List of railroad crossings of the North American continental divide facts for kids

A North American continental divide is like a giant, invisible line that runs through the continent. On one side, rivers flow towards the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, and on the other side, they flow towards the Pacific Ocean. Building a transcontinental railroad (a train track that crosses a whole continent) means you have to get over this huge natural barrier. It's one of the toughest challenges for engineers!

This article explores some of the main places where trains have successfully crossed the Continental Divide, starting from the north in Canada and heading south through the United States and Mexico, all the way to Central America.

Canada's Mountain Crossings

Canada has several important spots where trains climb over the Continental Divide. These crossings are mostly in the western provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, where the Rocky Mountains are highest.

One of the most famous crossings is the Yellowhead Pass. Here, two big railway companies, the Canadian Northern Railway and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, built their tracks in the early 1900s. Eventually, these lines became part of the Canadian National Railway. The Yellowhead Pass is about 1,110 meters (3,642 feet) high.

Another key crossing is the Kicking Horse Pass, built by the Canadian Pacific Railway. This pass is even higher, at about 1,627 meters (5,338 feet). It's been used by trains since 1884 and is still active today. The Crowsnest Pass, also built by Canadian Pacific, is another important route, sitting at 1,358 meters (4,455 feet).

Other crossings in British Columbia, like those near Summit Lake and O'Dell, were built by the Pacific Great Eastern Railway and are now part of the Canadian National Railway system. These crossings are a bit lower, around 716 to 747 meters (2,349 to 2,451 feet) high.

United States: Conquering the Divide

The United States has many places where railroads cross the Continental Divide, especially through the Rocky Mountains. These crossings often involve high elevations and impressive engineering feats like tunnels.

In Montana, trains cross the divide at several points. Marias Pass, at 1,589 meters (5,213 feet), was built by the Great Northern Railway and is still used by the BNSF Railway. Another important Montana crossing is Mullan Pass, which goes through the Mullan Tunnel at 1,697 meters (5,566 feet). The Northern Pacific Railroad built this route, and it's now operated by Montana Rail Link.

Other Montana crossings include Homestake Pass (1,929 meters or 6,328 feet), which is currently dormant, and Pipestone Pass (1,935 meters or 6,347 feet), which also used a tunnel. Some older lines, like the Gilmore and Pittsburgh Railroad at Bannock Pass (2,309 meters or 7,575 feet), are no longer in operation.

Wyoming features unique crossings. The Union Pacific Railroad crosses the divide twice in the Great Divide Basin near Robinson and Hadsell. These crossings, around 2,115 meters (6,940 feet) high, have been in use since 1868.

Colorado has some of the highest and most challenging crossings. Rollins Pass was originally crossed at a dizzying 3,554 meters (11,660 feet) by the Denver, Northwestern and Pacific Railway. Later, in 1928, the famous Moffat Tunnel was built, allowing trains to cross at a much lower elevation of 2,816 meters (9,239 feet).

Other notable Colorado crossings include:

• Boreas Pass (3,503 meters or 11,493 feet), a narrow-gauge line that operated until 1937.
• Fremont Pass (3,444 meters or 11,300 feet), which had both narrow-gauge and standard-gauge lines.
• Tennessee Pass (3,177 meters or 10,424 feet), which also uses a tunnel and has been dormant since 1997.
• Marshall Pass (3,309 meters or 10,856 feet), an important narrow-gauge route for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad until 1953.

In New Mexico, the divide crossings are generally lower. Campbell Pass, at 2,208 meters (7,244 feet), is used by the BNSF Railway. Other crossings like Tyrone and Wilna are much lower, around 1,370 to 1,825 meters (4,500 to 6,000 feet).

Mexico's Rail Routes

Mexico also has important rail crossings over the Continental Divide.

One significant crossing is at Divisadero in Chihuahua. Here, the famous El Chepe train, operated by Ferromex, crosses the divide at 2,270 meters (7,448 feet). This route has been active since 1961.

Another crossing is near Francisco I. Madero in Durango, at about 2,000 meters (6,562 feet).

Further south, the Chivela Pass in Oaxaca is unique because it's much lower, at only 224 meters (735 feet). This pass is part of the Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec, a railway that crosses the narrowest part of Mexico.

Central America's Crossings

Even in Central America, the Continental Divide presents challenges for railroads.

In Guatemala, a line built by the International Railways of Central America crossed the divide near Chato. This line operated until 1996.

Costa Rica had a crossing at Ochomogo Pass, about 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) high, which was used by trains from the 1870s until 1991.

Perhaps the most famous crossing in Central America is the Culebra Cut in Panama. This is part of the Panama Canal Railway Company line, which runs alongside the Panama Canal. The railway crosses the divide at a low elevation of about 80.4 meters (264 feet) and has been operating since 1855.

There's also a proposal called the Ecocanal to build a new rail line across Nicaragua. If built, it would cross the Continental Divide north of Lake Nicaragua.

See also

• List of Rocky Mountain passes on the continental divide
• Trans-Andean railways crossings of South America