Hetch Hetchy Railroad
The Hetch Hetchy Railroad was a railroad constructed by the City of San Francisco to support the construction and expansion of the O'Shaughnessy Dam across Hetch Hetchy Valley (shown below). The line extended from its western terminus at Hetch Hetchy Junction and connection with the Sierra Railroad to its eastern terminus on the rim of the Hetch Hetchy Valley above the O'Shaughnessy Dam construction site.
Today, much of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad has been overlain and repeatedly bisected by parts of various roads. The bridge across the Tuolumne River (shown above) was removed to clear the canyon for the expansion of Lake Don Pedro. Many segments still have the old ties in place, with scattered pieces of hardware. Some of the more remarkable views of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad route are along the Cherry Lake Road between the hill above Spinning Wheel Camp and Camp Mather. The route presents breathtaking views of the formidable Tuolumne River Canyon.
Hetch Hetchy Junction (shown below) is about 3 miles to the South from this geocaches icon on private land.
Geocache is located at: N 37° AB.CDE W 120° FG.HIJ
A. The mountainous terrain resulted in steep grades over what percent?
B. How many miles of the railroad were completed in 1915?
C. The Hetch Hetchy Railroad was a __ mile standard gauge Class III railroad. (first digit)
D. The route had extremely sharp curves as much as __ degrees, a 190-foot radius. (first digit)
E. HHR junction with the Sierra Railroad was at what number Sierra milepost? (second digit)
F. Intensive operations supporting the construction of the dam were complete in what year? (last digit)
G. The dam provides water and electricity to how many millions of people? (first digit)
H. Several parts of the railroad's right-of-way were used for a roadbed for what highway? (second digit)
I. In what year was the entire line was dismantled. (last digit)
J. What is the Hetch Hetchy Railroad locomotive number that rests in Central Park?
