Does anybody know if MRL (Montana Rail Link) would prototypically run over the Tehachapi Loop?
The Loop is located between Bakersfield and Mojave, in southern California. That’s a mighty long haul from Montana!
Not impossible that a unit painted for MRL could have gone over that particular hill, but I wouldn’t bet any of MY money on it.
Chuck (Mojave Desert resident modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Well, you won’t lose any money then…
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=419978&nseq=3
This is certainly a rare event though, which has only happened about one other time that I know of. It is extremely rare for MRL power to escape their railroad to others.
Yep! That’s the Tehachapi Loop, you can see the Bakersfield SMOG in the background.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Just so N Scale Train Boy knows what is happening in that picture. At some point before the picture was taken, the MRL used a BNSF engine to operate one if its trains on its railroad. That meant the MRL owed the BNSF for the use of the engine (measured in “horsepower hours”). To pay the BNSF back for the use of the BNSF engine the MRL let the BNSF use one of its engines. While that is an MRL engine it is not an MRL train, or crew and the MRL has no rights to operate on Tehachapi, as soon as the hphrs are paid back the BNSF will return the engine to the MRL.
MRL has gone over Tehachapi Pass eastbound, once that we’re sure of. NS and CN locos show up on every other BNSF train. Brother Husman explained why.
As for location, that’s the uphill side of the Caliente hairpin. If you look hard at the right edge of the photo, right next to the darker green trees, you can see a bit of the lower level track this train traversed about five minutes earlier, heading in the opposite direction.
The Loop is several twisting, turning miles ahead (and uphill) and the actual summit at Tehachapi is several tunnels farther along.
(Yes, I lived in the area.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Also if you look at the picture, the loco is at the rear of the train, pushing. It is not the lead loco.
j…
Perhaps Chuck can offer some info about that picture. It appears to me that the MRL Locomotive is either coasting down hill West bound or the lead locomotive up hill East bound. The haze in the background is the downhill Bakersfield (408’ AMSL) SMOG side, the uphill side or 22 miles east of Bakersfield is Caliente (1312’ AMSL).
As there doesn’t appear that either locomotive is working hard (2% to 2.2% grade at Caliente) the MRL & the BNSF are either coasting helpers, breaking the heavy freight down hill or they have stopped.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
My Model Railroad
http://melvine
According to the caption the train is eastbound/uphill. You are looking at the downhill end, and the locos are working hard enough to keep clean stacks. Heavy diesel smoke is a result of poor combustion. If the engine is loaded up there aren’t any cool spots, so combustion is much more complete.
If you get a map view of Caliente you’ll notice that it really is a rather long hairpin. If you had been the cameraman, the Loop would have been up over your left shoulder.
Chuck (EX-Californian modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Thank you guys so much! I was just wondering.
Thanks everybody on the information! I am so happy that there is a resource such as this for people like me who have many questions about railroading!
With all of the lumber on the train, I think it is safe to assume it is an eastward train.
I’m not familiar with the area to know which direction the photo is looking, but you’ll notice that the MRL unit’s headlights are not on, so it’s definitely not the front of the train.