When I go out exploring each day, I have a specific goal in mind. When I went out on Sunday, February 5, one of my goals was to visit the Tehachapi Loop, a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and California Historic Landmark #508 .
At the Tehachapi Loop, if the train is at least 4,000 feet long, it will pass over/under itself, as in my video below. Keep your eye on the video at 4:13; I want his job.
The Tehachapi Loop is a .73-mile loop owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. The BNSF has what are called “trackage rights” to use the Loop. The difference in elevation between the lower and upper tracks in 77 feet.
The railroad line through the Loop connects Bakersfield to Mojave and, in addition to the cool Loop, has 12 tunnels and tracks with lots of twists and turns.
Construction on the Tehachapi Loop began in 1874 and was completed in 1876 by three thousand Chinese laborers under the direction of Southern Pacific engineer William Hood and Chief of Construction J.B. Harris. It is one of the seven wonders of the railroad world.
The Tehachapi Line itself is one of the busiest single-track mainlines in the world. An average of 36 trains each day use the Tehachapi Loop, and they tend to be long trains, up to two miles long. During my two hours at the Loop, I saw six freight trains. The shortest was about 3,500 feet long and the longest was probably up there in the 2-mile-long range. The train in my video is the second-longest one I saw on February 5, 2017.
With frequent trains and beautiful scenery, the Loop is a prime hotspot for railroad fans.
The last picture here is of the first train I saw. I had not found a location to set up yet so it was just luck that I got this picture.
This post approved by
Russel Ray Photos 