6112-1 Tehachapi Today

Tehachapi Today!
von George & Katherine Melvin
Book / Buch in Englisch


Husband and wife team, George and Katherine Melvin have put together an
informative and timely book with their fantastic effort “Tehachapi Today!” Taking
the reader from Bakersfield, Calif., on up to the Loop, and over to Mojave, Calif.,
this book, with its all-color images, provides a splendid look into the current-day exploits of BNSF and Union Pacific in the Tehachapi Mountains.
Its well-thought-out layout, which features a series of superb aerial photos by photographer Roger W. Snyder, brings to life areas of the mountain that the casual Tehachapi observer often misses. George Melvin’s work as a commercial
photographer and his life-long employment in the railroad industry become quite evident as you explore each page and the wealth of information each photo caption contains. I found myself wondering how he was able to determine all of the train symbols for each photo featured. His wife’s training in the art world unfolds as you search the photo bylines. Not content wit just shooting trains, Katherine’s photos fill the pages with scenes of mule deer above Tunnel 3 and a red-tailed hawk riding the thermals above Tunnel 1. The authors cover every single area of interest on this twisting, turning rail line. The photos feature weather conditions from the tule fog syndrome, to the Loop blanketed in snow, to blue-sky conditions and perfect lighting. The photos leap off each page. The authors are quite proud to say that “Tehachapi Today!,” their first in what hopes to be an ongoing rail book publishing business, was conceived, published, and
printed in the United States. In the text, George states that on his final visit to the mountain before completing the book, he exclaimed to Katherine, “Every railfan should visit this place at least once!” After pouring through their tribute to this spectacular place of railroad engineering and history, I have to second that motion. I would only add that anyone heading to Tehachapi should bring along copy of “Tehachapi Today!” As the saying goes, “Don’t leave home without it!”