General Discussion

The Diversion Area, Pomona, CA

Part II, Section D (of A-E)

An Ominous Sign for Railfans!

State Route 71 will soon have an overpass constructed over Mission Blvd., and thus alleviate a major congestion spot.  The project includes closing 2nd Street, which was used to gain access to S.R. 71 to shoot the above photos.  The repercussions to railfan photographers are that such photos will be, within days, even harder, if not impossible, to obtain!

The bridge the photos in Sections A-C were taking from had a SIDEWALK on it, believe it or not.  And, there were crosswalks leading to the bridge.  Bicyclists and pedestrians at photo time could, and did, use the route ... But motorist en masse often zoomed by at 70 M.P.H.!  What an environment to take documenting photos from!

Continued in Part II, Section E

The Diversion Area, Pomona, CA

Part II, Section E (of A-E)

In downtown Pomona, the SP Main (lower right) alignment shifts to an old siding alignment and continues to CP ROSELAWN (out of view in the background left) and proceeds westward to Los Angeles on the LA&SL right-of-way.  CP WEST POMONA is on the center right background, by the Highway 71 overpass.

A perspective shot:  The signal on the far left is related to CP OAK, center signals in the background are at CP ROSELAWN, and the right interlocking is CP EAST POMONA

An eastward view looking at the west SP signals of CP HAMILTON.  Shot from the dead end of Myrtle Ave. 

Old dual-control switch motors have been freshly painted black with silver tops.  These crossovers are of the 40 M.P.H. type, and are quite different from the new 50 M.P.H. types being put in for new two-tracking installations.  Thus, until the West Colton Yard to Pomona section is two-tracked, CP HAMILTON likely will probably remain pretty much as is.

This will end the two-part "Diversion" series.

Thank you K.P. for the picture update!

If you look on the website for The ACE Project, they have the September 2009 minutes included in the October 2009 meeting agenda.

ACE says the Temple Avenue project is to be finished really soon  -  I have seen October or November.  While they are making progress now, they still have some significant work to do.

They Didn't Really Do That, Did They?

The below photo shot Saturday, October 17, 2009 is a westward view from Temple Ave. in Pomona, CA, and appears somewhat odd!

From previous photos, it is known that two of the four uninstalled turnouts on location had concrete ties, while the other two had wooden ties.

If the second track from the left has concrete ties, WHY has one of the new turnouts with wooden ties been installed therein?  Wasn't the third track from the left, with wooden ties, supposed to get BOTH wood tied turnouts and the second and fourth (yet to be laid) mains get the concrete ones?

Electrical Cable

Allot of signal cable of some sort has been used in the revamping of West Colton Yard.  This photo looks northwest from Pepper Ave. at large, mostly empty wooden cable spools.

The New Highway Bridge in Fontana

The Cypress Ave. overpass construction in Fontana, CA (by I-10 and the Sunset Route) is progressing nicely.  It is about a half a mile west of Sierra Ave.  Sierra Ave. is at the western edge of West Colton Yard.

It is unknown YET if the line of sight for trains to the new signal bridge two blocks to the east (photo right) will be blocked or not by this new overpass.

MikeF90:

By 'plain Jane' I'm thinking that UP could just rip out CP Oak and connect the 'new and old' LA sub mains to the existing ones at the east limit of CP Oak.

MikeF90 (10-15):

Ripping out CP OAK in Pomona, CA would do the trick, for sure.

However, without a crossover between the old and new mains at CP OAK, there would be a great deficiency in transitioning capabilities between the LA&SL and SP routes.  LA&SL Main 2 would essentially be cut off completely from the SP side.

As you know, there has been an uninstalled turnout laying just northeast of CP OAK for some time now, and grading for a second LA&SL main thereat as well. (See above photo.)  If CP OAK is destined as a temporary single-crossover, that LEFT handed uninstalled turnout would have to be turned around, as it is currently facing the wrong way.  The transition track between the LA&SL and SP would then seem to be of a questionably tight curvature.  If, though, in reality, it is a RIGHT handed turnout (it would have to be turned around also), such would mesh perfectly with CURRENT alignments. (The current left handed south switch could pair with a right handed north switch with the transition track between the LA&SL and SP angling off like it presently does.)

This contributor has considered the uninstalled switch by CP OAK to be a left handed turnout.  But, IF, in reality, it is a right handed turnout just lying there contorted out of true shape, then I have been fooled for months!  But, that scenario now seems the most logical possibility.

