Passenger Trains > Around Ortega Hill, Not Through It!

Ortega Hill stands between Montecito (Santa Barbara) and Summerland. US-101 goes up over the top of it, the SP carved out a shelf. and runs around it.
Here is an EB SurfLiner 'rounding Ortega on the way to LA and San Diego.
SR

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Great work with the drone!   I really enjoy the all the shots that you and others post, with new angles never before possible.

Looks like Mother Nature is making her best effort to reclaim the area of the ROW and the highway.  Both from the erosion down the slope and the effects of the surf.
 

As unstable as the ground is in that area I wouldn't try to put a tunnel through there either.

I would have to disagree about erosion.  I've wandered this area for over 50yrs and I won't go so far as there's been no erosion, as I'm not a qualified engineer, but I will say that it sure looks the same as it did when I was a kid.  I'd guess the trick to the hill's stability are the the sea walls the SP built on the beach early on.  (They're in this photo down there on the beach)  The walls have been mentioned several times on TO lately by several posters.  The SP constructed miles and miles of these walls from here all the way West to at about Surf.
I wouldn't worry too much about Ortega Hill- SP did their homework.
SR

 

Neat angle

Posted from iPhone

-That one turned out really nice!!

1940s era photos show oil wells in this area, some perched on top of the little bench behind the seawall.
Some abandoned pipes show in Boilingman's image.
Great place to watch for whales from train windows this time of year.