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SOUTHERN PACIFIC'S Obispo handled the high priority Overnighters and
trailer trains between L.A. and San Francisco, but it
SOLEDAD CANYON ROUTE
was the Valley Line to Bakersfield, of which the Saugus
Line was a part, that trembled more frequently beneath
the weight of Pacific Fruit Express blocks out of the
THE OLD San Joaquin, lumber products from Oregon, and mixed
loads of salt, potash, and borax from the Searles
ROAD TO branch. To enter the Los Angeles area, such trains had
first to struggle with the intricacies of the Saugus Line,
or, in its more geographic description, Soledad Can-
LOS ANGELES yon. Within this 56-mile piece of desert railroad,
100-car freights conquered two separate summits and
endured inclines of 1.9, 2.2, and 2.4 percent. Close to a
century of transportational progress chuffed, droned,
and rolled across Soledad. What spiraled westbound
down Tehachapi's famous loop in Espee colors did so
By Bruce Kelly only after running the marathon course of Soledad
Canyon.
As the late 1960s saw second-generation dieselization
T WAS IN THE DAYS OF MAMMOTH STEAM brought into full swing, Southern Pacific began spiking
power, highly evolved and high-drivered, and
also of covered wagons-that is to say, diesel elec- down its long-talked-about bypass line between Palm-
tric-that Southern Pacific's Saugus Line between Los dale and West Colton. Opened on July 11, 1967, the
Angeles and Palmdale was the principal route for any- Palmdale Cutoff performed its intended task of clearing
thing rolling to or from the railroad's westernmost the metropolitan routes of unwanted through-traffic. A
reaches. The lesser used Coast Line through San Luis typical unit train launched from Yuma or points east

It's a hazy day on the Soledad Canyon line as westbound Southern Pacific symbol freight
LABRF ascends a 1.8% grade appraoching the east switch of Ravenna Siding, M.P. 430.
"Westbound" trains actually travel east between Saugus and Vincent summit. - BRUCE KELLY
8 • APRIL 1984