Ok guys,
Visiting the loop soon from England, any tips on best places, best times, where to stay local ???
Hav,nt been to Tehapachi for a while , my favourite place is at the loop itself - easy to find on the side road. - Trains Mag had a whole feature a few years back with maps & locations -not sure what year . Maybe someone else from the area can fill in the blanks . Cheers have fun.
there are some hotels in the town of Tehachapi. or there are tons of them just east of there in Mojave. i havent been railfanning there myself but i drive through there on highway 58 all the time. you can see most of the railroad from the highway. there is a historic site marker at the Keene exit, but i dont know where you go from there to get to the loop. i have heard that Caliente is a good place to tranwatch. it is pretty hot up there this time of year so i would suggest doing most of your railfanning in the mornings and evenings.
Where to stay depends on the quality of hotel you want. I do not know what the hotels are like in Tehachapi, but I would never stay at a hotel in Mojave, they look like borderline flea bag hotels. I have never stayed at the hotels in Bakersfield, however, the hotels at the Rosedale Highway (Highway 58 west from Highway 99) at Highway 99 look to be acceptable. Of course the better the hotel the more expensive it will be.
To get to the marker from Highway 58, take the Woodford/Keene exit. Then take the Woodford-Tehachapi Road east (it goes underneath Highway 58). In a couple of miles you will come fairly close the the Walong Siding and the tunnel. If you continue up the road a couple more miles you will get to the marker and a nice overall view of the loop. Don’t forget to set your parking brake when you park.
Look out for snakes. If you come during summer to early fall be prepared for high temperatures.
I haven’t been to Tehachapi since 1985, but you can reach it easily from Los Angeles by going north on Interstate 5 (I 5) to CA 14, the Antelope Valley Freeway; this will get you to Mojave. Take CA 58 from Mojave and exit at the Tehachapi interchange to reach the town of Tehachapi which is the summit of the line. From Tehachapi take either Church Road or Tucker Road south to Valley Road. Take Valley road west to Woodford - Tehachapi road which will take you to the marker and the overlook for the loop.
As somebody has already suggested be sure to put your car in gear, and set the parking brake hard. I would like to suggest something else; make sure you have your keys before you close the trunk, or lock the car. On a previous visit I left the car unlocked, but I locked the keys in the trunk; fortunately there were other railfans around who could help me remove the back seat and retrieve the keys. Also make sure your gas tank is full before you leave Mojave, or the town of Tehachapi, as there are few if any gas stations in the area.
Continuing west on Woodfird - Tehachapi Road, which becomes Keene - Woodford Road, you will come to a field where you can see the west portal of Tunnel 9; here you will see the engines exiting Tunnel 9 with its train passing overhead. The track runs in a sort of a southwesterly direction, as i recall, so it is well lighted for photography through the early afternoon.
Continue along Keene - Woodford Road and you will notice many interesting locations for photography. When you get to Keene there is a general store before getting back on CA 58 to go west toward Bakersfield. Between Keene and Bealville the railroad is not accessible from public property. Before reaching Bealville - Caliente Road there is a gravel pulloff where you can look down and see the west portal of one of the tunnels; this shot may be good all day long. The tracks cross Bealville - Calinete Road at grade in Bealville, and thee is good shot there. Bealville- Caliente Road take
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QUOTE: Originally posted by RudyRockvilleMD
I haven’t been to Tehachapi since 1985, but you can reach it easily from Los Angeles by going north on Interstate 5 (I 5) to CA 14, the Antelope Valley Freeway; this will get you to Mojave. Take CA 58 from Mojave and exit at the Tehachapi interchange to reach the town of Tehachapi which is the summit of the line. From Tehachapi take either Church Road or Tucker Road south to Valley Road. Take Valley road west to Woodford - Tehachapi road which will take you to the marker and the overlook for the loop.
As somebody has already suggested be sure to put your car in gear, and set the parking brake hard. I would like to suggest something else; make sure you have your keys before you close the trunk, or lock the car. On a previous visit I left the car unlocked, but I locked the keys in the trunk; fortunately there were other railfans around who could help me remove the back seat and retrieve the keys. Also make sure your gas tank is full before you leave Mojave, or the town of Tehachapi, as there are few if any gas stations in the area.
Continuing west on Woodfird - Tehachapi Road, which becomes Keene - Woodford Road, you will come to a field where you can see the west portal of Tunnel 9; here you will see the engines exiting Tunnel 9 with its train passing overhead. The track runs in a sort of a southwesterly direction, as i recall, so it is well lighted for photography through the early afternoon.
Continue along Keene - Woodford Road and you will notice many interesting locations for photography. When you get to Keene there is a general store before getting back on CA 58 to go west toward Bakersfield. Between Keene and Bealville the railroad is not accessible from public property. Before reaching Bealville - Caliente Road there is a gravel pulloff where you can look down and see the west portal of one of the tunnels; this shot may be good all day long. The tracks cross Bealville - Calinete Road at grade in
I last visited Tehachapi in 1999 - great place to watch trains!
I’d definitely base myself in Bakersfield (my choice on that trip) or Tehachapi - the railroad runs through Tehachapi alongside the main road, and (from memory) the front of the Best Western faces the tracks (but from a distance up a hill). One of my favourite bits of video I filmed on that trip is of an eastbound intermodal accelerating hard through Tehachapi past the old depot 
Others have mentioned the good spots to watch trains - the only comment I would add is that if you are planning to use a camcorder, a few places are close to the main highway and hence have a lot of background traffic noise.
Have a good trip,
Tony
(Cambridge, UK)
P.S. If you are in the LA area, Fullerton station (on the triple-track BNSF mainline) is a nice relaxing place to watch the (frequent) freight and Amtrak/Metrolink trains go by - it even has a cafe and restaurant on the platform.
Just back in the UK after a California visit.
Tehachapi - usually busier at beginning of week, but lines get closed for periods of maintenance. I f you have a scanner take it.
Follow signs off main road.
We stayed at the Travellodge at the east end of Tehachapi (Ask for an even numbered room 202 up. (US travellodges are better than ours).
Best Western CountryPark hotel has jusy opened and offers rooms with track views.
Bakersfield is a good place to stay - Holiday Inn Conference Centre (high room at back will overlook railway) Very high quality hotel but if there on aweekend, place is empty anddeals can be done.
I alsovisited Barstow, Needles Palm Springs and flagstaff.
Any further info reqd get in touch
Regards
Mike.
What ericsp was referring to in regard to wildfires is much of the foliage surrounding Tehachapi is Chapparall which is highly flammable especially in the dry season, April - October.
Another precaution is to stay off the private property surrounding the railroad unless you can get permission to enter. This is especially true of the ranch near the loop.
thanks for loads of info, any local frequencies i should tune into on the scanner ?
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Don’t forget sunscreen and water. A hat might be a good idea too.