Western Railroad Discussion > Amtrak 'returns' to Tehachapi

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/16 07:54 by Cajon92.

Devoid of passenger service if you don't count the many business trains of two railroads plus the annual circus trains...

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

2017 Amtrak #11 and #14 will be back for 2 weeks on Tehachapi.
Dennis

cajon Wrote:
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> 2017 Amtrak #11 and #14 will be back for 2 weeks
> on Tehachapi.
Do you know what time of year in 2017?  I've ridden some of the detours over the last few years.  One left from Sacramento on the ex-WP; the rest left from Oakland.
The most recent trip, southbound, took "forever" (just as long as its normal coast route) due to a pickup in freight traffic and a max speed of 60 mph through the Central Valley.

Summer

Great shots, especially the first one. Love that area when its that green!

Tom

That will be a trip worth booking.  

casco17 Wrote:
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> cajon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 2017 Amtrak #11 and #14 will be back for 2
> weeks
> > on Tehachapi.
> Do you know what time of year in 2017?  I've
> ridden some of the detours over the last few
> years.  One left from Sacramento on the ex-WP;
> the rest left from Oakland.
> The most recent trip, southbound, took "forever"
> (just as long as its normal coast route) due to
> a pickup in freight traffic and a max speed of 60
> mph through the Central Valley.

Why would the max speed only be 60?  I thought it was 70 (which is still too slow, compared to BNSF's line...).

Thank You VERY much for this interesting info !!
fyi some early  TLoop Amtrak 11 and 14  detours are the following:
1--1974 August 26--BOTH 11 and 14
2--2005 October 23 Amtrak  President  David Gunn with 1001 Ambiz car -ONLY train 11 detoured.
 ( I rode this AWESOME 10-23-05 detour)
   2005 detour routed Back-up SAC depot to ELvas Wye (Forward move)--SP Fresno Line--ATSF Stockton Sub
  via Escalon--RIverbank--Fresno (NON STOP thru Fresno)--Hanford--Wasco--Bak--Tloop--
   Lancaster--Palmdale---Saugus--Burbank--LAUPT
My train went NON STOP express Sacramento to Bakersfield. 
Probably the first revenue pax train to do this non-stop in railroad history.

3--2008 some additional AMtrak TLoop detours
My memory of AMtrak Tloop detours ends after 2008.
My historic point is that the 2013 detour was far from the first Amtrak Tehachpi detour.
Thank you VERY VERY much for your excellent excellent photos in any case !!!
 ----- Daniel

=========================================

cajon Wrote:
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> 2017 Amtrak #11 and #14 will be back for 2 weeks
> on Tehachapi.
> Dennis



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/16 00:56 by daniel3197.

Daniel, I actually rolled that second train by in 2005, did not know it was coming untill DS called them on the radio as they aproached. I could barely say "Highball". Story at the time was "someome" had a plane to catch! (From LAX)

Nice pics!!

Great shots, Ryan!

They should have fired-up that Amtrak Genset to get that train up the hill 0.1mph faster.

-Tom

daniel3197 Wrote:
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> My historic point is that the 2013 detour was far
> from the first Amtrak Tehachpi detour.
>  ----- Daniel

No where in my post did I say that the attached photo, from March 2013, was the first Amtrak detour over Tehachapi, merely that it was a look back at a Amtrak detour. In fact there have been several detours between 2008 and 2013, also the as mention pre-2008 detours. However there has not, to the best of my knowledge, been an Amtrak detour since September 2013 when both #14 and #11 detoured. I photographed several of the detours between 2009-2013 so I know all to well the March 2013 detour was not the first. 

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> Devoid of passenger service if you don't count the
> many business trains of two railroads plus the
> annual circus trains...

Why would anyone count those as 'regular passenger service'? If for no other reason it's not as if 'Joe-public' can buy a ticket to ride either of the trains you mentioned. (Not to mention 4 railroads running business trains since 1971.....ATSF, BNSF, SP, & UP)

I guess I should have stated in my original post 'regularly scheduled passenger service' but I didn't realize people were going to try and pick apart the 'details' of my post. 

~Ryan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/16 10:44 by Cajon92.

I understand the whole raise in altitude, but why can't a straight line be done through Caliente? We have modern machinery, seems like such an undertaking (c)would be possible. *shrugs*, what do I know though, I'm in Kansas. I just see these things on Google maps.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/16 11:47 by Orient.

zchcsse Wrote:
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> Great shots, Ryan!
>
> They should have fired-up that Amtrak Genset to
> get that train up the hill 0.1mph faster.
>
> -Tom

It was.  Didn't you hear these had DPU capability installed?

Pump

hahahahahaha, good one, Ryan. I'm glad I wasn't drinking coffee when I read that because I surely would have spit it out laughing.

Endless nitpicking is one of the many charms of Trainorders. That, and the crap-lousy mobile interface that makes users switch to the full-sized interface to login again and again and again.


>>
>> I guess I should have stated in >> my original post 'regularly
>> scheduled passenger service' >> but I didn't realize people were >> going to try and pick apart the >> 'details' of my post.

Posted from iPhone

Back on topic...curious as to why the Amtrak engine was not placed behind the UP power.


Cajon92 Wrote:
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> It has been a few years now since Amtrak's Coast
> Starlight last detoured over the Tehachapis and
> through the heart of California, masquerading as
> the 'San Joaquin' Starlight. This passed weekend
> however Amtrak's presence returned to Tehachapi's
> green hills in the form of MP21B 'genset' switcher
> #590, en-trained near the rear of UP's QRVWC. 
>
> 1) Leaving Caliente, nearly 700' below, UP 7527
> works up Tehachapi's western slope at Cliff,
> appropriately named for its precarious position
> high above the Tehachapi Creek.
>
> 2) An unlikely 'swing helper' :-) In reality AMTK
> 590 is just catching a ride to Amtrak's 8th street
> yard in Los Angeles. 
>
> 3) And a look back to March 13, 2013....Forced off
> the Coast Line due to track/bridge work, Amtrak
> #11 makes an appearance on Tehachapi, devoid of
> regular passenger service since 1971. Led by AMTK
> 113 the 'San Joaquin' Starlight is approaching
> Caliente, while Tehachapi's well dress 'spring
> hills' provide the backdrop, aided by seasonal
> wildflowers. 
>
> Thanks for looking,
> ~Ryan