The Tehachapi Loop and The Towns That Built it: Route 466 & Highway 58

The Tehachapi Loop is one of the most famous pieces of railroad engineering in the United States. Built in 1876 as part of the Southern Pacific Railroad’s line through Tehachapi Pass, the loop allowed trains to climb the steep mountains between California’s Central Valley and the Mojave Desert. Instead of fighting the grade directly, engineers designed a giant spiral in the track. Trains literally cross over themselves, gaining elevation while staying within the limits locomotives could climb. When a long train passes through, the front of the train can cross over the rear as it loops around the hill. Today the Tehachapi Loop is still an active railroad and part of one of the busiest freight corridors in the western United States. Trains from Union Pacific and BNSF move through this pass every day carrying goods between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California’s Central Valley, and the rest of the country. In this video we drive one of the historic routes through Tehachapi Pass, stopping along the way to look at the places that shaped the route: • Caliente, a railroad town founded during the construction of the line • The site of Bealville, once a small settlement connected to Edward Fitzgerald Beale • Keene, home to the historic Keene Café and the nearby National Chavez Center • The mountain road above Tunnel 9, where the railroad begins its climb toward the loop • And finally the Tehachapi Loop, sometimes called the “Seventh Wonder of the Railroad World.” This route has been used for centuries. Long before the railroad, Native American trails crossed these mountains, followed later by wagon routes and early roads connecting the Central Valley to the Mojave Desert. Today, the railroad still follows the same pass. A big thanks to Railfan Dan for granted the license to use this footage! Great guy with a great channel! To see his full video follow this link:    • Tehachapi Loop Like You've Never Seen! (4K...