I was stationed at the Northern terminus (Kamloops Canada) of the "Highway Thru Hell" for the last 25 years of my 40 year career with a major Natural Gas Pipeline company, that owned ,operated and maintained a fleet of Compressors, as well as a 30" and 36 "diameter pipelines.
As a lead on most repairs,(with in Compressor stations) inspections, emergency work and senior relief Power Engineer, I was responsible for the safe,economical, and day to day operation of several Compressors Stations that paralleled the "Coquihalla Highway", pronounced.... Coke-a-halla.
Dramatic movies, and well orchestrated video cameras have named the highway "Highway Thru Hell"
I believe 99.999% of all vehicular accidents have taken place due to DRIVERS not READING and doing as SIGNAGE requests!
Signs are placed along the highway specifically informing DRIVERS as to the requirements, CHAINS MUST BE INSTALLED before ascending and descending the grades in winter conditions!
The Natural Gas Compressor stations along the "Coquihalla Highway", operate and run 25,000 HP General Electric LM2500/CF6s.......15,000 hp LM1500/J79s....18,000 HP Rolls Royce Gas Turbines...All Aero derivatives.
Many wintery nights, usually between 12 midnight and 3:00am (Dec,1,>Feb,29)I would receive a call from a young Compressor station operator with a story that left me scrambling!
We kept a spare 18,000 HP Rolls Royce as well as a spare 25,000 General Electric Gas Generator at the Northern terminus of the "Coquihalla Highway", (Highway Thru Hell)as the pipeline owners guarantied a pressure at the International border not less than 500 PSI...
Many Decembers >February would see 2 billion cubic feet of Natural Gas passing through the Compressor stations when Seattle, Vancouver, etc, etc, dropped below 32deg F.
I once received a call from the a "Gas Controller" asking for more HP! The client on the "Washington State" side of the International border had a major malfunction at a compressor station.
Seattle south to San Francisco was below freezing!
Sation 7 added HP and pinned their station at 50,000HP and was loosing discharge pressure.
Close to the summit of the "Coquihalla Highway", (Highway thru hell) I had two 18,000 HP Rolls Royce Turbines, as well as one General Electric,25,000 HP.
With in sight of the International border we had another 55,000 HP online.
I had spent 11 years in the Gas Turbine R/R shop.
We had a Freightliner Truck, AIR RIDE SUSPENTION and locking differentials. With all drivers chained, Differential locked into Posi drive, and a front tire chained, I would navigate the "Coquihalla Highway", (Highway thru hell) regardless of the snow depth, if I was headed South down the South gradient.
Usually the snow on the South side of the Summit would start to push against the front bumper, as these mtns. are not the Rockies, they receives LOTS of moisture from the Pacific Ocean, colliding with COLD air from the North East..
Here is a picture taken at the Northern terminus (Station 7)of the (Highway thru hell) "Coquihalla Highway"
There was a Gas Turbine that started to consume OIL at the summit of the "Coquihalla Highway". Weather report was bleak...
I made a decision to man the Compressor station at the North end of the pass, and allow a young family operator to spend Christmas with his family.
I retired Dec,30,2011,12:00 Noon....
Bob...
Coquihalla Highway is an extreme freeway located in southern British Columbia, Canada. It?s part of the Highway 5 and is around 200km long. It?s one of the worst roads in all of North America in winters. There were 32 fatal crashes between 2004 and 2013 (according to ICBC). In spring, summer or fall, it's a breeze, but in winter there are at least 400-500 accidents and plenty of fatalities.