| In the 1870's the Southern Pacific (Central Pacific) Railroad
sought to link their rails in central California to those in Southern
California. The path was blocked by the rugged Tehachapi Mountain
range, which acts as an east-west barrier between Bakersfield
and Los Angeles. Since construction directly south was impractical,
the Southern Pacific Railroad decided to go southeast to Mojave,
through the Tehachapi Pass. The summit at Tehachapi Pass was 4000'.
Construction from Bakersfield to Caliente was somewhat routine,
but from that point on the elevation going east rises quickly.
From Caliente to the summit (now the City of Tehachapi) the rise
is 2,735 feet. The maximum grade permitted was 2.2%. By routing
the track alongside the slopes of the Tehachapi foothills, engineer
William Hood could envision completing the task. However, just
east of Keene, there was an apparently unsolvable problem. An
increase in elevation of nearly 80 feet was required, unattainable
using typical designs .
The problem was solved by constructing a unique loop. Going southeasterly
from Keene, a train first passes through an entry tunnel. The
track then does a complete counterclockwise loop, passing over
the entry tunnel before continuing easterly. (See sketch below).
The loop is sized to have a length adequate to achieve
the needed gain in elevation. The result is a loop 3,799' long,
with a typical diameter of about 1210 feet. By continuing to gain
elevation throughout the loop, engineer Hood was able to make
up the needed elevation (about 77' rise in the loop). With modern
freight trains, often more than a mile long, the locomotive passes
over (or under, depending upon direction) the final cars of its
own train!
The entire track from Bakersfield to the summit was completed
July 10, 1876. In all, in addition to the loop, there are 18 tunnels
with a total length of 8,240'. There are 8,300 degrees of rotation
as the track twists and turns through and along the mountains.
The total distance from Caliente to Tehachapi (summit) is about
16 miles.
The construction was undertaken by American engineers and Chinese
workmen. The Chinese were "Cantonese", mostly recruited
from Canton (now Guongjhou) area. Construction tools were mostly
dynamite, picks and shovels. Many of the workmen were killed during
this dangerous work.
The Chinese workmen referred to the Tehachapi Loop as "Walong".There is no such word in Cantonese. Since the workmen spoke no English and the Americans spoke no Chinese, the English interpretation of Walong could come from either of two Chinese expressions.
Dr. Fung Chi-ming of the Hong Kong Museum of History suggests that "Wa" = China (or Chinese) and "Long" is similar to the Cantonese word for "road". Hence, Walong means "Chinese Road".
James W.H. Wong suggests that "Wa" could have really been "Wan" = coil or coiled, and that "Loon" in Cantonese could sound similar to Long to the American ear. "Loon" = Dragon. In this case, Walong would be "Coiled Dragon", which also seems an appropriate name for the Tehachapi Loop.
The steep grade of the track from Keene to Tehachapi has always
been a problem for the railroad. In 1882, a special locomotive,
"El Gobernador" was developed especially for hauling
trains to the summit. It proved to be too bulky for this service,
and after a few years El Gobernador was scrapped.
Today the Tehachapi Loop (operated jointly by the Union Pacific
and Santa Fe Railroads) is on the main artery joining the agricultural
and petroleum products of the San Joaquin Valley to Arizona and
east. As many as 40 freight trains a day execute the loop, making it the busiest single-track line in the United States. Long
eastbound freight trains cannot negotiate the grade with a normal
locomotive complement, and it is undesirable for the couplings
between forward cars to support the high tension loads. Therefore,
"helper" engines are inserted in the middle of the train.
Upon reaching the City of Tehachapi, the helpers are switched
out, and then returned to Bakersfield.
Even as recently as 1950 many passenger trains stopped in Tehachapi. The last passenger service was discontinued in 1971.
In 1950, "First Class" service to Bakersfield took about
one hour and 40 minutes. However, using modern highway 58, one
can drive to Bakersfield in 45 minutes. For this and other reasons,
passenger trains from which to view the Tehachapi Loop are no
longer available. However, you can vicariously enjoy the ride
between Caliente and the Summit by video tape. An excellent 80
minute railroad tour, "Tehachapi", is carried by Tehachapi
Radio Shack, 805/822-4512.
The loop carries an enormous amount of freight daily. It is easily
accessible by auto. Take Highway 58 northwest from Tehachapi (or
southeast from Bakersfield) to Keene. From Keene follow the sign
pointing to Tehachapi Loop. You will pass "La Paz" on
the way. (La Paz is the burial site of Cesar Chavez, and the headquarters
of the United Farm Workers Union). "Loop Ranch" is the
name of the ranch hosting the loop. It is about three miles from
Keene to the loop along a paved road. So far there have been no
problems in finding off-street parking while awaiting a train.
Be aware, however, that freight schedules are not predictable,
and there is no guarantee of railroad traffic frequency.
Continue
on about one mile and there will be a viewsite with two monuments on your
left, looking down on the loop.
The first monument is a National Historic Landmark. The second monument is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (installed 10/10/98). The Civil Engineering Landmark honors the construction feat of the entire track from Caliente to Mojave. It especially recognizes the effort of Southern Pacific Railroad chief engineer and construction boss J. B. Harris in designing and constructing the line, whose major feature is the Tehachapi Loop. Speakers at the October 10 presentation were Tehachapi Mayor John Rombouts, civil engineer Warren Minner, Chuck Kirkland (president of the Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club), Del Troy (president of the Tehachapi Heritage League), and Mary Ming, Bakersfield historian. Mary Ming discussed the brave efforts of the Chinese workers.
An excellent 300-page book detailing this railroad construction
is "TEHACHAPI (Southern Pacific - Santa Fe)", copyright
1983 by John R. Signor. Golden West Books, San Marino, CA 91108.
ISBN 0-87095-088-6. As of February, 1996, this book was out of
print, but may be available through libraries.
Yet another bibliographic resource is TEHACHAPI RAIL MAP AND GUIDE,
Sam Pottinger, Steel Rails West, P.O. Box 59117, Norwalk, CA 90652-0117.
A live camera is set up to photograph trains as they enter Tehachapi Loop. For a current photo from Tehachapi Loop click here. (Photo may not be useful in inclement weather or nightfall.) |