Posted by BNSF SAMMY on August 17, 2005 
wow...great shot. is that just me or was the track moved as well near the front of the flat cars?
Posted by Adam Amick on August 17, 2005 
Houston, we have a problem! That track has been moved way over.
Posted by J. Randall Banks on August 17, 2005 
That is a wicked nasty double curve. Seems that a straight line might be much safer.
Posted by TheTeenageRailfan on August 21, 2005 
Funny this should happen. I was watching an old tape of trains in Chcago, and at least half the Burlington trains had flatcars (empty) right behind the engines! Go figure.
Posted by SCL Pete on April 29, 2006 
Hey,let's put the empty flat cars next behind the engines instead of on the rear of the train.
Posted by Mitch Goldman on June 24, 2006 
They are barely even flat cars - why in the world is there a curve there, anyway?
Posted by Scott Locker on June 28, 2006 
Man Tehachapi has it shares of surprises. This and AMTK 11 going over the loop
Posted by julio on January 14, 2007 
That must be a heck of a ride there.
Posted by Extra West on June 3, 2007 
Perhaps the curve is necessary to maintain the ruling grade.
Posted by rrvideoman on November 13, 2007 
Interesting way of getting some OT. I don't think that is quite what BN had in mind. Trains themselves should not be used for track relocation.
Posted by Bruce Brown on June 21, 2011 
Slack in. Slack stretched !!!
Posted by Bruce Brown on June 22, 2011 
Great pic Amy. I had browsed hundreds of photos without taking a second look, but this one caught my eye and I took a second look. Rail art artist, David A. Oram, painted a canvas oil painting at this same location. A Santa Fe freight coming out of the tunnel. He titled his painting "Tunnel 10." I think the original painting is in a private collection now. His notation was "Santa Fe freight, on a steep ascent headed for Barstow." Sorry to hear that this location has been fenced off by the property owner. Keep up the good work.
Posted by Dale Roth on December 23, 2016 
I believe the ruling grade is 2.2% and to straighten it would increase the grade.
Posted by mmi16 on June 24, 2018 
Yardmasters assemble trains - not Helper Crews. If 'The Man' tells you to take the train or face insubordination charges - you take the train.
Posted by MoPac76 on March 4, 2019 
From the looks of this photo, this was the head end of this train, and these were not helpers. Otherwise the derailed cars would have been outside the curve instead of on the inside. This kind of derailment is called "stringlining". The tractive effort of the locomotives was greater than the resistance of the flanges on the emply cars against the rail to keep them on the rail. This is an extreme example!! Additional proof of this is the rail being pulled inside the curve as well as the cars.
Posted by HighHoods on July 28, 2022 
Is it possible those engines were helpers and they were holding back too much?
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