Cajon Pass Triple-Tracking Updates (Plus Barstow-Daggett)

K. P. Harrier wrote:

This topic is for serious Cajon followers and NOT coffee shop types please... As a Southern California High Desert local, I hope to visit the pass at least every 2-4 weeks and update the triple-tracking progress.  Other Cajon visitors may find other important updates to share with us.   CAJON PASS: Saturday, August 18, 2007:   At Summit, major grading for the third track has taken place at Summit, and is almost shocking to longtime visitors.  A three-track cantilever signal bridge is now in place at the west end of the present crossovers.  The upgraded Summit crossover plant appears to NOT to be a full flexibility arrangement.  The missing switches will probably be put at Silverwood, slightly over half a mile downgrade to the west.    BARSTOW-DAGGETT: About July 2007:   A third track is being installed.  A new three-track cantilever signal bridge has been erected at the far west end of the new Daggett plant.  Union Pacific track #1 (making for four tracks) will need a new eastbound signal positioned when the present signal bridge is deleted.

Thanks for the update.  If you can post a picture or two, I would like to see them as we lived in Southern California for over 30 years and used to visit the pass fairly often.

Cheers

....Warren smith promissed he'd provide lots of Photo updates of construction.  He has already posted some.  Check back a ways to find them.  Beautiful views.

http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z174/99sarahd/?action=view&current=solo141.jpg

THE TRACK TO DAGGET HAS ALL THE BALLAST DOWN,I WAS THERE AUGUST 3rd AND ALL THAT WAS LEFT TO DO WAS TO TIE IN SIGNALS AND FINISH SIDING SWITCH AT EAST END IN DAGGET. ALL SIGNALS WERE UP AND SIGNAL MAINTAINER WAS CONNECTING ALL THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS. TRACK WAS IN USE UP TO YARD LIMIT TRACKS AT EAST END OF BARSTOW YARD. THERE ARE FOUR TRACKS FOR ABOUT A MILE AS THE THIRD TRACK RUNS FROM THE DAGGET STREET CROSSING ABOUT A MILE TO THE WEST,AS THE TRACK OFF THE U.P. RUNS UP A MILE PAST THE STREET CROSSING HEADED WEST. THERE IS A SIGNAL TOWER IN PLACE AT THE END OF THIS TRACKAGE. WHERE THE JUNCTION OF THE OLD SANTA FE AND U.P. MEET THESE SIGNALS ARE BEING REPLACED WITH TRIPLE COLOR AND HOODS. THE U.P. TRACKS ARE ALSO GE TTING NEW SIGNALS FOR WEST BOUNDS. ONE OF THE UNITS INVOLVED IN THE WRECK NEAR KISMET,THE 4059 WAS ON THIS EASTBOUND CHECK IT OUT. PICTURES WERE ALL TAKEN ON 8-3-07,FROM BARSTOW OUT TO THE SIDING AT PISGAH EAST.

If all goes well I will again be out there end Oct maybe we can connect? The 3rd track you refer to is already in operation from East Barstow to the yard & has been for some time. They are now moving eastward & it will merge with the mainline track just west of the Daggett-Yermo road crossing.  There are pix of this from my visit in July 07. Check out my web site in my signature & then the S. Cal galleries & you can see the progress of that 3rd track by going backwards thru the S. Cal galleries

K. P. Harrier wrote:

This topic is for serious Cajon followers and NOT coffee shop types please... As a Southern California High Desert local, I hope to visit the pass at least every 2-4 weeks and update the triple-tracking progress.  Other Cajon visitors may find other important updates to share with us.   CAJON PASS: Saturday, August 18, 2007:   At Summit, major grading for the third track has taken place, and is almost shocking to see for longtime visitors.  A three-track cantilever signal bridge is now in place at the west end of the present crossovers.  The upgraded Summit crossovers plant appears to NOT be a full flexibility arrangement.  The missing switches will probably be put at Silverwood, slightly over half a mile downgrade to the west.    BARSTOW-DAGGETT: About July 2007:   A third track is being installed.  A new three-track cantilever signal bridge has been erected at the far west end of the new Daggett plant.  Union Pacific track #1 (making for four tracks) will need a new eastbound signal positioned when the present signal bridge is deleted.

Modelcar wrote:

....Warren smith promissed he'd provide lots of Photo updates of construction.  He has already posted some.  Check back a ways to find them.  Beautiful views.

I just got back from Cajon and got some pics of the new construction and caught the 1996 SP heritage unit, but I don't know if I'll have time to post them today. Stay tunned..................

LOL!  PM received and replied to. 

Brian that sounds like a great idea.  Hopefully it pans out.

Meeting at the McDonald's is a pretty good idea - it's halfway through the current 15 mile project, and affords easy access to three areas.

Here's a shot of the pile-driving equipment at the bridge over Cajon Creek just off Highway 138.

Warren

....Appreciate your good  shots of construction as usual Warren.

The piles have been driven for the widening of bridge 61.5x ...

Crash walls are being placed around the piers for the Hwy. 138 overcrossing ...

Some views from the tunnel grading ...

And some retaining walls down at Keenbrook to accomodate the new third mainline ...

Warren

....Appreciate the great construction pictures Warren.

Updated:   September 1, 2007

Barstow-Daggett:

The third track seems complete and is in operation.  Old signals controlling entrance to UP (to Las Vegas) remain and still operational; new cantilevered signals governing UP train entrance to BNSF operational.

