Western Railroad Discussion > A Day on Tehachapi back in Mid-September

Needing to attend our semi-annual sales meetings in Wasco, CA back in mid-September, I flew out a day early so I could spend that Sunday on Tehachapi. It was a good day....17 trains from 6:30 till just after 3 PM, just what the doctor ordered.
1. Before sunrise, UP 5415 with 262 axle-count, leads a Z down through Bealville
2&3. BNSF 7541 sits at Caliente with domestic stacks, and un-known trouble (more on that later), while a UP with empty bulkheads drops down through Caliente
Lothar
Corinth, TX

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4. Middle-set of DPU's of a loaded grain train with 4X3X3 power, dropping off Tehachapi, rounding the horseshoe at Caliente
5. A downhill intermodal peeks around the last corner leading into Caliente
6. Same intermodal coasting through Caliente
Lothar

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7. A UP manifest about to duck into Tunnel 2
8. A hot EB Z-train climbing the horseshoe at Caliente
9. UP 7501 brings cement hoppers through Caliente right behind that Z
Lothar

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10. The aforementioned Z at Bealville.....so, here's the essance of why we love Tehachapi, besides the scenery, lots of trains, where you can catch the same train in numerous locations, here I caught the Z at Caliente, then the UP 7501 at Caliente, and hurried up to Bealville to catch the Z again
11. The cement hoppers again....at Bealville
12. A BNSF manifest grinds uphill through the lower reaches of Caliente
Lothar

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All nice shots Thanks for sharing.

Dale Miller
Langley, BC

Your pictures really display the essence of Tehachapi!

Paul Ramer
Cincinnati, OH

SUPER pics!!!! Thanks for sharing.

Here's more from that fine day in September
1. DPU's of a long BNSF manifest pushing hard at Tunnel 2
2. BNSF 7541 in Caliente Canyon, a train I first photographed at Caliente around 7 AM....now it's about 1 PM,,, they lost contact with the DPU's and eventually brought in a crew from Bakersfield to crew the DPU's and get the train moving again almost 6 hours later.
3. This gives you a good idea how long that stack was, as the head-end enters Cliff, while the crewed DPU's still occupy Bealville
Lothar
Corinth, TX

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3. Same stack winding through Walong
4. UP 5418 leads this manifest downhill through Rowen
6. The manifest drops down through Bealville, while a vehicle-train waits
Lothar

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7. The Vehicle finally heads out of Bealville
Lothar

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In the very last photo, the southbound signal at BEALVILLE, on the main, has a 2-headed signal mast. WHY? It's the main track--there is no diverging rail at this switch headed southbound. Even the siding has a 2-headed signal mast. SP did just fine at this location with single head signals. Why the need to 2 lights when 1 used to do just fine??



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/12 22:09 by coach.

Great Photos thanks for sharing! When is the best day to go there?

Javier Ortiz
Dallas, TX

Only one explanation possible, IMHO. They would be advance signalling for Cliff siding (next siding east). If a train was going to head-in for a meet at the WSS Cliff, it would be (guessing here) red over flashing yellow (lunar?) on THESE signals. WSS Cliff Control Signal would display a red over yellow (lunar?), ESS Control Signal, Red perhaps over red (dark?) - if IT was another two headed signal. That makes me wonder if they removed the intermediates between ESS Bealville and WSS Cliff?

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out


coach Wrote:
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> In the very last photo, the southbound signal at
> BEALVILLE, on the main, has a 2-headed signal
> mast. WHY? It's the main track--there is no
> diverging rail at this switch headed southbound.
> Even the siding has a 2-headed signal mast. SP
> did just fine at this location with single head
> signals. Why the need to 2 lights when 1 used to
> do just fine??



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/12 06:44 by ATSF100WEST.

With the SP signals, there was only one pair of intermediate signals between Bealville and Cliff (signals 3413/3414). These signals were removed from service on August 27, 2012. Since that was done, the signal at CP SP341 Bealville is now the signal immediately preceding the signal at CP SP342 Cliff. Because of this, CP SP341 now needs two signal heads to display the signal needed for approaching the signal at CP SP342.

It goes like this. If an eastbound train is going to go into the siding at CP SP342 Cliff, regardless if they are on the main or siding at Bealville, the signal at CP SP341 Bealville would give an approach diverging indication (yellow over yellow). This would be followed by a diverging approach indication (red over yellow) at CP SP342.

There were some pretty short blocks up there with the SP signaling, and it appears the UP is stretching them out a bit. Note that it is only about 1.2 miles from Bealville to Cliff. Also note that ESS & WSS are BNSF terms, not UP terms. To the UP it is just CP SP341, CP SP342, etc. Same goes for EBCS and WBCS. Don't expect to find these used on the UP either.

Great series, makes me really miss the Tehachapi welcome:-)

My wife and I were the english couple you spoke to at Bealville on that fine morning in September. It was a pleasure to chat to you and learn from your great knowledge of the area and its trains. It certainly enhanced the short time we had there before we moved on with our trip.