If you've ever stood in amazement at the sight of an eastbound laboring out of Caliente, fighting for each mile through all the twists and turns, obtaining 700 feet in 6 rail miles to again come into view at Cliff, roughly one mile as the crow flies from where you stand in Caliente, and you've just witnessed the finest example of mountain railroading to be found anywhere. Add some elevation to that perspective and the full genius of Southern Pacific's path up the western slope, carved out between 1874-1876, can truly be appreciated. On a beautiful morning in October 2014 a westbound BNSF stack train drops downgrade highlighting the railroad's serpentine course between the bottom end of Bealville (formally Allard) and the top leg of the Caliente horseshoe. Two tunnels were also required to bridge the gap between Caliente and Allard, from left to right are tunnels 2 and 1, the head end of the westbound having just emerged from the latter of the two.
