Lesson plan
Tehachapi Loop
and double-stack container manifest from the Keene Post Office celebrating the Loop's 129th anniversary The Tehachapi Loop is a rail spiral (or helix) on the Union Pacific Railroad's Mojave Subdivision through the Tehachapi Pass in the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to the town of Mojave in the Mojave Desert. Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains in elevation and makes a circle. Any train that is more than long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop. At the bottom of the loop, the track passes through Tunnel 9, the ninth tunnel built as the railroad was extended from Bakersfield. The line averages about 36 freight trains each day. Passenger trains such as Amtrak's Gold Runner are banned from the loop, although the Coast Starlight can use it as a detour. Its frequent trains and scenic setting make the Tehachapi Loop popular with railfans. In 1998, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also designated as California Historical Landmark #508.
Article summary
and double-stack container manifest from the Keene Post Office celebrating the Loop's 129th anniversary The Tehachapi Loop is a rail spiral (or helix) on the Union Pacific Railroad's Mojave Subdivision through the Tehachapi Pass in the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to the town of Mojave in the Mojave Desert. Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains in elevation and makes a circle. Any train that is more than long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop. At the bottom of the loop, the track passes through Tunnel 9, the ninth tunnel built as the railroad was extended from Bakersfield. The line averages about 36 freight trains each day. Passenger trains such as Amtrak's Gold Runner are banned from the loop, although the Coast Starlight can use it as a detour. Its frequent trains and scenic setting make the Tehachapi Loop popular with railfans. In 1998, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also designated as California Historical Landmark #508.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.