Cuesta Pass is full of interesting history, especially since it has changed very little over the last 50 years. Here you can see an abandoned tunnel near milepost 143. This tunnel had a history of water leakage problems which eventually caused enough damage to prompt SP to bypass it completely in the 1950's. As it stands now, the tunnel is capped at both ends and appears to have collapsed somewhere in the middle. The tracks now curve more broadly, and there is plenty of room for up to four tracks where one now runs.

April 25, 1998