Western Railroad Discussion > Bloomer Cut near Auburn, Calif article

Found this article in the May/June 2011 issue of the Placer Historical Society's newsletter

Bloomer Cut by Ralph Gibson

On July 1, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Pacific Railroad Act. This act established the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad and provided each funds in the form of bonds and land grants to construct the Transcontinental Railroad.

On January 8, 1863, Governor Leland Stanford participated in a ground breaking ceremony for the Central Pacific Railroad in Sacramento. Just over a year later, in February of 1864, construction of the railroad reached the first obstacle in the Sierra Foothills on the western
side of Auburn. The route of the railroad, which was carefully mapped and designed by engineer Theodore Judah, called for a massive cut through a cemented gravel hill near Bloomer Ranch.

On February 22, 1864, workers began the dangerous and exhausting job of cutting a wedge through a tough, rocky hill. The following is an article from the February 27,1864 edition of the Placer Herald: On last Monday work was commenced by the contractor, with a force of some thirty men, on the deep through cut on the Pacific Railroad, one mile south¬west of Auburn. The point is known as Bloomer Gap. The cut will be about one thousand feet long, and the deepest cutting sixty-two feet, and the amount of material to be removed nearly 40,000 cubic yards. The material is found to be boulders embedded in cement, and of course difficult of excavation. It is proposed, however, whenever sufficient face if obtained on the bank, to try the mining plan of bank blasting, which will expedite the work materially.

Workers did use the blasting technique to good effect, but this method was quite dangerous. On April 15, 1864, one of the black powder charges failed to explode. Two workers (a Frenchman and a Portuguese) and their supervisor Mr. Strobridge used tools, possibly crowbars, to remove the powder when it suddenly exploded. All three were injured. The Portuguese worker was the most severely wounded and died of his wounds a few days later. Mr. Strobridge lost his left eye and the Frenchman survived with just minor injuries.

Who worked on Bloomer Cut is still being debated by historians. Some believe the Chinese were responsible for a large amount of the work at Bloomer Cut, while others point to payroll records that seem to indicate that if any Chinese worked on it, they did so in the last few weeks of its construction. The contribution of the Chinese laborers to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad over the Sierra Nevada Mountains is significant and well documented. But there are too many gaps in payroll records and not enough concrete evidence to say for sure whether or not they worked on Bloomer Cut.

Even the total number of workers was debated and argued during its construction as the following Placer Herald article from July 30, 1864 indicates: Incorrect. - The statement of the Sacramento Union, that there are 300 men at work on the Pacific Railroad, at the Bloomer Hill cut, is incorrect. The number does not exceed forty; and that is all that can be worked to advantage. The whole number of men now at work on the road, -upon the grading and culverts, above Newcastle, are not more than sixty. We do not see what is to be gained in the Union claiming a large force at work, when the contrary is the fact. The frequent loose statements in connection with this road, is beginning to convince people that there is a vast amount of humbug indulged in.

By early May of 1865, the track through Bloomer Cut had been laid. The first train to reach Auburn arrived on May 13* . The work was done, but it was not forgotten. Some hailed it as "the Eighth Wonder of the World" and it was seen as an engineering marvel. It remains today largely unchanged from its original condition in 1865 and its eligibility for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places is unquestioned.

But its days may be numbered. In 2011, a draft Environmental Impact Report for a planned subdivision in the Baltimore Ravine area (where Bloomer Cut is located) was accepted by the Auburn City Council. The design of the subdivision calls for a bridge to span the cut. Though this would weaken the historic integrity of the site, the design of the bridge itself is cause for even more concern.

The footings for the bridge span a much wider gap than the cut itself. Union Pacific engineers approved the design of the bridge based on proposed plans by the railroad to widen the cut to make room for a second track, thus erasing Bloomer Cut from the face of the earth.

Jan Austin
Chico, CA
J.G. Austin Photography

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Could someone happen to share how to get to this cut? I've searched for it on several occasions and have had no luck finding it.

Thanks for sharing these pictures and history.

SF3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Could someone happen to share how to get to this
> cut? I've searched for it on several occasions and
> have had no luck finding it.
>
> Thanks for sharing these pictures and history.


While I have rolled through this cut many times over the years (westbound) I too do not know how to get to the spot. It's very impressive from the back platform of a PV.

SF3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Could someone happen to share how to get to this
> cut? I've searched for it on several occasions and
> have had no luck finding it.
>
> Thanks for sharing these pictures and history.