Whatever the case, things should be very clear to us by the end of November (hopefully) ...

K.P.

K. P. Harrier:

However, without a crossover between the old and new mains at CP OAK, there would be a great deficiency in transitioning capabilities between the LA&SL and SP routes.  LA&SL Main 2 would essentially be cut off completely from the SP side.

The main limitation with the existing CP Oak is the lack of an EB signal for one of the 'new' LA sub mains. Of course, after seeing the new switch install at 'West Temple' and the lack of new signal masts around Oak/Hamilton I'm pretty mystified about upcoming changes. Some track shifting will probably take place here just to fit everything in. Maybe. We'll see :-).

BTW the loss of the 2nd street 'sidewalk' will be bad for photography, but I'm not mourning the loss of the scary and dangerous 2nd St and Pomona Blvd onramps. Per the city project page they will be turned into cul-de-sacs.

MikeF90 (10-23):

It is agreed that, in the absence of a crossover at CP OAK, CP GRAND (to the west) would have to be used to get trains from Main 2 to Main 1.  But, such limiting of transitioning trains to only one track (Main 1) strikes me as an incredible waste of resources.  Timetable-wise, that distance is about 4.6 miles.  The fact that there is an uninstalled turnout lying by CP OAK suggests, to me anyway, that that CP will be CONVERTED to a single-crossover.  All that is missing is a signal mast ... and track and ballast, or course.

In the below previously shown westward looking photo, CP OAK is on the far left.  To put in a RIGHT handed turnout (normally in reverse mode) and run a second main alongside the north side of the present single-main should be simple enough.  Not even the "red over" signal would need modification.

I'm not sure that I made it clear, but while the new CP just west of Temple Ave. is permanent, I believe a modified CP OAK would be only temporary until a NEW CP HAMILTON is put in somewhere down the distant road of time.  CP RESEVOIR / CP WO TOWER, a mile or so to the east, likely will temporarily remain as well for months to come.

The previously shown photo in other posts of the two new CP boxes (presently in Colton) for CP HAMILTON can be misconstrued and is somewhat misleading.  The two boxes are NOT normal size, but quite large.  The new, future CP apparently will be so large and encompassing that it requires TWO large boxes, perhaps one for each end of the CP.  The below photo of the Colton signal facility shows the two new boxes as viewed from the northwest side, and illustrates just how large those two boxes are.

As time permits, in the near future I hope to put together a diagram or two (conjecturally, of course) that may make things clearer for those at the forum.

K.P.

Is This the New Breed of Sunset Route Signal Maintainers?

This coolly dressed ‘signal maintainer' seemed to have nothing to do and was just killing time until the DS radioed him the next assignment ...

Hey, guys ... Seriously.  Give this trespasser credit.  At least he did NOT have a can of spray paint and graffiti mark the whole signal bridge ...

Update as of Saturday, October 31, 2009:

The Pomona, CA Area

Part A (of A-B)

The area was revisited and limited progress had been found to have been made. 

An additional wood tied turnout had been installed (photo lower right) west of Temple Ave. (Main C on a left to right, A to D basis), though there appears to be rail gaps in the installation.

In studying the above photo, note that the far left, lower signal head has finally been installed on the signal bridge.  It is of the single-bulb type, thus indicating the signal for Main A will be an intermediate, whereas the multi-bulb lower heads to its right will be absolutes.

For an unknown reason, a long panel track of some sort was laid on TOP of the not in service yet leftmost track just west of Temple Ave.

You may remember the below flashing message sign advising motorists of the permanent closure of the 2nd Street access to the northbound lanes of S.R. 71 from October 28 onward ...

Inspection of the above site October 31 found the road was STILL open.

To the east, in the Hamilton Blvd. area, no additional work was apparent.  The uninstalled turnout adjacent CP OAK is still uninstalled.

Update as of Saturday, October 31, 2009:

The Pomona, CA Area

Part B (of A-B)

Below are the promised THEORETICAL track diagrams from Grand Ave. (City of Industry) and through Pomona.  Tops are SP tracks, bottoms are LA&SL.

Grand Ave. (on the west) to Temple Ave.:

East of Temple Ave. to the Hamilton Blvd. area:

East of Hamilton Blvd. to the CP RESERVIOR / CP WO TOWER area (on the east):

While there is signaling and completed minimal grading for the Diversion WEST of the new signal bridges (west beyond Temple Ave.), it is uncertain how the track arrangement will be on the SP side (first photo diagram top).

