Cut

Visitor Center Films Ranger Presentations Big Fill Walk Auto Tour Steam Locomotives Nearby Attractions	Cut   As you travel along the railroad grade you will cross many fills and pass through several cuts of varying sizes. Cuts and fills were necessary to bring the route within the required grade, a maximum of 2%. When possible, material for the fill came from nearby cuts, like the one shown in the picture below.  Cuts were often a difficult, time consuming, and dangerous process. With the aid of black powder, teams of men and animals could easily spend weeks or months clearing out a rock cut the size those on the Big Fill Walk. The entire cut procedure was done in a stair step fashion, enabling several crews at different levels to work on the cut simultaneously. Evidence of stair step construction may be found along both the Big Fill Walk and the Promontory Trail Auto Tour.