Tehachapi Loop is at Walong, named for W. A. Long, Southern Pacific District Roadmaster. It is 10 miles north west of the town of Tehachapi, and easily reached from Woodford-Tehachapi Rd.

The loop was completed in 1876, built largely by Chinese labourers. It was part of the line carrying the Southern Pacific railway down from the Mojave plateau to the San Joaquin Valley through a narrow spur of hills that connects the southern end of the Sierra Nevadas and the Tehachapi Mountains. Today, it is part of the Union Pacific system, although BNSF have trackage rights.

I visited in September 2008 and February 2010.The photographs on this page are from both visits

There are two commemorative markers at the overlook.

The first (on the right) was dedicated on 25th October 1953 by a number of local organisations, including the Kern County Historical Society, as well as the Southern Pacific.

The second (on the left) was dedicated in October 1998 by the American Society of Civil Engineers and marks the Loop as a National Historic Engineering Landmark.

Approaching from Tehachapi township, there are views of the line as you near the loop on Woodford Tehachapi Rd.

The tunnels on the line were numbered sequentially from Bakersfield. This is tunnel #10.

Looking south from Broome Rd crossing. The Woodford-Tehachapi Rd overlook is at the end of the dirt road running diagonally up the hill from trackside in this view.

The white cross just visible at the top of the hill at the centre of the loop was erected in memory of two Southern Pacific employees killed in a derailment in San Bernardino, CA. It is known as “The Cross at the Loop”.

Related links:

www.maps.google.com

www.trainorders.com/cameras/tehachapi

www.trainweb.org/brettrw/maps/loop.html

Report a broken link or suggest a new one.

Pentrex have released a 2 DVD set with over 8 hours of footage of the Tehachapi Loop (click on the cover to search for this set on bookfinder.com).

John R. Signor produced an excellent history of the loop in Tehachapi: Southern Pacific & Santa Fe, published by Golden West Books in 1983 (click on the cover to search for this book on bookfinder.com).

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Much of the loop is visible from an overlook a few yards off Woodford-Tehachapi Road although, in summer, tree foliage partly obscures much of the view. The panorama of the loop above, and the rugged country surrounding it, gives an idea of the challenges the railroad faced in carving out a route through this part of California. It was constructed under the supervision of William Hood, Southern Pacific’s Engineer, and is one of only five railway loops in the US (two are abandoned).

Because of its complexity, engineering a loop was generally a last resort for railroads, although they were built in quite a few countries where conditions demanded. Even with this solution, however, the average grade on the 28 mile section through Tehachapi Pass is 2.2%, and the engineering feat was noted from its inception.  

A few yards north of the Broome Rd crossing near trackside is a commemoration of the “Cross at the Loop”.

It  consists of a concrete seat resting on a bed of granite stones, which faces a somewhat weathered granite marker.

It rounds the hill to Tunnel #10.

The granite marker reads:

THE CROSS AT THE LOOP

IN MEMORY OF

CONDUCTOR EVERETT S. CROWN

BRAKEMAN ALLAN R. RIESS

WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN A

TRAGIC TRAIN WRECK IN

SAN BERNADINO CALIF

MAY 12 1989

ERECTED BY

EMPLOYEES AND SPTCO

A little further, you can look down into the cutting where Walong siding terminates just before the line enters Tunnel #9.

On the hill side in this view, the line emerges from Tunnel #10. Walong siding starts just outside the Tunnel.

“Birds Eye View of the Loop, Tehachapi Pass” on the left is from page 239 of Crofutt’s 1879 New Overland Tourist and Pacific Coast Guide.

The guide book describes the Loop as “one of the greatest engineering feats in the world; feat where a railroad is is like a good Roman Catholic–-made to cross itself” (page 240).

The Loop from the Broome Rd crossing.

The train approaches Broome Rd crossing. Broome Rd curves along the right of the panorama above, and CA Highway 58 is visible just above the farm buildings.

There is an exit to Broome Road on the eastbound lane of CA 58 only, but it is sometimes blocked by a locked gate, so it is better to approach the Loop on Woodford-Tehachapi Road.

The farm is private land. It is fenced, and there are “No Trespassing” signs.

A westbound double stack freight emerges from Tunnel #9 hauled by UP GE ES44AC #7412 and SD70Ace #8569 to climb the Loop.

UP EMD SD70M #4230 and GE AC45CCTE #5490 haul and eastbound double stack over Tunnel #9.

The train passes over Broome Rd crossing.

You can see Crofutt’s 1879 New Overland Tourist and Pacific Coast Guide on the books and manuals page of this website.

Tunnel #9 from trackside near the Woodford-Tehachapi Rd

After passing through the Loop, #4230 noses into Tunnel #9.

It pulls through the tunnel.

It then heads west towards Tehachapi Creek.

On the left, “Crossing the Loop over Tunnel No.9, Tehachapi Pass” is from page 233 of Crofutt’s 1879 New Overland Tourist and Pacific Coast Guide.

You can see a copy of Crofutt’s 1879 New Overland Tourist and Pacific Coast Guide on the books and manuals page of this website.

The tail end of the train.

Just north of the Loop on Woodford-Tehachapi Rd is a monument to the “Great Flood of 1932 and Engine No.3834”.

It was erected in 1993 by Peatrix Chapter No.2 & Peter Lebeck Chapter of the E Clampus Vitus organisation.

E Clampus Vitus is a fraternal organisation rooted in the days of the California Gold Rush when it was founded to spoof orders such as the Masons, Elks and Lions. Today, it specialises in placing commemorative plaques on sites often overlooked by more serious historical organisations.

The plaque reads:

On September 30th torrential rains flooded Tehachapi Creek, undermining the tracks under Santa Fe Engine No. 3834 which was waiting out the storm about ½ mile east of Woodward Station. The engine disappeared into the raging water below. It remained “lost” for two weeks, hidden under 10 feet of mud. It took one month to free the severely damaged engine. Its bell was never found. Almost three years after the flood the newly refurbished engine was returned to service with people lining the tracks in Tehachapi and Keene, waving and cheering as No. 3834 rolled by – its new bell proudly ringing.
 

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