to run our first train, Wednesday night at the latest," said Dan Lovelady, general manager with Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad. He said a special grand opening is scheduled for April 21 at the tunnel. The reopening of Tunnel 13 near the Siskiyou Summit will mean the return of twice-daily freight trains through the Rogue Valley and over the mountains into California. The railroad is using the line as it prepares for the 3,100-foot tunnel’s reopening. A single engine is hauling flatbed cars to and from the tunnel. The flatbeds have been used at the summit to store equipment and supplies during winter, in addition to moving equipment up and down the mountain as work on the tunnel progressed. The tunnel has been closed since vandals set fire to it Nov. 17, 2003, collapsing the structure in several areas and filling it with debris. Crews have been working since December 2003 to remove rubble from the tunnel, the only rail route to Northern California between Klamath Falls and the coast. Officials predicted the tunnel would reopen in June 2004, but dangerous work conditions slowed crews’ progress. During the tunnel closure, trains carrying timber products and other goods south through White City were rerouted north to Eugene, east to Klamath Falls and then across the Oregon-California border. Products took 10 to 13 days to detour and reach California destinations instead of five. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s