tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post6032381914412958872..comments2023-06-04T04:11:05.291-07:00Comments on Santa Cruz Trains: Tunnels: Summit (Tunnel 2)Derek Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17715926686413316877noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-10063024255851476932020-12-19T22:22:43.239-08:002020-12-19T22:22:43.239-08:00Dave, found it years ago. https://youtu.be/ewbY0RE...Dave, found it years ago. https://youtu.be/ewbY0RE2eKYB8conhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11950440497902480742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-20537566237567592152019-09-09T11:51:49.264-07:002019-09-09T11:51:49.264-07:00Here is a short story of our recent attempt to fin...Here is a short story of our recent attempt to find the south / east portal. We figured we had three options for access:<br /><br />1) The popular Troy Road trail to the portal<br />2) The railroad grade from Laurel to Burns Creek and the portal<br />3) Burns Creek itself<br /><br />We started with option 1 and realized there is no good place on Troy Road or anywhere beyond Summit Road to park a vehicle. Out of respect for the locals we felt that we would have to park on Summit Road and walk down, and even then we heard finding the trail was sketchy at best and chances stumbling through peoples yards. We decided for a more incognito approach.<br /><br />We drove down to the road closure gate on Redwood Lodge Rd where it crosses Burns Creek and where there are no houses. After taking a peak at the creek we decided to go with option 3 and try to just bushwack up it to get to the portal. While totally doable, it takes a long time and requires frequent water crossings, interactions with spiders and ticks and poison oak and thorn bushes, and lots of chances for seriously messing yourself up. I want to say we got about a hundred or so yards from the portal before we realized we wouldn't have enough daylight to get back, so we turned around.<br /><br />Next morning we decided to try option 2. We knew that this would also bring us into people's backyards but not as bad as option 1. We parked in the same spot on Redwood Lodge Road and walked up to Laurel and then followed the railroad grade down the private road to where it simple ended at a house and a ravine. Seeing no good way across the ravine we gave up - but not entirely.<br /><br />As a last ditch effort to find the portal, we walked back to Laurel and up Schulties Road to see if there was anyway to get down from it to the creek, though we knew it would be steep as hell. We thought our chances were nil. Just when we were about to finally give up, we found a trail.<br /><br />Someone created a trail off of Schulties Road that is a fairly short but exceptionally steep hike down to Burns Creek and the south / east portal. As of this summer 2019 it is a totally legit path but who knows what winter rains may do to it. It is across from a private driveway near a power pole about a half mile up the road from Laurel, a little ways past a due east shot to where the tunnel portal would be. We simply stumbled upon this path by luck as we heard no mention of it, but for those who would like to be incognito and not have to feel like you are parking in front of people's houses and walking through their yards, this is your best bet. You could potentially park in Laurel as well and make the walk even shorter.<br /><br />Good luck.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02522480334272359866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-40374481282442842812019-01-27T18:48:47.579-08:002019-01-27T18:48:47.579-08:00I finally visited the Summit Tunnel today -- I'...I finally visited the Summit Tunnel today -- I've been doing artistic research on the Chinese communities in Santa Cruz and the surrounding areas. Thank you for the rich historical info and directions to the site! Here's a little post about my visit, in case folks are interested: https://mixingwaters.tumblr.com/post/182360993595/summit-tunnel-los-gatos-creekCynthia Ling Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12547560046979664718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-67637870036237203652018-06-10T17:08:56.641-07:002018-06-10T17:08:56.641-07:00My friend Bruce and I went exploring today, hoping...My friend Bruce and I went exploring today, hoping to get to the Burns Creek Portal. Having read up quite a bit on it we decided the Summit Canyon approach was not the best idea and headed to Troy Road and the only house on it. The approach to the 'trail' was nowhere to be found but we decided to bushwhack our way through the poison oak in the general direction of the creek bed. We finally found the remains of a trail and pressed on down some very steep stuff before coming to a little more open path down toward the creek.<br />After a few more sketchy slides down the hill we were at the top of the portal. Just below was the old trestle and we went into the pretty wet tunnel as far as we could, seemed like about a few hundred yards before the cement blockage.