The Tehachapi Loop, also known as the Walong Loop, is one of the great railroad engineering feats of the 19th century. Completed in 1876, it is part of a 46 mile section of right-of-way which presented a major challenge because of its 4,000 foot rise. William Hood, Chief Engineer of the Southern Pacific Railroad got around this problem by laying out a 3,794 foot long circle of track. The track circles around a central hill, and a 4,000' long train will cross 77 feet above its rear cars in the tunnel below. Three thousand Chinese laboreres were hired from Canton, China specifically for the job.
Besides being an engineering marvel, this section of track is one of the best rides in the country. In addition to the loop, the laborers built 18 tunnels, 22 feet high and 16.5 feet wide, totaling 8,240 feet in length. In addition, the 2.2 grade has 8,300 cumulative degrees of curvature.
In November of '93, Cajon Kev, Viking and I rode from Cajon Summit to Bakersfield and back. Below are some photographs from our adventure.
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| A 'bo's-eye view' of our train wrapping over itself on our way back from Bakersfield. Remember, that's the SAME train! |
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