Tehachapi grade closed

[gedunk]

A derailment and fire in the tunnel of the Tehachapi Loop has closed the entire grade. The picture is from the Newpaper as well.

http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x ... o-injuries

[weatherdan882002]

I read about that. They had to evacuate some homes because of the toxic smoke.

[gedunk]

Burning plastic pellets make quite stinky smoke.

Considering the entire grade just had it's track aligned and ballast tamped - along with fixing whatever other defects may have been found - I'd say somebody in the UP Track Maintenance department is about to get reamed. How hard depends on if that tunnel needs to be relined due to the fire.

[Smjh1979]

I heard here on the news that the evacuation spread was 1 mile from the fire scene.

Now that line is impassible for a while, I wonder what detours the trains are taking now?

[gedunk]

Now that line is impassible for a while, I wonder what detours the trains are taking now?

They'll be using the UP Coast line. Cuesta grade is going to be a real choke point as there are few staging tracks at the bottom & top of the grade. I don't even know if there's a passing track on the grade itself.

[gedunk]

That was fast work I guess. The grade has been open since Tuesday afternoon, but there appears to be a lot of work going on in the tunnel area. On my way home at midnight, I can see the tunnel portal area on the inside portion of the loop is lit up like daytime, but I can't see what they're actually doing. The amount of lighting they have is very impressive though.

[gedunk]

Whoops. My bad. Seems the line wasn't open, the BNSF & UP were just clearing the line of the 60 trains stuck by the fire.
Work continued today, with the burned & totalled cars removed, and tunnel work & new track going in. The tunnel shot was taken from an area rarely open to the public, and I'm not sure it was open today, but a UP worker said "go over there" when I asked if I could get closer for a look.

[Smjh1979]

Certainly stuff you don't see everyday...

[SirKrunch]

Excellent photos you took.

Sad to see something like that happen though.

[gedunk]

[quote="SirKrunch"]Excellent photos you took.
[quote]

Thank You. I'm getting a grip on this camera...