Technology first created in the late 1800s continues to be the most practical solution to nature’s extremes. Snow sheds, which are structures with sloped roofs that deflect snow over the top of long sections of track, help keep snowfall from blocking major lines and protect trains from being toppled by avalanches without warning.
BNSF has 17 active snow sheds, with ten of these sheds in John F. Stevens Canyon near the southern border of Glacier National Park in Montana. The remaining snow sheds are in the Cascade Mountains in Washington. The total combined length is more than 6,900 feet.
Learn more about how snow sheds keep BNSF trains safe and delivering essential goods despite cold weather hazards here.
