Came east thru Tehachapi yesterday afternoon. A train looping the loop . . . and another threading thru the short tunnels. And another further along with 8 units on the head end. Fun !
Pics?
Nope.
NGL - You could always use a “stock photo” like the media would do (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)Never been there - on my bucket list.
I go thru there twice a year . . . . in late June going west . . . . and in late Oct. going east. This was the first time that I happened to catch some activity as I was going thru. Was NICE to see . . . . . 
And what diameter is that curve?
David Maynard said:
And what diameter is that curve?
Google and the internet don’t lie
the radius is 1150 feet and the height is I think 79 feet
So in 1:29 scale that would be a 39.66 foot diameter curve. and in 1:24th scale its would be almost 48 feet in diameter…
I was born in Southern California and grew up going to the Loop quite a few times. Back in the early 80’s, there was a tremendous amount of traffic on the loop. We would spend an entire day there taking pictures and recording sounds. Diesel sounds reverberate through the whole canyon! The diameter of the loop is about 1150 feet and rises almost 50 feet in 3700 linear feet (eastbound under the track to where it goes over itself. Wheels are constantly squealing on the rail. Just a lot of noise.
Definitely a railfan’s place to visit if you are ever in the area. BTW, Tehachapi Loop was built starting in 1874 and completed in 1876.
We moved to Oklahoma from Tehachapi about 18 years ago. We lived in an area called Bear Valley Springs, about 14 miles west of the town. Our house was at 5500 feet elevation and the Loop was just over the mountain from us. At first, you could hear the trains working their way up the mountain all the time. After a while, you got used to it and didn’t hear them any more. We could hike up to the top of the mountain and look down on the loop whenever we wanted. The kids (and me too) loved it. Here is a link to a story I wrote about the loop about twenty years ago.
Bob
I was fortunate about five years ago to take Amtrak’s Coast Starlight on a detour over Tehachapi – and it was snowing! Beautiful trip, rare mileage, and a wonderful retirement present from a dear friend, A.J.Farrar.
Been awhile since I was out there. And like everyone has said, you can hear them working up the hill long before they come into view.
(When I saw this thread, I was thinking, I just talked to someone who lived out there and couldn’t remember who it was. Thanks Bob, for reminding me…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif) )
Dick Friedman said:
I was fortunate about five years ago to take Amtrak’s Coast Starlight on a detour over Tehachapi – and it was snowing! Beautiful trip, rare mileage, and a wonderful retirement present from a dear friend, A.J.Farrar.
WoW . . that must’a been GREAT !
It was, but I wish AJ were still here to share rail fan adventures!
A g scaler has lined up his mainline so when you look down the mainline of the layout it lines up with the loop! Our club went there a few years ago but I wasn’t able to go!
I went to the Loop several times in the late 80s/early 90s. It was great fun weekends for a bunch of rail geeks! Lots of time to sit and BS between action. When it got busy you didn’t have time to do anything but sit there gape-jawed and marvel at the sight and sound! We would jump in the car and go to a different viewpoint for a while and then scamper back to our favorite vantage point. One of my friends knew Ben Burtt, the guy who does all the strange sounds and languages for Star Wars, and he used to go there frequently and record some of the great clanks and squeals as the train strained their way up and around the loop.
A little wine toast after a pizza dinner with friends at the loop. Six or seven years ago? Those were the good old days when you could still drive in there.
Great picture Paul!