Iron Goat Trail: Embro

This location at milepost 1714.93 was originally named Alvin, but was renamed Embro in 1914. Embro was a water stop for the steam locomotives used on this line, and also had a telegraph station and housing for railroad workers, all covered by snowsheds.

Iron snowshed footing near Embro in 1998.

Concrete snowshed wall near Embro in 1998.

East of Embro, at milepost 1714.80, another concrete wall begins. The back wall of another combination concrete and timber snowshed, this wall was built in 1916 and is 193 feet long. This was a double-track snowshed that replaced an earlier all-timber snowshed. Some of the iron footings from the timber posts of this snowshed can still be seen, and parts of the roof are still leaning up against the concrete back wall.

West portal of the Embro Tunnel in 1998.

Squirrel in the snowshed ruins at the Embro Tunnel in 1998.

Closeup of the squirrel in 1998.

At the other end of this wall at milepost 1714.77 is the west portal of the Embro Tunnel (Tunnel #13.2). This 462-foot tunnel was built in 1916. Originally the railroad crossed Bridge #398 here. On January 22, 1916, the same slide that destroyed Bridge #402 on the lower part of the line also destroyed the snowshed here, and the decision was made to relocate the railroad into a tunnel. Some of the rock extracted from this tunnel can be seen piled along the downhill side of the trail. A squirrel was spotted in the debris at the tunnel entrance.

View from the trail around the Embro Tunnel in 1998.

As the trail passes around the Embro Tunnel there is another break in the trees where the active railroad and the highway can be seen in the valley below.

Concrete arch at the east portal of the Embro Tunnel in 1998.

At the east portal of the Embro Tunnel at milepost 1714.67 is a 39-foot concrete arch, similar to the one at the Twin Tunnels. This arch was installed at the same time as the tunnel.

Concrete snowshed wall east of the Embro Tunnel in 1998.

At the end of the arch is a 475 foot long concrete wall running along the uphill side of the trail. This wall was the back wall of another combination concrete and timber snowshed. There are several more similar walls at various places along the trail, indicating places where additional snowsheds once stood. Additionally, all-timber snowsheds were in place between the combination snowsheds.  When this line was abandoned, the entire distance from Embro east to Windy Point was under some kind of snowshed.

Continue to Windy Point…