<br />There is a trail that crosses the creek and must join up with the grade, continuing to the Laurel Portal but we decided to scramble back up the hill and head away from the route we came in on, thinking it would take us to the Summit Canyon route. Instead we came out in the Deerfield neighborhood and met some very friendly residents, Kevin and Kathy, before taking the neighborhood streets back down to the car.<br />All in all a great adventure, although we almost turned back 3 or 4 times trying to find the Troy trailhead.<br />NeilGuitar Lessonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16231684287334033344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-20723304001510072142018-02-20T15:00:24.989-08:002018-02-20T15:00:24.989-08:00I've never been impressed by what I've see...I've never been impressed by what I've seen in these old photos of storm destruction and simply see convenient excuses that relied on the remoteness and ruggedness of the region. The 1940 damage might have taken a couple of weeks. The 1982 storm amounted to some toppled trees and a section of track that moved a few inches (south of Inspiration Point): maybe two days worth of work. And since I'm in some kind of a myth busting mode, I seriously question the whole Eccles and Eastern endeavor. Anyway, I had to just go on the record as someone who can't believe half of the stories I'm told about these inaccessible areas.Grantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-74809904128164597622018-02-20T14:25:52.953-08:002018-02-20T14:25:52.953-08:00Another good reason for keeping the old maps: only...Another good reason for keeping the old maps: only three or four people would know or care about such miscues. I like the topographical information, too (and I meant the smaller maps that Duncan took a turn at making, not a five-mile stretch that was correctly rejected).Grantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-42254620830214542672018-01-24T14:36:10.370-08:002018-01-24T14:36:10.370-08:00Railroad directions are not strictly geographic. F...Railroad directions are not strictly geographic. For the Southern Pacific (and South Pacific Coast), San Francisco is west, so anything heading toward or facing San Francisco is west and anything going away from San Francisco is east. Thus, the Wright portal, despite facing the east geographically, is facing west because it's on the San Francisco side of the tunnel.Derek Whaleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17715926686413316877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-13222361397506208842018-01-22T20:59:43.102-08:002018-01-22T20:59:43.102-08:00Why are the tunnel portals labeled opposite of the...Why are the tunnel portals labeled opposite of their geographic locations? Wright is West? I would say North is more accurate. Great WebsitePhilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-87182405782841393802018-01-04T12:57:25.702-08:002018-01-04T12:57:25.702-08:00I can't give you a definitive answer as to why...I can't give you a definitive answer as to why the tracks were physically removed. Southern Pacific certainly wanted to abandon the line in 1940 and, it seems, they had wanted to abandon it for a number of years. Perhaps the fact that the US was ramping up for World War II meant that steel prices were high, which would explain the removal of the rails and bridges. After that, I imagine they asked around if anybody wanted to reclaim the ties, piers, posts, and tunnel supports, at which point H.A. Christie & Son said yes. I assume SP made money from the demolition, otherwise they wouldn't have done it.Derek Whaleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17715926686413316877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-63704816134963453832018-01-02T13:18:46.869-08:002018-01-02T13:18:46.869-08:00Wait so why were the tracks and trestles removed a...Wait so why were the tracks and trestles removed and the tunnels filled when SP abandoned the railway wouldn't it have been cheaper to leave the infrastructure there instead of hiring someone to remove it ?bequifiushttp://twitter.com/Bequifusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-79812550023680554622017-12-23T06:28:49.490-08:002017-12-23T06:28:49.490-08:00Thanks for your comments and photographs. I first...Thanks for your comments and photographs. I first visited the east end of Summit Tunnel in about 1970. I worked @ Santa's Village Chevron station at the time, and they had a tourist 'cartoon' map on the wall, which for some reason showed the tunnels. So some friends and I hiked to it. It is a rather foreboding place. I returned there twice, likely abt 1980 and 1995. It is certainly worth the effort, and I hope access to it is available again some day. . Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11488114255297268696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-13128560315700116752016-06-20T05:18:48.498-07:002016-06-20T05:18:48.498-07:00Thanks John! I've corrected the caption. I lea...Thanks John! I've corrected the caption. I learned it was called a velocipede a few months ago but forgot I had an image of it on here. I have looked at the photo again and agree it is much later – possibly even the 1930s considering the similarity between the moss in the photo to the 1937 photo of the tunnel. Definitely much later than I had it dated. I wrote this article while I was still deep into the research, so thank you for pointing out an obvious mistake. I'm sorry I missed it. Cheers!Derek Whaleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17715926686413316877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-42409171666012281872016-06-20T05:03:03.254-07:002016-06-20T05:03:03.254-07:00Regarding 5th photo down "inspector on tricyc...Regarding 5th photo down "inspector on tricycle" image: I have almost definitive proof that the image is much later than 1893. The image is post standard gauge. That man is riding a standard gauge velocipede, the official name of the device. I own both a 1889 standard gauge velocipede and recently built myself a 3 foot narrow gauge one. I have photos of both I can share with you to compare. You will soon agree the photo shows standard gauge tracks. Also note the amount of moss / mold / mildew on the concrete. This shows many years of age, certainly NOT year one of its existence. Also look above the concrete form. See trees and shrubs? In 1893 there was nothing but dirt above the portal. The growth above the portal in this image is many years old... consistent with 14-15 years, along with the mold & mildew stains being appropriate for 14-15 years. This image is post-standard gauge, so as I understand it, post 1906. I know Bruce McGregor personally and I do not expect him to make a date error such as this, so I will talk to him. I am a member of SPCRR.org and help restore the equipment that once ran on this line. Great web site by the way. Found it totally by accident doing research about the current Santa Cruz & Monterrey Bay Railroad.John Ehttp://spcrr.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-29305975059515627182014-05-31T12:07:39.091-07:002014-05-31T12:07:39.091-07:00You can light the natural gas with your lighter! W...You can light the natural gas with your lighter! We used to do it all the time in there when we were kids. A small flame would stay lit and lick up the side of the wall. Not sure how dangerous it was, but an old timer showed us how to do it...mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03224892742722401972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-64142626080015836202014-04-13T22:25:34.018-07:002014-04-13T22:25:34.018-07:00Natural gas is very hard to notice if you're n...Natural gas is very hard to notice if you're not looking for it -- it has no odor or appearance. The rotten eggs smell is added to commercial supplies, but you'd get no such warning from a natural supply like this. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-19095742910252377072013-11-15T10:32:37.949-08:002013-11-15T10:32:37.949-08:00Yes, I am glad that the current owners in that are...Yes, I am glad that the current owners in that area are not quite so violent, though they still do own large dogs. Glenwood Tunnel's north portal is on public land (water district) while it's south portal is not owned at all. Neither should be defensible with a gun then or now.<br /><br />Regarding the bubbler, I didn't see any nor did we ever smell natural gas there, which was a good thing. Still, did you happen to take any photographs of the hike back then or could you describe the bubbler? I'd like to know what to look for when I head back there.Derek Whaleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17715926686413316877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-9054614787756766732013-11-14T11:11:53.191-08:002013-11-14T11:11:53.191-08:00About 1992, a group of 5 friends and I hiked the o...About 1992, a group of 5 friends and I hiked the old SPC and extensively explored the right of way, including the south end of the summit tunnel. I will never forget walking to the debris pile and having one of the gang suddenly point out a natural gas bubbler. Just as he did that, one of the other guys said "This is so cool, calls for a cigarette!" and we heard the lid on his Zippo pop open.<br /><br />Don't know if there was enough gas to cause an explosion, but we all grabbed him mid spark, just in case.<br /><br />Same trip, we met a local "farmer" near the Glenwood Tunnel who kindly advised us, with aid from 2 rottweilers and a double barrel 12 gauge, that he wasn't thrilled with us hiking near his "garden". Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09992358456691169452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-2788617480495776662013-03-29T19:20:43.205-07:002013-03-29T19:20:43.205-07:00Let me know the next time you want to go look at a...Let me know the next time you want to go look at any tunnels. This stuff is fascinating to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com