Before 1876, the Tehachapi mountains kept locomotives from traveling to and from San Francisco and Los Angeles. The tall granite-filled mountains were too steep for a railroad. That is, until the Central Valley and Southern California lines of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company built a workaround, and that workaround was the Tehachapi Loop. The roughly 3,800-foot Tehachapi Loop is the brainchild of civil engineer William Hood and his assistant engineer Arthur De Wint Foote.
Tehachapi Loop Aerial Shot, snake like coil
On Sept 28th we had an unexpected diesel locomotive catch fire and we just happened to be in the right location at the right time to capture this rare sight! This happened in Keene CA, roughly 13 miles northwest of Tehachapi Ca. Thanks to the swift response of the railroad and Kern fire department the 4 small spot fires created by this locomotive were all extinguished very quickly. I hope everyone enjoys this footage!
Catch the Moment 