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Tehachapi Loop

1876 establishments in CaliforniaAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayCalifornia Historical LandmarksHistoric Civil Engineering LandmarksRail infrastructure in California
Southern Pacific RailroadTehachapi MountainsTourist attractions in Kern County, CaliforniaTransport infrastructure completed in 1876Transportation buildings and structures in Kern County, CaliforniaUnion Pacific Railroad lines
Tehachapi Loop Aerial
Tehachapi Loop Aerial

The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot-long (0.72 mi; 1.15 km) spiral, 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. 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. Passenger trains such as Amtrak's San Joaquin are banned from the loop, although the Coast Starlight can use it as a detour. Its frequent trains and scenic setting make the Tehachapi Loop popular with railfans. In 1998, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also designated as California Historical Landmark #508.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Tehachapi Loop (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Tehachapi Loop
Bakersfield Tehachapi Highway,

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Wikipedia: Tehachapi LoopContinue reading on Wikipedia

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Latitude Longitude
N 35.200833333333 ° E -118.53694444444 °
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The Cross on the Loop

Bakersfield Tehachapi Highway
93531
California, United States
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Tehachapi Loop Aerial
Tehachapi Loop Aerial
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