name | Cajon Pass |
---|---|
photo | Cajon Pass, wide angle.jpg |
photo caption | I-15 passing over Cajon Summit in the Cajon Pass area |
elevation ft | 3777 |
elevation ref | |
traversed | I-15, Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway |
location | San Bernardino County, California, |
range | San Bernardino Mountains/San Gabriel Mountains |
coordinates | |
topo | }} |
Cajon Pass itself, located at , is at the head of Horsethief Canyon traversed by California State Route 138 (SR 138) and railroad tracks owned by BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. Railroad improvements in 1972 reduced its maximum elevation from about to while also reducing the curvature. Interstate 15 does not traverse Cajon Pass itself but rather the nearby Cajon Summit, , elevation . However, the entire area including Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit is often collectively referred to as Cajon Pass. Sometimes the entire area is called Cajon Pass but a distinction is made between Cajon Pass and Cajon Summit in detail.
In 1851, a group of Mormon settlers led by Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich traveled through the Cajon Pass in covered wagons on their way from Salt Lake City to Southern California. A prominent rock formation in the pass, where the Mormon trail and the railway merge (at 34.3184,-117.4920, near Sullivan's Curve), is known as Mormon Rocks.
The Union Pacific Railroad operates and owns one track through the pass, on the previous Southern Pacific Railroad Palmdale cutoff, opened in 1967. The BNSF Railway had two tracks and began to operate a third main track in the summer of 2008. The railroads share track rights through the pass ever since the Union Pacific gained track rights on the Santa Fe portion negotiated under the original Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. The original BNSF (ATSF) line was constructed in 1890 and later roads, U.S. Route 66 and I-15, roughly followed this route. The 3.0% grade for a few miles on the south track is especially challenging for long trains, making the westbound descent potentially dangerous, as a runaway can easily occur if the engineer is not careful in handling the brakes. The second track, built in 1913, makes a loop around the hills at a lower 2.20% grade. It ran through two short tunnels, but both were removed in order to add the third main track that runs parallel to the 1913 line. Speeds of may be seen on the straighter track away from the pass, but are typically ascending and between while descending. The third track enables a capacity of 150 trains per day on the BNSF lines.
Cajon Pass was the site of a major train accident on 14 December 1994, when a westbound Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe intermodal train lost control in the Cajon Pass and crashed into the rear of a westbound Southern Pacific coal train just below California Highway 138 between Alray and Cajon. The steep downhill grade south of the pass had earlier been a contributing factor in the 12 May 1989 San Bernardino train disaster.
The historic Summit Inn, off the Oak Hills exit at the summit of the pass, is a historic Route 66 diner and has been at its present location since 1952. Some maps may show the Cajon Pass as a feature on SR 138, which crosses I-15 south of the summit between West Cajon Valley and Summit Valley. The highest point on I-15 between Los Angeles and Victorville is thus sometimes identified as Cajon Summit. However, the entire area, including Cajon Summit, is often called Cajon Pass.
In addition to wildfire hazards, Cajon Pass is notorious for wind hazards. In gusty conditions it is especially difficult to navigate through it as the Santa Ana winds usually push through that area. The winds sometimes reach gale-force strength. As a result, there are usually high wind advisories as well as road signs posted throughout the area. It is not uncommon to see overturned trucks during such windy weather there.
Cajon Pass gets snow occasionally, sometimes enough to close the pass temporarily. When there is snow, the California Highway Patrol will set up checkpoints on the freeway. Since most Southern Californians are without snow tires or snow chains, they are forced to turn back, or wait until the snow has stopped and the freeway has been cleared of snow.
When there is high wind or snow in the Cajon Pass, it is fairly common for weather forecasters or reporters for San Bernardino, San Diego, and Los Angeles-area televisions stations to do location reports from the Cajon Pass.
The San Andreas Fault passes through the Cajon Pass (crossing I-15 on the south side of the summit) and is responsible for the unique local geography.
Category:Mountain passes of California Category:Landforms of San Bernardino County, California Category:Rail mountain passes of the United States Category:Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Category:Southern Pacific Railroad Category:Interstate 15 Category:U.S. Route 66 Category:Inland Empire (California) Category:San Gabriel Mountains Category:Mojave Desert Category:Mountains and hills of San Bernardino County
fr:Cajon PassThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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