Railroad Repeats


Bloomer Cut Looking West     38°52'43.86"N, 121°5'7.14"W


Bloomer Cut, as this photo shows, was one of the most massive cuts along the Central Pacific. According to the Placer Herald of July 30, 1864, roughly forty men worked on the cut. They excavated 25,000-30,000 cubic yards of material. Notice how unstable the rock walls are. Considerable labor would be necessary to keep cuts free of debris. As it happened, a fair amount of loose rock has collected on the track.


The railroad is virtually flush against the wall and the land has lost about a foot. The modern track still goes through the original cut. Rather than widen it, the railroad built a second track outside the frame of this picture. Again, notice the reforestation at the end of the turn.