The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot-long (0.72 mi; 1.15 km) spiral,[1] or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Mojave Desert.
Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains 77 feet (23 m) in elevation and makes a 1,210-foot-diameter (370 m) circle.[1][2] Any train that is more than 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop. At the bottom of the loop, the track passes through Tunnel 9, the ninth tunnel built as the railroad was extended from Bakersfield.
The line averages about 36 freight trains each day.[1] Passenger trains such as Amtrak's San Joaquin are banned from the loop, although the Coast Starlight can use it as a detour.[3] Its frequent trains and scenic setting make the Tehachapi Loop popular with railfans.[3][4] In 1998, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also designated as California Historical Landmark #508.[5]
- ^ a b c "Tehachapi Pass Railroad Line". asce.org. American Society of Civil Engineers. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ Ande, Howard (2010). "Tehachapi in the 21st Century". NRHS Bulletin. 75 (Spring 2010). National Railway Historical Society: 4–21.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
interestingengineeringwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lustig, David (July 2022). "Hotspot: California's Tehachapi Mountains". Trains. 82 (7): 46–47.
- ^ "Tehachapi Loop". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 7, 2012.