In late December 1991, newly restored Santa Fe 4-8-4 3751 operated on a four-day fan trip from Los Angeles to Bakersfield. This trip included crossing Cajon Pass and Tehachapi twice. On the third day, December 29, the train crossed eastbound over the Tehachapi Mountains on a drizzly day. At Woodford, the excursion met a westbound Santa Fe hotshot, train 991, descending the hill. The steam engine, of course, waited in the siding while the piggyback train, led by ATSF Dash 8-40BW 532, passed by. Some of the Santa Fe employees piloting the special (because the steam engine's crew wasn't familiar with this line) give the freight a roll-by, making sure everything on the train is as it should be. Once the freight clears the siding, the 1927-built Baldwin steamer will continue its uphill trek with a thunderous show of steam and smoke, as it loudly barks its way up the hill and toward the famed Tehachapi Loop, about three miles ahead. Click HERE to see another view.
