Excavator.
I won't bore you with who owns it and how it's connected to another project on this site.
A10
I think I just found the owner of the excavator. Next is to find out why it's parked there and not working.
It woud diss me off if you told me.
RickH
BarstowRick.com Model Railroading How To's
John
A Much More Casual Arizona Trip!
A four-day trip from California to Arizona and back was made July 10-13, 2014. It was more casual than trips of the last several years. Key things were focused on over the Sunset Route from Salton Sea, CA to Tucson, AZ
The BNSF Transcon was then gone up to via I-17. From Winslow, AZ to Ludlow, CA (east of Barstow) key areas were checked out as well. It made for an interesting comparison between the Sunset Route and the Transcon. Most glaringly was a major difference in track layouts involving control points (CP’s).
Also, a key study concerned the comparing of biases. The biases were exactly as expected on the BNSF Transcon, but the UP Sunset Route west of Tucson was very different from what had been anticipated, but there might be a reason for that.
The future Sunset Route crew change location in Yuma, AZ was found …
… and presently the track-work there has a weird quirk that may (“may”) forebode major track implications for the future.
It will probably take a few weeks to assimilate everything and make up a multi-part, multi-day posting presentation to share with the forum.
In the meantime, a brief presentation concerning the construction of three underpasses in Riverside, CA will be put together, from K.P.’s dispatch of July 8, 2014, and that posting should be ready in a day or two.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
Three Underpasses under Construction
The LA&SL Alternate Sunset Route
Riverside, CA
Part I (of I-V)
The photos in this update series were taken July 8, 2014.
Just south of the LA&SL shoofly a bunch of rebar future pillars are present, stacked on top of the present roadway.
Outside of such roadside views, access to the construction site is very limit.
As a side note, the light through the rebar in the last photo has a weird, mind boggling lighting effect!
Continued in Part II
Part II (of I-V)
Access is a very different story by the Streeter Ave. underpass construction site, even having an alternate roadway right next to the underpass construction. (See crossing gate on left) Now that trains are going over the new bridging, the underpass is being dug out.
Looking west, now that the shoofly is out of the way, the parallel to the tracks roadway bridge (left) is being constructed.
Just west of Streeter Ave. the old, non-dispatcher controlled industrial track has been reconnected to Main 2, and for the first time a shorter ‘Entrance Signal’ (left of tall intermediate signal) has been erected for the siding.
Continued in Part III
Part III (of I-V)
Ah, the intermediate signal comes alive, and is green!
It is a westbound auto-rack train …
… likely heading for the unloading facility at Mira Loma
Continued in Part IV
Part IV (of I-V)
Access was so casual and easy, a few more views for the forum.
Continued in Part V
Part V (of I-V)
The Clay Street grade crossing is no more, and as Riverside Ave was, Clay Street is completely closed. Access to the site is very difficult and limited to say the least.
A shoofly ballasting appears to be on the north (far) side of the present track.
An Ames Construction (well-known to railfans for rail related construction projects) red truck comes, and a supervisor appears to be talking with a worker. A fascinating pavement eating machine (left) was eating up the old roadway.
There were a lot of trucks coming and going at the site.
Since a shoofly appears to be graded and ballasted to the north, the bridging for a second main likely will be to the south of the present single-track main if this section will ever be two-tracked.
With these three underpasses under construction, alternate Sunset Route photo sites are quickly disappearing.
Update as of Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Grand Terrace, Colton, and Ontario, CA
Headway #1 (of 1-3)
K.P. was dispatched to both San Bernardino and Fontana, with a bunch of free time. The truss bridges site in the Grand Terrace area was visited. The old bridge was found to have been completely taken down
Sadly, a new roadway sign was erected (above, right), and a clear view of the bridges can no longer be had.
It is unclear if the south abutment was coming along fine or just I-beams had been pounded into the ground.
The old north abutment-work still was in place.
Both new truss bridges seemed to be all completed now, and no workers seemed to be working on them, and the area was rather desolate and devoid of people.
Continued in Headway #2
Headway #2 (of 1-3)
The Colton Signal Dept. was visited, and a striking new development was seen. Wooden crates of varying age were now onsite, such typically with switch assembly parts in them.
