# Williams Loop

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{{Short description|Rail spiral in California}}
{{use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
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{{coord|39|54|36|N|120|48|29|W|type:landmark_region:US-CA|display=title}}
thumb|300px|Williams Loop, looking west from the upper portion
The '''Williams Loop''' is a [rail spiral](/source/Spiral_(railway)) on the [Union Pacific Railroad](/source/Union_Pacific_Railroad)'s [Feather River Route](/source/Feather_River_Route) through the [Sierra Nevada](/source/Sierra_Nevada_(U.S.)) mountains in northeastern [California](/source/California), connecting the [Sacramento Valley](/source/Sacramento_Valley) to [Salt Lake City](/source/Salt_Lake_City) via the [Feather River](/source/Feather_River) canyons. Located about five miles east of [East Quincy](/source/East_Quincy%2C_California), the loop is used to gain elevation on the eastward climb to its [summit](/source/Route_summit) at [Beckwourth Pass](/source/Beckwourth_Pass) while maintaining the railroad's overall 1.0 percent (compensated) [grade](/source/Ruling_gradient),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bartell |first1=John |title=The Seven Railroad Wonders of the Feather River Canyon |url=https://www.abc10.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/backroads/seven-railroad-wonders-feather-river-canyon-bartells-backroads/103-526a6238-6d54-426f-a2cd-e2d7e74cd98f |access-date=19 February 2024 |agency=KXTV ABC10 |date=January 13, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lloyd |first1=Arthur L. |title=Western Pacific Railroad: A railroader's history |url=https://www.trains.com/ctr/railroads/fallen-flags/western-pacific-railroad-a-railroaders-history/ |access-date=5 December 2022 |agency=[Trains](/source/Trains_(magazine)) |date=August 1, 2021 |archive-date=December 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251216051607/https://www.trains.com/ctr/railroads/fallen-flags/western-pacific-railroad-a-railroaders-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the least steep of any grade on a transcontinental railroad.{{Citation needed|reason=On any contintent, on the (North) American continent, or just in the USA?|date=December 2019}} Built in 1914 by the [Western Pacific Railroad](/source/Western_Pacific_Railroad), the loop and the nearby [Spring Garden Tunnel](/source/Spring_Garden_Tunnel) help surmount the divide between the [East Branch North Fork Feather River](/source/East_Branch_North_Fork_Feather_River) and the [Middle Fork Feather River](/source/Middle_Fork_Feather_River).

The Williams Loop is part of [Plumas County](/source/Plumas_County)'s "7 Wonders of the Railroad World" and access is described in its travel guide.<ref name="PlumasCo">{{cite web | url = http://www.plumascounty.org/Tour%20Itineraries%202008/Spec%20Tour%207.pdf | title = Tour 7 - Wonders of the Railroad World | publisher = Plumas County Visitors Bureau | accessdate = 2008-08-26 | archive-date = July 18, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110718231420/http://www.plumascounty.org/Tour%20Itineraries%202008/Spec%20Tour%207.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsyvEZKXrhk Williams Loop - aerial perspective (Video)]

Category:Rail infrastructure in California
Category:Western Pacific Railroad
Category:Transportation in Plumas County, California
Category:Union Pacific Railroad lines

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Williams Loop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_Loop) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_Loop?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.