Google earth

38,52'42.05"N
121,05'08.70"W

The cut is at the end of Oak View Terrace an Norman Ln in Auburn, CA.

AL Bayer

You have to hike about a mile down along the Number One track to it from a crossing in Auburn.. trespassing the entire time. Sad how the UP treats SP historical value.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/11 13:34 by WAF.

I had forgotten how curvy the original mainline was through Auburn...


AM

bradleymckay Wrote:
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> I had forgotten how curvy the original mainline
> was through Auburn...
>
>
> AM

Now you know why the speed is 30mph

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bradleymckay Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I had forgotten how curvy the original mainline
> > was through Auburn...
> >
> >
> > AM
>
> Now you know why the speed is 30mph

Another interesting find while looking at the area on Google Maps... residential subdivisions, on top of tunnels, on the old eb main line!


Allen

If you park at the corner of Herdahl Dr. and Quinn Way, there's a historical marker for Bloomer Cut, and beyond it is a path that leads back to the cut behind a row of houses:

http://g.co/maps/df7vn

I'm told there are ways to drive in from the west on dirt roads right to the cut, but I've never tried them. Depending on the time of year, the floor of the cut only sees full sunlight for a window of about 1.5 hours in the middle of the day. During daylight savings time, the sweet spot is between roughly 1 and 2:30pm.

You could (can) drive all the way there on the UP MOW roads from the crossing.. of course, if they catch
you...?

In the PM, you can get the light on the nose in coming out of the cut, giving you can idea down deep it is.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/11 14:35 by WAF.

There is a park about a mile or so east of the cut with a gate that (at least used to) be open during the day. You could drive right in to the cut. Its been a few years since I have been in there however. Heavily used by dirt bikers and ATVers.

locogimp wrote, in part:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> The footings for the bridge span a much wider gap
> than the cut itself. Union Pacific engineers
> approved the design of the bridge based on
> proposed plans by the railroad to widen the cut to
> make room for a second track, thus erasing Bloomer
> Cut from the face of the earth.

Why the need to double-track the line? Isn't there a parallel track on a different alignment?

billio Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> locogimp wrote, in part:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > The footings for the bridge span a much wider
> gap
> > than the cut itself. Union Pacific engineers
> > approved the design of the bridge based on
> > proposed plans by the railroad to widen the cut
> to
> > make room for a second track, thus erasing
> Bloomer
> > Cut from the face of the earth.
>
> Why the need to double-track the line? Isn't
> there a parallel track on a different alignment?

I agree. The Number One track is steeper than the Number Two

The one photo I remember of Bloomer Cut was taken by Ted Benson...off the top of my head it was in Trains magazine and may have been about the SP SD45's. Anybody else remember that??


Allen

It was Stein in a article on Donner cica 1979?. Number Five was shown in the Cut

WAF Wrote:
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> It was Stein in a article on Donner cica 1979?.
> Number Five was shown in the Cut


Found another photo Wes. It is in the book "Diesels Over Donner" by Steinheimer and Dorn, page 22. It's a photo of #5 with a UP SD40-2 leading...photo by Dick Dorn. Caption mentions that before the cut was blasted it was the ancestral ceremonial grounds of the Maidu Indians.



Allen



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/11 18:45 by bradleymckay.

bradleymckay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WAF Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It was Stein in a article on Donner cica 1979?.
> > Number Five was shown in the Cut
>
>
> Found another photo Wes. It is in the book
> "Diesels Over Donner" by Steinheimer and Dorn,
> page 22. It's a photo of #5 with a UP SD40-2
> leading...photo by Dick Dorn. Caption mentions
> that before the cut was blasted it was the
> ancestral ceremonial grounds of the Maidu
> Indians.
>
>
>
> Allen

Yup

I believe I posted a shot of number 5 with an SP unit on the point coming through the Cut in this thread:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,1665555

Best regards,

Rob L.

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> billio Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------


> > Why the need to double-track the line? Isn't
> > there a parallel track on a different
> alignment?
>
> I agree. The Number One track is steeper than the
> Number Two

Don't know if UP has any immediate plans to widen the cut, since there is a #2 track on a more favorable gradient. However, they are wise to require any bridging of their right-of-way be such that it will accommodate a second track. Puts the monkey on the back of the developer, and not themselves, IF they decide they need to double track that piece of railroad.

The track through Bloomer Cut has domestic double stack clearances and the other track does not, correct? So nowadays it's possible to do an uphill shot there, right? Anyone done it yet?

Best regards,

Rob L.