Are these for assembling new switch at the super big future CP AL514 HAMILTON in Pomona? Now that the Kinder-Morgan problem has been resolved, activity out that way should be starting soon. Also, maybe the underpass-overpass controversy (?) at Hamilton Blvd. was resolved. (Maybe …)
In the top photo herein, a second row of electrical boxes in the background is seen. While it cannot be verified, is that background box the missing CP AL525 GUASTI box that hasn’t been seen here since the signal dept. location was reorganized?
By the Vineyard Ave. underpass construction site in Ontario, the shoofly was found to be in service. K.P. got a few photos, but it was unclear if the track was actually in service. But a train came that left no doubt! Unfortunately, a truck sort of got in the way at the magical moment! (What are the chances of that happening?)
Continued in Headway #3
Headway #3 (of 1-3)
An unexpected freak development brought K.P. back to San Bernardino. With another person now, a brief stop was made by the Hunts Lane overpass construction on the Colton-San Bernardino border, by CP SP542 LOMA LINDA.
A security guard was now stationed nearby because the construction site had a theft problem. So, we moved on. It is guessed that previously putting up an erroneous ‘UP Property’ ‘No Trespassing’ sign didn’t do the trick.
This will conclude the brief series. However, some replies follow.
Replies:
BNSF6400 (7-7)
During the California-Arizona trip last week photos of that CP SP935 LA PALMA area were taken. You may concur too at seeing the photos, but those spurs seem to be Maintenance-of-Way tracks.
cacole (7-7):
I think the west entering track(s) to the new Red Rock Yard will be somewhere east of CP SP943 WYMOLA, so anything near or by the Picacho tracks and Phoenix line probably won’t be associated with Red Rock.
John Simpkins-Camp (7-9):
The news of the 1989 runaway on Cajon Pass back then was unbelievable in itself, but to hear a person died that I personally had talked to just months earlier was even more unbelievable. Mr. Crown was just a super nice guy. And that stands out the most about him in my mind.
Take care all,
K.P.
The California-Arizona Trip Report
Filling In a Lot of Loose Ends
July 10-13, 2014
Posting Organization and Schedule
A goal this trip was to check out UP biases immediately WEST of Tucson, AZ. Biases were seen alright, as at Eloy …
… but with a whole second day west of Tucson K.P. came to a very different conclusion than expected. When you see the series you may come to that conclusion too.
In comparing the BNSF Transcon with the UP Sunset Route as far as each other’s track layout approach to moving trains A to B, a fantastic overpass over the BNSF was found and hiked up on in Arizona, with trains galore passing!
The overpass was relatively safe too. But, the location could send one to never-never land if one is not careful and resisted what the leanings of one’s body said … In all the decades of pursuing trains K.P. has never encountered an overpass situation quite like the above one! The location was also a great place to see and check out the Trancon biases too!
The following is the posting schedule for “The California-Arizona Trip Report” series. ALL posts should be up by 9:00 A.M. (Pacific Daylight Time) on the scheduled date, but could be posted up to 12 hours early.
PART “A”: Thursday, July 24, 2014 (the UP Sunset Route)
Sunset Ave. underpass, Banning, CA
By a Pit Stop for Gas, Thousand Palms, CA
By the High Bridge, East of Ferrum, CA
Bertram, CA
Wister, CA
Niland, CA
Part “B”: Saturday, July 26, 2014 (the UP Sunset Route)
Towards Iris, CA … A Surprise … and Bad News
Part “C”: Monday, July 28, 2014 (the UP Sunset Route)
The Colorado River Crossing and a Possible Reroute, Yuma, AZ
The Pacific Ave. Overpass, Yuma, AZ
CP SP736 PACIFIC, Yuma, AZ
The Future Crew Change Location, Yuma, AZ
Way Out in the Desert, Sentinel, AZ
Part “D”: Wednesday, July 30, 2014 (the UP Sunset Route)
A Bias Situation is Seen, Toltec, AZ
The Toltec Staging Area
CP SP935 LA PALMA, Eloy-Picacho, AZ
Red Rock, AZ
Even More Biases, CP SP952 RED ROCK
Part “E”: Friday, August 1. 2014 (the UP Sunset Route)
The Ina Rd. Grade Crossing, Marana, AZ and an Odd Block Signal
CP SP967 RILLITO, Marana, AZ
Park Link Drive, Red Rock, AZ
West of Park Link Drive, Red Rock, AZ
The Wymola Staging Area, Wymola, AZ
Bias Confusion, Wymola, AZ
The Great Slow Speed Turnout, Picacho, AZ
Part “F”: Sunday, August 3, 2014 (the UP Sunset Route)
By the Phoenix Connection, Picacho, AZ
Highway 87 and CP SP935 LA PALMA, Picacho, AZ
Sunland Gin Road, Toltec, AZ
The Long Non-Mainline Track, Casa Grande, AZ
The Status of the Fenced Signal Dept. Yard, Casa Grande, AZ
Thornton Rd., Casa Grande, AZ
Part “G”: Tuesday, August 5, 2014 (the BNSF Transcon)
Comparing the Sunset Route Two-Tracking …
… with the BNSF Two-Tracked Transcon
Winslow, AZ
Part “H”: Thursday, August 7, 2014 (the BNSF Transcon)
Flagstaff, AZ
The Old Right-of-Way, West of Williams, AZ
A Long Gone Natural Crossover, West of Ash Fork, AZ
Dazzling Kingman, AZ
Highway 95, West of Needles, CA
Goffs, CA
Amboy, CA
Siberia, CA
Ludlow, CA
Any that does not presently perceive the difference between the Sunset Route and the Transcon track layout-wise and running philosophies surely will by the end of the series. Plus, by that time, they should have a picture of the current happenings of the Sunset Route two-tracking.
