Tehachapi Loop

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Tehachapi Loop
Satellite picture of Tehachapi Loop from the USGS.
City	Walong
State	California
Railway(s)	UP/BNSF
Type	loop

An eastbound Santa Fe train passes over itself on the loop in April 1987.

A panoramic view of the Tehachapi Loop.

The Tehachapi Loop is a .73 miles (1.17 km) long 'spiral', or helix, on the railroad main line through Tehachapi Pass, in south central California. The loop derives its name from the circuitous route it takes, in which the track passes over itself, a design which lessens the angle of the grade. A train more than 4,000 feet (1.2 km) long (about 85 boxcars) will thus pass over itself going around the loop.

The railroad line connects Bakersfield in the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Antelope Valley. Hailed as one of the greatest engineering feats of its day as well as being the world's busiest single-track main, the line was built by Southern Pacific Railroad, and is now owned by Union Pacific. BNSF also uses the loop under a trackage rights agreement. The area is considered to be one of the prime railfan areas in the country with its combination of frequent train traffic and spectacular scenery. A railroad museum with many historical rail artifacts is located in the small nearby city of Tehachapi.

The location of the loop is known as Walong. The loop contains a siding, known as Walong Siding. It also contains a tunnel, known as Tunnel 9 because it was originally the ninth tunnel on the way from Bakersfield.

A large, white cross has been placed in the center of the loop, at the peak of the hill. Known as "The Cross at the Loop", it is in memory of two Southern Pacific Railroad employees who were killed in a train derailment on May 12, 1989 in San Bernardino, California.