The Elko Subdivision is a railway line in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

owned and operated by the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

running from Weso (switching point just east of Winnemucca) to the freight yard in Elko. It is part of both the Overland Route and the Central Corridor. The line generally follows the

Humboldt River The Humboldt River is the longest river in the northern and central part of Nevada. It extends in a general east-to-west direction from its headwaters in northern Nevada's Jarbidge Mountains, Jarbidge, Independence Mountains, Independence, and ...

and has several small tunnels while traversing the

Palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymo ...

and Carlin Canyons, the longest tunnel is called the Carlin Tunnel.

Description

The Elko subdivision is unique in that the entire subdivision is operated as a dual track main, but each of the two tracks in the main were formerly competing lines, built by different companies and at different times, that were combined with directional running. The westbound track was part of the

first transcontinental railroad America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the "Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad), Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line built between 1863 and 1869 that connected the exis ...

built in the 1860s by the Central Pacific Railroad, while the eastbound track was built by the Western Pacific Railroad as part of the Feather River Route, between 1906 and 1909. The two tracks generally follow each other, however, the routes are not identical. This results in several oddities in the Elko Subdivision. For example, the community of Battle Mountain is only accessible by westbound trains, as the Western Pacific built track used for eastbound trains is routed several miles to the north of Battle Mountain. The North Valmy Generating Station resides between the two tracks, and the feeders from each track can be used as a crossover for trains to turn around. Also unique, the two tracks have a grade separated crossover near

. As a result, trains in the eastern half of the Elko Subdivision observe right hand traffic, while trains in the western half observe left hand traffic. This shared track arrangement continues east of the Elko freight yards, where the line becomes the Shafter Subdivision until Alazon, Nevada (near Wells). At Alazon, the two lines separate, with the Central Corridor proceeding to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, while the Overland Route proceeds to Ogden, Utah.

History

The 1939 City of San Francisco derailment occurred along today's Elko Subdivision, near a rail siding called Harney, between Beowawe and

. In the 1980s both tracks were relocated out of downtown Elko along the banks of the

, resulting in Elko having two historical train depots downtown, with neither connected to track today. The

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

depot (for westbound passengers) was at 683 Railroad Street, while the Western Pacific (eastbound) depot was at the corner of 3rd and Silver streets.

References

{{Reflist Railway lines Rail transportation in Nevada Railway lines in the United States