Snow was one of the major broblems facing railroads crossing western mountains. Tracks were covered with drifts that defied the largest snow plows available. The answer came in the form of “snow sheds”. They were wooden buildings constructed of massive 16 inch timbers, capable of bearing the heaviest snow loads. Trains ran through the sheds, under the snow. 

Crossing the Rocky Mountains in the 1860 the Central Pacific crews built miles of snow sheds using 65 million feet of timber!