----------------

For the morning of Tuesday, November 3:  A brief look at the construction progress by Humane Way, Pomona

K. P. Harrier:

To the east, in the Hamilton Blvd. area, no additional work was apparent.  The uninstalled turnout adjacent CP OAK is still uninstalled.

 BTW the ACE project September minutes show that finishing the grading for the fourth ('D') main is pending the removal of the Clear Channel billboard at Hwy 57.

MikeF90 (11-1):

Yes, that panel-like track on top of the new, but still out of service main west of Temple Ave. is strange. 

One of the benefits of having the actual digitals over posted photos is that one can extremely blow the photos up.  In doing so, the discovery was made that the panel-like track in question has ties of various widths.  So, that track is USED!  But, where it came from and why is unclear.  Maybe it used to be where one of the new switches was installed west of Temple Ave.

The posted track diagrams were made, as many know, with Track Builder 3 put out by Signal Computer Consults, with the actual display for photographing from their Train Dispatcher 3 program.  Those displays are typical of how a dispatcher would see a track diagram, and NOT necessarily how it actually is in the field.  The posted illustration of CP OAK showed two left handed turnouts.  As stated previously, I'm inclined to think CP OAK will have the original left handed turnout with the crossover counterpart turnout as a RIGHT handed one.  But, time will tell ...

Thanks, MikeF90, for the info about the commercial sign by the 57 Freeway.

I was looking at that very sign while on Temple Ave. this past weekend and pondered that it could come down but wondered if it actually would.

K.P.

Construction by Humane Way, Pomona, CA

Part A (of A-B)

The below wide angle photo view looking westward was shot October 17, 2009.  Particularly note the ground immediately in front of and to the right of the signal bridge's right (north) support.

The below update photos shot October 31, 2009 show dramatic progress.  It is unknown if the new trench-work is for a retaining wall to stabilize the tracks or not.

Continued in Part B

Construction at Humane Way, Pomona, CA

Part B (of A-B)

A closer-up view:  Being next to a canal walling, the tracks need structural support.  The current effort may be toward that end.  Note the current thin ground for the signal bridge's north support.

An eastward view from Humane Way:  Visually close to the graffiti painted signal head, are a line of apparent manholes that extend for only a few thousand feet adjacent the alignment for the fourth-track.  The overpass in the background is S.R. 71.

________

For the morning of Thursday, November 5, 2009:  Pomona Ave. Grade Crossing in Pomona:  The Days Are Now Numbered, and It Shows!

Some Odds and Ends ...

Part A (of A-B)

Pomona Ave. Grade Crossing in Pomona, CA:  The Days Are Now Numbered, and It Shows!

Looking west:  The leaning over control box for the Pomona Ave. grade crossing gates is not very likely to be stood upright.  The Pomona Diversion rerouting should be within a month, and the rails for it probably are somewhere behind the whitish crop watering on the photo left.

Pomona Ave. severely intersects the rail line here, as well as junctioning into Valley Blvd. in the background, which parallels the track.

Looking east:  The days of these intermediates signals, as well as the crossing gate, are numbered too.  And probably have less than a month left.  Note the bent out of alignment flasher lights.  Also, will the shown target heads be put in storage until signal transitioning during two-tracking between Pomona and Fontana, or perhaps used in like manner in Arizona?

In Arizona, scattered target heads were put on single masts so the signals would not interfere with second main construction (whenever it finally occurs), as in this previously shown Casa Grande dusk view.

Continued in Part B.

Some Odds and Ends ...

Part B (of A-B)

Will the View Be Blocked?

The below photo looking west from Sierra Ave. in Fontana, CA by West Colton Yard, shot October 31, 2009, shows the new temporary beam-work over the tracks to support the new Cypress Ave. bridge construction.

With the above evidence, it seems that if approaching eastbound trains (from the west, photo distant background) NOW have a line-of-sight problem ... that problem will only get worse as the bridge construction evolves beyond just thin horizontal I-beams to a full, thick bridge.  Of course, the above Main on the right CURRENTLY uses a MAST signal, as evidenced by the below east facing photo that shows the Sierra Ave. overpass in the background.

But, wait till the second-main is put in and all the tri-lights ON the signal bridge are activated ... and being able to see those signals' indications is possibly greatly hindered by the new overpass!