Santa Cruz, CA Laurel Railroad Tunnel

California Nostalgia

Old Santa Cruz, CA Laurel Railroad Tunnel

Here is a description of the old Laurel railroad tunnel on the Los Gatos to Santa Cruz line, opened in May 1880. The line was washed out in February 1940. The rails were removed in 1941. The Laurel tunnel was sealed at both ends using dynamite in April 1942.

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#	Name	Length feet	Open	Sealed	Tunnel Portals listed in order on route from San Jose	Notes
B	Laurel-Glenwood Tunnel AKA the Glenwood Tunnel	5,793	1880	1942	3. Northern Portal at Laurel (elev.=903 ft.)	Easy access behind marker
B	Laurel-Glenwood Tunnel AKA the Glenwood Tunnel	5,793	1880	1942	4. Southern Portal at Glenwood Drive	Easy visual access at road - physical access much harder
20	200	60	50	50	300	150

.	. Photos below are Portal # 3 - Laurel	.
	The Laurel Portal of the Laurel-Glenwood Tunnel This entrance is sealed about 20 feet in. Daylight shines in from the back of the concrete, revealing a total collapse of the surface. "He blowed up real good" comes to mind. . .
The New 1909 Laurel Portal The new concrete portal entrance was constructed in 1909, three years after the big quake of 1906. . .
Laurel Historical Marker Once thriving railroad and sawmill town, known as Highland, when the first through train ran in 1880. Name Laurel adopted about 1885. F.A. Hihn built sawmill here in 1899. The Laurel Mill shipped much of the lumber to rebuild San Francisco in 1906. Little remains today except tunnel portals and memories. This historical marker placed by the County of Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz County Bicentennial Commission October 1969. . Located at the old town site of Laurel.

.	. Photos below are Portal # 4 - Glenwood	.
	The Glenwood Portal of the Laurel-Glenwood Tunnel Although the tunnel entrance can easily be found, physical access is more difficult. This is due to private property, and a steep bank down to the railroad bed, which is now a creek bed. . .
The Glenwood Portal of the Laurel-Glenwood Tunnel This portal is sealed just inside the entrance. . .
	The Glenwood Portal of the Laurel-Glenwood Tunnel Notice the 1909 portal construction date. The pipe safety rail looks like railing over a creek, but the other side of the road is solid mountain. AHA! Because of this, it is probably the easiest portal to find. . .

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This Vaughn's Santa Cruz Laurel-Glenwood Railroad Tunnel webpage was last updated on 2008-02-24.