After Sacramento, it was on the train to Bakersfield, where I was picked by another you-tube friend and Tehachapi local, Bob (Longshadow Model trees) and taken back to my hotel in the small town with the name of the famous railway spiral! Bob has lived in Tehachapi for many years and knows the track from Rowen , all the way up the pass , round the loop and to Summit , like the back of his hand! The scenery is amazing and how the line snakes it's way up the pass is a testament to the surveyors and construction crews of the day. It is interesting to note , that many of the Chinese workers who forged the railroad over Donner Pass, came down to California and built the Tehachapi Pass as well, with equal success! Bob spent four days showing me all the known spots and some not so , but the curse of the track closure followed me again, so trains were a bit slow during the day, but we still managed to get quite a few trains on the loop and at the famous horseshoe curve at Caliente. It was fantastic to see BNSF and UP trains crawl around the loop in person and to finally be there was a highlight of the trip.
Bob also showed me around the restored Tehachapi depot and museum, which features a large collection of signals from the old SP line on the Pass, from a former rail worker who recently passed away. I was then treated to lunch with Bob and his wife Sylvia, at the very popular german Bakery next door to the old depot. Bob and I had a great time and had lots of laughs and I can't thank him enough for his generous hospitality!! Cheers mate!
After reluctantly leaving Tehachapi, it was back on the train for a 4hr ride into L.A.
Hooroo for now.
