San Fernando Tunnel

San Fernando Tunnel. . , The San Fernando Tunnel is widely considered one of the great historical treasures of Los Angeles. Following completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869, the Southern Pacific began a rail extension from Sacramento to Los Angeles. Just south of this location, work commenced on a tunnel that would bore through the mountains between Newhall on the north and San Fernando on the south. , , Beginning March 22, 1875, a crew of 1,500 laborers, of which 1,000 were Chinese, used hand tools to excavate the 22-foot high, 18-foot wide tunnel from both ends. Shafts were dug down from the mountain top for ventilation and to enable removal of debris. The sandstone mountain was saturated with water and oil, causing frequent cave-ins and loss of life. , , Work on the 6,966.5-foot tunnel, then the 3rd longest in the U.S. and 4th longest in the world, was completed about 7 months ahead of schedule in August 1876. A month later, a Golden Spike ceremony was held at Lang, near present-day Santa Clarita, to celebrate the first rail connection between northern and southern California. That rail line and the San Fernando Tunnel are still used today for freight and passenger traffic.