Did you know about this massive railroad marvel California? The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot spiral in the Tehachapi Mountains, and it’s even been called “one of the seven wonders of the railroad world.”
Constructed in 1876, the enormous loop helps trains gain elevation gradually at a 2% grade in order to ascend the Tehachapi Pass.
Here’s a closer look at this lesser-known technical masterpiece just 2 hours from Los Angeles.
Constructing the Tehachapi loop
Between 1874 and 1876, the Southern Pacific Railroad built the Tehachapi Loop as a key piece of the first railroad line to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Chief Engineer William Hood, along with Civil Engineers James R. Strobridge and Arthur De Wint Foote, managed the project. A workforce of over 3,000 Chinese laborers used hand tools, picks, shovels, horse-drawn carts, and blasting powder to create the enormous structure that still stands today.
Design and significance
The loop enables trains to ascend the steep Tehachapi Pass, rising a total of 77 feet at a steady 2.2% grade. The track covers 3,779 feet in a spiral shape, meaning any train longer than 3,800 feet will pass over itself.
Renowned for its engineering and historical significance, the Tehachapi Loop was designated as California Historical Landmark #508 in 1953, and as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1998.
The Tehachapi Loop today
The Tehachapi Loop is part of the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision, which connects Bakersfield, the San Joaquin Valley, and Mojave in the Mojave Desert.
As one of the busiest single-track mainlines in the country, it receives between 36 and 50 freight trains from the Union Pacific Railroad and the BNSF Railway each day.
While passenger trains haven’t used the loop since the ’70s, the Coast Starlight occasionally uses it as a detour if necessary.
Visiting the Tehachapi Loop
There’s a designated Tehachapi Loop viewing area along Woodford-Tehachapi Road, about 4 miles from the Keene exit off Highway 58. The viewing spot has a few trails and picnic areas with different vantage points to watch the trains pass.
Nearby in the town of Tehachapi, train enthusiasts can check out the free railroad museum at the restored depot. The museum is dedicated to the history of the loop and the town’s rich railroad history; in fact, the Union Pacific Railroad recently designated Tehachapi as “Train Town USA.”
🌐 Learn more: Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum
