Passenger Trains > Above Tunnel Five-And-A-Half

Amtrak 11, the Coast Starlight. emerges from tunnel five-and-a-half on the east side of the Salinas Valley, between Soledad and King City, near where the unincorporated community of Metz once stood.

Built during the 1920s as part of a line relocation project to eliminate 10-degree curves at Rocky Point, the 1,305-foot-long, concrete-lined tunnel was billed as a safety improvement that would lead to reduced running times. The tunnel was built after at least two wrecks, including one that killed an engineer and fireman, and left 40 others injured. 

The Sept. 28, 1919 wreck at Rocky Point claimed the lives of engineer Walter Patrick and fireman E. Reinhart. according to the 2005 book “Salinas Valley,” by Margaret E. Clovis. The Southern Pacific ran a special train to bring 40 others injured in the wreck to the Southern Pacific Hospital in San Francisco. A previous wreck occurred at the location about 9 years earlier, according to Clovis.

Although the original 1886 survey of the line envisioned a tunnel at this location, its construction wasn’t ordered until after the 1919 deadly wreck, according to the December, 1922 edition of the “Southern Pacific Bulletin,” a company publication. Southern Pacific awarded the $200,000 tunnel construction contract to the Utah Construction Company, according to the Bulletin.

When the tunnel was built, Southern Pacific already had an existing tunnel 5, located on the Bayshore Cutoff to the north; and a tunnel 6 to the south, so the new structure was named tunnel five-and-a-half. 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/15 22:52 by walstib.

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Thanks for the extended narritive to complement the picture.   It makes the picture many times more meaningful, especially for someone who has ridden through that tunnel.

Marty Bernard

Thanks for the great write-up on the history of the Tunnel 5 1/2!

Perfect place to use the drone, where form follows function. Love the contrast of colors in your shot.

Used to always call it "The tunnel at Metz" although it might not quite be at that location.

Always a good surprise for people who have never been on the CSL before when you are talking to them
and mention that a tunnel is coming up. They don't expect a tunnel a this location as it is in the Salinas
Valley.

Regards, Jim Evans

There is/was a Starlight conductor who enjoys spoofing the passengers about a total solar eclipse moments before the tunnel is entered.  Always good for a chuckle.

-John

The dope I heard from the old heads was when the wreck happened it created a lot of trouble.

The boys in the City said that the wreck was impossible. There was a tunnel right there, or so their books showed. Sure enough, the money had been allocated years before and had been spent on a concrete tunnel.  Only trouble was there was no tunnel.  Gangs were sent down to the site, MP 155.54 , between Metz MP 152.3 & Coburn MP 158.9 to get to work. Never did get the straight dope of where the money went. I saw the track charts one day on a work train in the 70s, and it showed a proposed tunnel at Bradley Curve to get rid of the 30 mph around the point. It was 60 + on either side.  As we know now it never happened.

Tunnel 5 was around MP 7 or 8 just south of  Visitacion and Tunnel 6 was on Cuesta grade at MP 239.97.

Nudge

I remember the "solar eclipse" announcement.  This may have been the same conductor who pointed out the California Men's Colony (penal institution) just out of San Luis Obispo when heading up Cuesta Grade as the "former home of Dr. Timothy Leary" (younger readers may want to look him up on the internet).

Here's a link that should take you to a book with a picture of the wreck:

https://books.google.com/books?id=lRMFWrMJ2tkC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=southern+pacific+metz+tunnel&source=bl&ots=QtnUlcvuvV&sig=8xzhBHByqj3YiWeob2Gfsot1VMg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=d6IXVeLLCZS2oQTgroHoCA&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=southern%20pacific%20metz%20tunnel&f=false