Monday Trivia, No. 142 [Anne wins!]
Tehachapi, California: the Tehachapi Loop
California has two of these. Colorado, Tennessee, and Utah each have one. No other functioning exemplars of this exist in the United States. By way of comparison, Canada has three, all of which are in British Columbia.
Globally, the nation with the most of these appears to be either Iran or Switzerland; Switzerland has twelve and I think Iran has the same number, but I cannot determine that with precision. Italy is the runner-up with ten and Bulgaria takes third place with seven.
Something to do with ski lifts???Report
I’m thinking dams of some sort.Report
specifically, I’m thinking hydroelectric dams that generate direct current.
(but that’s just a guess)Report
The distinct lack of China or Brazil at the top three list put me off that notion.Report
@Kolohe nested comment re DC hydroelectricity
Why then would Bulgaria be ranked so high?
Seems like the “functioning exemplars” is an important clue, suggesting that other US states contain non-functioning (perhaps incomplete or decommissioned) exemplars.Report
Yeah, I’m with Caleb, dams don’t make sense because China’s not on there (unless, as Kolohe speculates, it is a specific type of dam).
Per Anne’s guess, and because all areas are fairly mountainous, I’ve checked for things like cable cars, funiculars, and aerial gondolas (Burt’s use of the word “functioning” makes me think it’s mechanical in some way; though it could also be an active geographical feature like volcanoes, geysers, etc.)
Given Burt’s recent focus on CA rail, I’ve also looked into things like monorails and suspended railways.
No luck on any of those so far, unless I am missing something.Report
“Why then would Bulgaria be ranked so high?”
because they would be using old fashioned commie-era stuff. Ditto Iran. It doesn’t really explain Switzerland though. (unless it’s because their stuff is so well made, it lasts forever).
Caleb has a good point, China’s absence is telling. And after wikiing, hydro isn’t a big thing in Bulgaria so something about skiing may be better. (I meant to include in my first comment ‘i like that guess, Anne’)Report
@kolohe The PRC has two of these. Taiwan has one.
There’s a free Monday hint for you all. I’m loving the guesses so far.Report
This is Burt-speak for “you guys are all way, way off.”Report
If it were Austria instead of Switzerland, I’d guess it was illegitimate Schwarzenegger kids.Report
Pelton turbine based hydroelectricity?Report
Some obsolescent sort of bridge?Report
quadruple continental divides?Report
Saline lakes?Report
I though so too, but I don’t think there are twelve in Switzerland. I also ran through glacier lakes, linear accelerators, uranium enrichment facilities and ground based observatories, but none fit.
So…. I’m going with “Religions or sects founded after 1800?”
No? How about “Narrow Gage Railroads?”Report
Heh. I checked glacial lakes too. Great minds etc. etc.Report
@glyph re: Rails… I also looked into funicular, cog and cable mountain railways, and though Italy and Switzerland are tops in both these (and close, but not exactly what Mr Likko states), there are “examples” of these in Michigan, and Pennsylvania… so I’m not feeling it.Report
Rail (or highway) tunnels above a certain elevation, or over a certain length, or combination of the two? Or tunnels that connect two separate major drainage areas? California could manage that with tunnels in the Sierras connecting the Pacific drainage on one end and one of Nevada’s closed endorheic drainages. Or built before a certain date (California’s Summit and Spring Garden tunnels, Colorado’s Moffat tunnel) and still in use? Or abandoned rail tunnels matched with some of the above, although that stretches the meaning of “functioning”.Report
Tuesday hint: I don’t think you need one. Just about all of you are on the right…TRACK.Report
Forest railways?Report
Bullet train?Report
Narrow-gage railways?Report
I thought that, too, based on Burt’s hint, but chasm already suggested that, so presumably not.
Unless Burt is demanding correct spelling, in which case I’ll suggest “narrow gauge railways.” 😉Report
No need to be so picky here.
The puzzle asks for something described by one of two common words. Either will win.Report
This one’s maddening, Burt.Report
🙂Report
Passenger rail stations above, say, 8000 feet?Report
Operational timber trestle bridgesReport
Gondolas? Wait, it looks like someone’s already asked that. Umm… Grade 6 highways? Or at least grade 6 roads?Report
What’s a grade 6 road?Report
Grade = gradient. So 6=6%. I imagine there are some roads much steeper than that anywhere there are hills and mountains, but I believe the steepest interstate highway in the U.S. is either 6 or 7 (I know I-24, not too far from where you used to live, is 6% out near Chattanooga, and it’s one of the steepest interstate highways in the U.S.).Report
(This CAPTCHA nonsense is annoying.)
I’d add that I have a pretty pronounced fear of heights, and driving on I-24 to get to Atlanta (and on to Macon) from Franklin, TN is an absolutely terrifying experience, especially going down. If you see a car going 45 in the left lane of I-24 on the westbound side (heading west, the right hand lane is basically on the edge of the mountain), heading down from Monteagle, it might be me.Report
I-70 between Aspen and Denver has an eight mile hill at 7%. I think there’s a couple 7% hills on I-5, too.
Steepest I’ve ever seen was an 11% on a two-lane in PA and another in WV.Report
Rod, the moment I see those ramps for trucks whose breaks have given out, I start to get a little nervous.Report
Near where I live there’s a city street dividing two subdivisions that has a 14% grade for a stretch. I always try to take visiting flatlanders along that route at some point, approaching from the back side so they don’t know it’s coming. Never fails to get a gasp out of them as we pop over the top of the hill and start down :^)Report
Steam engines?Report
Incline trains?Report
Railroads with a loop (where track goes around and crosses over itself)Report
Yay! Anne puts all the clues together — how does a railroad handle a steep mountain grade? I’m running out the door to court and will update the header later today — for now, good job!
The judges would also have accepted a rail “spiral.”
Post inspired by my recent day trip to Tehachapi.Report
This is exciting I never even get close on most of these. Pays to be the daughter of a train nutReport
functioning loops not abandoned, Georgetown in CO Hiawasee in Tenn, Tehatchapi and another I can’t think of in CAReport
When I was young and my fear of heights was less paralyzing, I used to walk along the Hiwasee (it’s pronounced “Hiawasee,” but there’s no ‘a’ before the ‘w’) railroad around the river (where we went tubing). A couple times I even jumped into the river from the bridge. I could not do that now.Report
Congrats to Anne. I wish I’d thought of it.
But I must protest–there is a railroad spiral in Banff National Park (Alberta), that I believe is still in use. Here’s a pic.
Nevertheless, a very cool topic for a the Monday Trivia.Report