Western Railroad Discussion > The Mojave Sink

UP climbing out NB!

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Where exactly is this location?  I'm guessing somewhere in southern California. 

just starting uphill n/b out of mojave, ca towards tehachapi on the u.p.'s mojave sub.........

66

Nice, the desert is green.
JB

Posted from Android

No such thing as the Mojave "sink."

johnsweetser Wrote:
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> No such thing as the Mojave "sink."

But I just learned that there's a place named Zzyzx in that vicinity!

Ray

A lot us are thinking of the Mojave River Sink, where the Mojave River that goes thru Victorville and Barstow leaves Afton Canyon and "sinks" into the desert.  As they are saying here, this train is leaving the town of Mojave, headed for Tehachapi.

mapboy.

johnsweetser Wrote:
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> No such thing as the Mojave "sink."

Steve Schmollinger refers to the relatively low elevation section of track that exists around Mojave yard as 'the mojave sink' in his well-known book about Tehachapi. 

exhaustED Wrote:
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> johnsweetser Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > No such thing as the Mojave "sink."
>
> Steve Schmollinger refers to the relatively low
> elevation section of track that exists around
> Mojave yard as 'the mojave sink' in his well-known
> book about Tehachapi. 

The city of Mojave, CA is listed as elevation 2,762 feet. Hardly low elevation. The summit at Tehachapi is approximately 3,700 feet. Having grown up in Barstow, the only area we knew as a sink was the Cadiz Sink. The elevation there drops to only a few hundred feet.

A "sink" is a geological term usually associated with the bottom of a lake or ancient ocean, the Cadiz area is
probably a good example. There are other terms for similar places ie most of us have always thought of
Bakersfield as a "hole".

Out

Amazing! In all the years going up and down the mountain haven't seen the desert that green ever!

Posted from Android

Arrived here in 1948 and never heard of anything around here referred to the "Mojave Sink." Never.
 

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

Is the photo above at MP377.1 where the old signal bridge used to be?

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> Is the photo above at MP377.1 where the old signal bridge used to be?

No. The first photo was taken probably at least two miles south of the signal bridge location.

By the way, it apparently was John Signor (author of "Tehachapi") who originally came up with the term "Mojave Sink" for the area.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/19 14:48 by johnsweetser.

llafro Wrote:
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> exhaustED Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > johnsweetser Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > No such thing as the Mojave "sink."
> >
> > Steve Schmollinger refers to the relatively low
> > elevation section of track that exists around
> > Mojave yard as 'the mojave sink' in his
> well-known
> > book about Tehachapi. 
>
> The city of Mojave, CA is listed as elevation
> 2,762 feet. Hardly low elevation. The summit at
> Tehachapi is approximately 3,700 feet. Having
> grown up in Barstow, the only area we knew as a
> sink was the Cadiz Sink. The elevation there drops
> to only a few hundred feet.

The altitude is totally irrelevant. Visit Mojave and look along the tracks from the north side of town past the yard to the south... the yard area is in a dip/sag.