Correcting a Mistake About Tunnels 12 & 13 on the Tehachapi

Occasionally, even I, Mr. Know-it-All, get it wrong. There is usually no shortage of viewers to point out my mistakes, but this time, no one said anything! I just had a viewer send me some cool pix, then a couple days later, another met me at the depot with some copies of photographs, of the bypassing of Tunnel 13. None were clear enough to use in the video, but please accept this correction video as my apology for being wrong in the first place!
Tunnels Part 1 • Exploring the Tunnels ...
Tunnels Part II • Exploring the Tunnels ...
Area GPS 35d 10' 44"N 118d 29' 41"W
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[@armandosoliz1455]

You're a good man Charlie Brown...Mark, thanks for the update.

[@davesargenti9876]

Great video!!! Thx for all you do....Having my dinner watching right now after a long day of work...Makes my day....Train on!!!!

[@GeorgeJansen]

We've come along way since the old days of Covid. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@GeorgeJansen]

Wrong or right, still love you Mr Mark and all your historical background information provided ❤❤

[@bryce2680]

It was me who sent the picture..... Thanks for doing this update and showing me the area again!

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thank you, and you're welcome!

[@JackStrawfromWichita1]

Thank you for the information, great video

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Very cool and interesting video as always Mark. Enjoyed watching once again and have a wonderful rest of your Thursday.(Steve)

[@ATSFSuperChief]

Nice research and great explanation along with informative video. Thanks Mark.🤠

[@Brother_D_therail]

Hi Mark, back in the day, I had the opportunity to explore old tunnels 12 and 13...there had been some kind of problem ahead of us, and our caboose was stopped right there for hours. You are right about the locations of the portals of both. At that time there was still evidence of the east portal of tunnel 13, if you looked close enough. I'm sure where you were standing was just about as I remember it being. An old timer had shown me where it was, so you got it right!

[@mec253]

Interesting.. Thank you !!

[@cathyblagg2501]

Fascinating, Mark!!

[@birdman5223]

❤️ the content MrMark 👍

[@craigpalmer9196]

icc valuation maps might help or usgs topographic maps theae are online

[@mechanicman8687]

It’s okay. I can be wrong too because one time I thought I was wrong but I was wrong’

[@louisb229]

Thank you for owning your error. We all make them!

[@Ottos_ScLm_Race_videos_2009_on]

What Tunnel on Google maps is Tunnel 1874? I take tunnels are number from north to south? So the loop was done in 1876?

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

All the tunnels were built in 1875-76, with the exception of tunnel 1/2, which as far as I can tell, was built in 1885. Yes, they are numbered north to south, 1/2 to 17.

[@Ottos_ScLm_Race_videos_2009_on]

@@MarkClayMcGowan I found a site on line that showed the info. Has pictures I'm guessing of tunnels 12 and 13 I can't tell.

[@turkfiles]

Thanks, Mark. Appreciate your honesty regarding the tunnel locations. One thing that I would like to know is how electricity was delivered for signals and other equipment in the middle of nowhere? I’ve always thought that the poles carried both communications and power to all of the various signals and other trackside equipment. I understand that it’s easily done in populated areas, but not in the middle of mountains, deserts and plains?

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

I have them as well, they're just too small (5KB) to be enlarged enough to share here. Thanks for the help though.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Youu are correct about power generally being carried on the pole line. In some areas it is also carried underground in much higher voltages to compensate for the distances, then stepped down at the locations. When I hired out in 1979, we were installing locations in VERY remote areas and were using solar to power them. The Highway 395 crossing on the Lone Pine branch is still operated that way. As civilization encroached on the desert, the solar panels were removed and AC run to those locations. Here is a piece I did on pole lines! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWHXe2mBqNtlfrs

[@glennfoster2423]

Wrong? Mark, are you the chairman of that group? I need to join, but I have a problem. The only time I made a mistake was when I admitted I was wrong!

[@robertmcbee4671]

I am surprised that the railroad would be touching 440 or 110. Usually they only deal with DC. I dealt with RR's and did traffic control design setting up prempt for traffic. I had to do all kinds of crazy stuff to appease the RR companies, but I got it to work. Yes, 440 into a 110 rectifier would cause a little concern. Keep at it... you're doing great!

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

The AC was just for location power, not signal circuits. Line circuits were 10-12 VDC, with code line 160-200 VDC. We had as much as 2,700 volts on the open emergency segment from Caliente to Bealville, and 750 from Walong to Cliff. Most was 480 or 240, most stepped down at the location poles, or occasionally in the house.

[@gusshadleythelunaticfromar7125]

West of williamson wv, the original main line turned at Naugatuck, ran toward lonore. Right there the mile post prefix changed at webb, to N/A, new alignment, the N/A was opened just in time for WW 1, They took old RoW for a hiway. You can look up Dinguss Tunnel, used to this day for vehicle traffic. Had rails for 30 years, impressive stone work from that era. Built by hand.

[@crissimonson1839]

Did this guy know where Tunnel 11 was?

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

It was near what was the west end of Marcel

[@killsalive1]

Hang in there bud...........

[@revenniaga6249]

Guessing the tunnels were removed in th 50s. Back then they did it all with steam shovels and maybe a D3 bulldozer. Today we have D11 cats and excavators that can move more soil and rock in a day then they could in a month yet no other tunnels have been daylighted or track aligned

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

11, 12 and 13 were removed in 1920. 4 and 6 were bypassed and daylighted, respectively, in 1952, with tunnel 1/2 being daylighted in 1983. Daylighting the rest of the tunnels would require shutting down the line during the work, and that's just not going to happen with today's PSR world. Thanks for checking it out!

[@WORDversesWORLD]

Nobody will ever be 100% right, period.

[@jeffreykornspan9053]

Being a 45 year in the trade Sparky, I can relate to burning transformers, relays and control equipment. I'm retired today and of course burning up was in my apprentice days. Thanks for your video and like the beautiful country where you are. I'm in the east in the Maryland suburbs. Are you any good on theory of the ACS -64? I've been trying to contact someone at Amtrak and no response. I've downloaded the factory specs but that only goes so far! Must e all too secret! Thanks, again Mark

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thanks for the note! I'm sorry, but I'm not very conversant with locomotive types. If you're on Facebook, there are plenty of groups where I am certain you could get that information.

[@patrickspencer4360]

Wrong, you wrong welcome to my world