According to the Union Pacific Railroad, "A grading crew of 30 to 40 men began work on California’s Bloomer Cut in February 1864, using primitive hand tools and blasting powder to remove 40,000 cubic yards of cemented gravel.
In July 1864, an accidental black powder explosion severely injured three men; James Strobridge, Central Pacific (CP) construction superintendent, lost his right eye in the accident.
When finished, Bloomer Cut – named because it was on Bloomer Ranch – was 800 feet long and 65 feet deep at its deepest point. The cut provided a rail link between Newcastle and Auburn, and at the time it was considered the most difficult work attempted by CP."
Today, the cut remains virtually untouched. In this shot, UP 2726 squeezes through the impressive rock cut as it guides a lengthy intermodal train down the #1 track of the Roseville Subdivision at Auburn.
