The Belmont Tunnel is a long railway tunnel near the

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

Belmont Belmont may refer to: People * Belmont (surname) Places * Belmont Abbey (disambiguation) * Belmont Historic District (disambiguation) * Belmont Hotel (disambiguation) * Belmont Park (disambiguation) * Belmont Plantation (disambiguation) * Belmon ...

about halfway between

Crawford Crawford may refer to: Places Canada * Crawford Bay Airport, British Columbia * Crawford Lake Conservation Area, Ontario United Kingdom * Crawford, Lancashire, a small village near Rainford, Merseyside, England * Crawford, South Lanarkshire, a ...

and

Marsland, Nebraska Marsland is an unincorporated community in southwestern Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. It lies on the Niobrara River along Nebraska Highways 2 and 71, 18 miles south of Crawford, and southwest of the city of Chadron, the county seat of ...

, in western

Dawes County Dawes County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 9,182. Its county seat is Chadron. The county was formed in 1885; it was named for James W. Dawes, the Nebraska Governor at the time ...

. It was built by the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

in 1888-1889 and was used regularly until it was bypassed in 1982. It is the only railway tunnel ever constructed in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

History

Construction on the tunnel began in 1888, before the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad had even reached the Belmont area. The contractor was Kilpatrick Bros. & Collins. The workers being promised $1.50 to $1.74 per day, but on arriving in Belmont learned they would be earning $0.15 an hour. Many of the men went back home, but 1,200 men stayed to work on the tunnel, many of whom were Italian. The tunnel was dug from both its ends; the daily progress was normally about per end, but sometimes distances of up to were achieved. The tunnel was dug mostly through compacted sand with some thin strata of hard rock in between, making light blasting necessary. The rubble was hauled away in livestock-drawn carts. Cut locally from north and east of the site, timbers were used to support the tunnel. The

Nebraska National Guard The Nebraska National Guard consists of the: *Nebraska Army National Guard *Nebraska Air National Guard See also *Nebraska State Guard References External linksBibliography of Nebraska Army National Guard Historycompiled by the United States ...

was on hand at all times to stop any vandalism attempts. The railroad trackage, heading north to

from

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

, reached the uncompleted tunnel on August 17, 1889, and Belmont served as the railway terminus until the tunnel was finished on August 25, 1889. It was lauded as one of the decade's greatest engineering feats. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, guards were hired to prevent the tunnel from being sabotaged. A renovation of the tunnel was carried out in 1919-1920, after a freight train tore out a large portion of the tunnel in November 1917. After the old wooden timbers and concrete footings were removed and dumped into nearby ravines, the tunnel was re-bored and reinforced with concrete, which was poured into holes dug in the roof of the tunnel by an oil derrick. During the renovation, a worker died when a section of the tunnel collapsed, crushing him. Passenger service on the track that ran through the tunnel stopped when the overnight train from Lincoln to northwest Nebraska was discontinued on August 24, 1969, although freight trains still used the line. Plans later developed circa 1980 to remove the tunnel and put in a larger, double-track line. However, the new line as built bypassed the tunnel, laying new trackage immediately west of the old line. The last train passed through Belmont Tunnel on May 3, 1982.

Present day

The old tunnel trackage continues to be used by the railway as a service road. Although marred by

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

, the tunnel remains in good condition. It has gained popularity locally as a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

References

{{Reflist Rail transportation in Nebraska Tunnels completed in 1889 Buildings and structures in Dawes County, Nebraska Transportation in Dawes County, Nebraska Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad