Arriving in 1874 the rails of the Southern Pacific Railroad reached Caliente, CA on their push south to link northern and southern California. The crossing of the daunting Tehachapi range was once thought of as impossible and as a result Caliente grew into the railroad's southern terminus, keeping in that roll for over a year as passengers and freight transferred to stages for the journey into Los Angeles. Southern Pacific civil engineer William Hood challenged this and under his direction a horseshoe of track was laid around Caliente's neck, crossing Caliente Creek and Tehachapi Creek before climbing into the hills southwest of Caliente. Hood's railroad, through a seemingly endless series of curves, found a suitable path over the Tehachapi's, finally linking up with southern California in 1876. Today, much the same as it was when it was carved into being, the railroad still follows Hood's path over the Tehachapi, some 140 years after the impassable Tehachapi's were conquered. Conforming to the horseshoe curve leaving Caliente, Union Pacific's eastbound ZLTLC, led by new ET45AH 2613, has a long and serpentine climb ahead of it before the summit of the Tehachapi's is at hand.
