A eastbound heavy freight climbs out of Caliente, which is east of Bakersfield, California in the Tehachapi mountains sometime in the early 1995 in this Kodachrome slide scan.
According to Wikipedia: Established in the 1870s, Caliente was originally named Allens Camp for a cattle rancher and settler named Gabriel Allen. Later, the name Agua Caliente, coming from hot springs in the area, was proposed and may have been used. This name conflicted with the community of the same name in Sonoma County. With the railroad’s arrival in 1875, the shortened name Caliente was adopted.
Caliente prospered during Southern Pacific Railroad’s construction of Tehachapi Pass line. For a time, the Telegraph Stage Line and the Cerro Gordo Freighting Co. also ran through Caliente and its full-time population grew to 200. There were approximately 60 buildings, including 20 or more saloons.
The Caliente post office opened in 1875, closed in 1883, and was re-established in 1890. The Caliente General Store was remodeled in 1980 to house the post office which is still in operation today.
The sound of diesel locomotives and railroad horns are present day and night. The community is along the track of the Union Pacific Railroad, Mojave Subdivision. The track loops around the post office as it winds through the local hills. Trains climb toward the Tehachapi summit eastbound or descend toward Bakersfield if westbound.
Tech Notes: Nikon F3 Film Camera, Nikon 800-200mm, f/stop and shutter speed not recorded