First Day in Cali & the Tehachapi Loop

The day after I arrived in California, Tyler took me on a little adventure of the area near the camper.  Our first stop was the little town of Tehachapi.  He took me on the scenic route through the job site.  Tehachapi is a very quaint little mountain, railroad town.  They have a few antique stores & shops that I can't wait to visit.  Also, I found a paint your own pottery place.  I am super excited about that. 

From there we headed to Bakersfield.  The drive from Tehachapi to Bakersfield is one of the most beautiful highway views I have ever seen.  Green rolling mountains for as far as you can see.  On the way we drove through the Tejon Ranch.  At nearly 270,000 acres, Tejon Ranch is the largest continuous expanse of private land in California.  As we dropped down into the valley, I was in awe of the orchards.  There were so many and went for as far as the eye could see. 

There really wasn't much to see in Bakersfield.  We went to the mall and a few other shops & then headed home.  On our way home we passed a train that was headed for the Tehachapi Loop.  We got off the interstate and made our way to the over look.  Below is the picture I took of the train in the loop.  The second picture is of the plaque at the over look.  I copied what the plaque said so it is easier to read. 



Train in the World Famous Tehachapi Loop

Below I copied what is written here:

NATIONAL HISTORIC CIVIL
ENGINEERING LANDMARK

TEHACHAPI PASS RAILROAD LINE

Constructed 1874 - 1876 Commemorated October 1998

In front of you is the world famous Tehachapi Loop which is about halfway upgrade to the Tehachapi Pass. This steep line averages 2.2% in gradient in its 28 miles of length. This feat of civil engineering genius was the crowning achievement of civil engineer William Hood of the Southern Pacific Railway Company. It is one of the seven wonders of the railroad world.

The Tehachapi Pass Railroad Line was cut through solid and decomposed granite by up to 3000 Chinese laborers from Canton China. They used picks, shovels, horse drawn carts and blasting powder. This line, which climbs out of the San Joaquin Valley and through the Tehachapi Mountains had 18 tunnels, 10 bridges and numerous water towers for the old steam locomotives. It was completed in less than 2 years time under the leadership of civil engineer J. B. Harris, Chief of Construction, a remarkable feat.

This line was part of the last and final link of the first railroad line connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was a primary factor in the early growth of the City of Los Angeles and the State of California.

This single track line, essentially unchanged, is still in constant use today, 122 years after its completion. It passes an average of 36 freight trains each day. This attests to the superior job of both engineering and construction done by the two civil engineers and the Chinese laborers. This plaque is dedicated to them.

History & Heritage Committee
Los Angeles Section and Southern San Joaquin Branch
American Society of Civil Engineers

Here is video I found on YouTube of a train entering the loop.  The video is about 7 minutes long.  The video is slow (it is a train) but it is really neat to watch how the loop works.  The train will enter the screen on the left side.