Nostalgia & History > The "Owl" in the Tehachapi's early 1960's

While on a summer break from college  some of the gang from the photo class took a trip to Southern California basically to go to Disneyland. While on route I persuaded them to give chase to the "Owl" which was running a little late. Here's one of the shots I got as it exited a tunnel. What is the tunnel number as I am not that familiar with that section of the railroad?

Robert Morris
Dunsmuir, CA
Robert Morris Photography

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I have never seen a photo of that train.

Rick Burn

photobob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> While on a summer break from college  some of the
> gang from the photo class took a trip to Southern
> California basically to go to Disneyland. While on
> route I persuaded them to give chase to the "Owl"
> which was running a little late. Here's one of the
> shots I got as it exited a tunnel. What is the
> tunnel number as I am not that familiar with that
> section of the railroad?

Someone more knowledgeable than I will have to give the excact tunnel, but it's in the 14-15-16-17 area and I'm guessing 15. 

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/18 08:41 by ntharalson.

Thanks, Bob, for this and all the other wonderful posts you share here on Trainorders. There have been several "Owl" images posted here and elsewhere over the years. Naturally, most are on the Southern California or Bay Area ends of these Southern Pacific overnight trains' runs in evening light (departing) or morning light (arriving). I've never seen a photo of the "Owl" hooting up or down the San Joaquin Valley, where passage took place in the middle of the night. That's unfortunate, because the "Owl" was the last passenger train to traverse the SP's West Side line between Fresno, Los Banos, Patterson and Tracy, as well as being (in its final several years) enough of a semi-local to stop (albeit on a flag) here in southern Fresno County, in Kingsburg and Selma. I graduated from high school in Fowler (10 miles railroad east from Fresno) in 1965, two months after the "Owl" made its farewell journey. I have often kicked myself for not taking up my dad's offer to ride the train before its demise that April. 

Randy McFarland
Kingsburg, California
 

Might be the same tunnel as the third pic in

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4575094,4575124#msg-4575124

On second thought, doesn't look like the same one.
Who can tell which is which?
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/18 10:35 by timz.

Great photo Bob It looks like the east end of tunnel 16, before they did the earth work on the creek for the widening of 58 to four lanes.  

Does anyone know when 58 went to four lanes in this area? 

ʎɹɹɐ˥



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/18 11:48 by Larry020.

> Does anyone know when 58 went to four lanes in this area? 

Work started in the spring of 1963 to widen U.S. Highway 466 from Keene to near Tehachapi (a distance of 7.6 miles).

Highway 466 was redesignated State Route 58 in 1964.

Impressive as always!

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