Hope to get these in before the scheduled outage on Sunday ...

Piers are going up at bridge 61.5x

Grading continues at tunnel #2

And has started at tunnel #1

Here's a shot of both tunnels - soon to be daylighted down to the tubes.

This is a shot of a consist exiting tunnel #2 to give it some perspective.

And here is some grading down at Blue Cut (alongside old Route 66) to accomodate the third main line.

Warren

Update:  September 10, 2007

Cajon Pass:

Work is progressing strikingly fast, EVEN CREWS WORKING ON SUNDAY!  Railroad east of Keenbrook, concrete retaining wall construction to protect the third track has progressed rapidly.  Tractors and a high crane are at Cajon where the tracks separate.  Bridge supports construction by Highway 138 is progressing.  Earthwork for the third-track at Summit seems complete, and thereat two of the three sets of signals on the west cantilever signal bridge are operational, and the old signals removed.   At lease one two-track signal bride is in place at Silverwood.  Silverwood will have 1/4 of the crossovers, and Summit proper will have the other 3/4's of the crossovers in the Summit area, making for a very untypical crossovers arrangement.

ndbprr wrote:

Is there anything unusual about the construction I didn't see?  Most people don't realize that Cajon Pass is there because the San andreas fault made it and it is right on top of it.

ndbprr:

The Pacific plate and the North American plate do meet each other under Blue Cut (about midway through this project). The surrounding hills are the result of millenia of crustal movement. Cajon Pass follows (as do most pass routes) the general alignment of surface runoff in the arroyos. This means the soil is very thick with accumulated sediment.

The bridge structures are designed for seismic "flexibility" and the rails have built in capability to withstand moderate movement of the ground.

Bottom line is that a seismic event of large enough magnitude to disrupt rail traffic in this vicinity would cause more damage to other infrastructure so as to gather more attention for recovery efforts.

It's just the price one pays to live in earthquake country ...

Warren

Warren:  Continue to enjoy "keeping up with the new construction" through your great photos.  My thanks.

For those hardcore railfans that want constant updates along with lots of photos take a look at our ongoing thread at: http://socalrailfan.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2682

Dave

www.SoCalRailFan.com

Forms have been stripped from the middle pier at bridge 61.5X.

A mystery sensor device is being installed just east of this bridge. Any guesses as to what it might be - it's obviously temporary ...

Prefabricated track is awaiting ballast up at Summit for the third mainline.

Here is some finished slope, subballast, maintenance road and drainage at the curve coming into Summit.

And some rock is encountered down at Blue Cut.

Warren

Warren Smith wrote:

Hey Warren or anybody else-

What's the purpose of that short little siding off of the right track?

....Yes, I too wondered about that turn out on the right side of above mentioned photo....??  Realize the telephoto lens conpacts it's length, but still it sure looks short.

Once again, really nice update photos from Warren.  Again my thanks for sharing as it is interesting to see the build thru pretty rough territory for the third main.....

Have a question:  So many times I witness brand new track positioned right down on the bare graded {ground}, before ballast is in place.  Not being an expert on such construction, why is the track put down before the ballast is in place.....Just seems like the process is turned around but I'm sure there is a good reason for it.....It just seems to me the rails would get bent all out of shape when the ballast has to be stuffed under them as the rails are lifted to do so, etc.....

Brian:

Quentin is right - the telephoto effect shortens the actual length of that siding.  It is used when the helper DPU's disconnect at Summit and switch themselves over. They can either connect to the rear of a westbound for additional dynamic braking, or run down to Devore by themselves.

As to laying the prefab sections of rail and crossties on the ground. I'll pay closer attention next time a crew gang sets it up, but I think the equipment that grabs the rails, paddles the ballast and aligns itself to the forward sensor can do all that without damaging the track.  I'm sure Mudchicken or some specialist workers can address this more clearly ...

Warren

I am curious about your use of the term "prefab".  To me, that picture looks like concrete ties in place with CWR laid alongside, ready for positioning...the parallell lines on the ties I take to be the railholding/positioning plates...

 ALso, a couple of years ago in a Trains article about double tracking the SF transcon across the panhandle of Texas, pictures and the article noted that the RR was paving the subbed before laying ties and ballest.  Have you noted anything of that nature on this project?

JSGreen wrote:

I am curious about your use of the term "prefab".  To me, that picture looks like concrete ties in place with CWR laid alongside, ready for positioning...the parallell lines on the ties I take to be the railholding/positioning plates...  ALso, a couple of years ago in a Trains article about double tracking the SF transcon across the panhandle of Texas, pictures and the article noted that the RR was paving the subbed before laying ties and ballest.  Have you noted anything of that nature on this project?

JS:

You're right - pre-positioned ties would be a more accurate description. The whole tracklaying process is a pretty impressive choreography.

As to paving the subballast - it's a soils engineering call. Some soils will allow excess water to seep upward, and will require a "capping". In Cajon Pass, groundwater tends to head downstream pretty quickly.  In flatter terrain, paving would be appropriate.

Warren

They store MOW equipment there. There is a similar one at Caliente at the western end of the T. loop  

blhanel wrote:

Warren Smith wrote: Hey Warren or anybody else- What's the purpose of that short little siding off of the right track?