The
busy and dramatic Cajon Pass, entrance and exit for Southern California
traffic of both the Santa Fe and Union Pacific, has never been better
presented than by the long-time Summit operator, Chard Walker. In 1885,
the California Southern Railroad, backed by the Santa Fe, completed its
route through Cajon Pass, creating the legendary rail passage to the
Pacific that survives today as a great artery of commerce. In 1905 Union
Pacific became a tenant of the Pass, and in 1967 Southern Pacific built
its own trackage over almost the same route. The construction and
particularly the operation of this line, down through the years, are
presented in some detail in this book. This is the complete story of
Cajon Pass in words and photos, augmented by the superb cartography of
John Signor. This book takes you from the very beginning up to the
1980s; the lore was gathered and the facts written by a railroader and
railfan who was there at the right time.