The San Gabriel Trench
San Gabriel, CA
K.P. was on a dispatched assignment in Los Angeles Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Within 10 miles east of Los Angeles the San Gabriel Trench construction site was visited
The Ramona Street grade crossing was all tore up. The present Main (lower right) was still in service and use, but a shoofly was being put down. A temporary pedestrian walkway bridge was being relocated (above).
A report of the trench construction is also in the works, but the schedule for that has not been set yet.
Part “A” (of A-H), Section 1 (of 1-8)
The Sunset Ave. Underpass
Banning, CA
On the west side of Banning, the two-lane Sunset Ave. is being widened for a long ways, and the grade crossing is being eliminated with an underpass. Forum contributor mvs was the first to bring that to our attention.
Just above, note the level dirt across the view. If that is for a shoofly, it seems a bit high.
A heavier close-up:
Continued in Section 2
Part “A”, Section 2 (of 1-8)
By a Pit Stop for Gas
Thousand Palms, CA
K.P. regularly gases up at the Costco gas station at the Monterey St. exit off I-10 when in the Lower Desert. He has long desired to photograph the intermediate signals just to the east of said street. Since this was a more leisurely outing this time, hiking to the overpass over the Sunset Route was done, but the signals are not in a good position. The other side of the street is not accessible because of lacking a sidewalk.
Looking eastbound, with the multi-fencings:
A westbound view:
Above, since the spur on the lower right doesn’t have an entrance signal (some railroaders call it an exit signal), this spur must be under the authority of Maintenance-of-Way.
Also above, the track centers are wider apart in the background. Where it narrows is where the old Thousand Palms siding (that went under Monterey St.) used to end.
An eastbound comes, and as typical presently for eastbounders, is on Main 2.
Just above, note the freeway off-ramp walling next to the right-of-way.
Continued in Section 3
Part “A”, Section 3 (of 1-8)
By the High Bridge
East of Ferrum, CA
A westbound train approaches a yellow signal on Main 2. There was a stopped train ahead.
Just above, note the rare GE C40-8 as the second unit. Reports are there is now an influx of their use in Southern California.
The paralleling Highway 111 was having the bridge replaced, and was down to just a single lane, total. Stop lights governed passage over that single lane.
Continued in Section 4
Part “A”, Section 4 (of 1-8)
An empty ballast train was in the Bertram siding, off the Main 2 side.
Continued in Section 5
Part “A”, Section 5 (of 1-8)
At the east end of the Bertram siding, in a Maintenance-of-Way storage track, equipment was parked.
Continued in Section 6
Part “A”, Section 6 (of 1-8)
Just east of the Wister universal crossover arrangement of CP SP658 WISTER (M.P. 658.0) a ballast train was parked on the future Main 1:
The head-end of the ballast train was a bit more colorful than the typical UP ballast train.
Continued in Section 7
Part “A”, Section 7 (of 1-8)
Other SD70ACe views:
The second, middle unit was a now KCS relative
The lead unit was a typical UP unit.
That lead unit was NOT part of the historic 1000-unit order for SD70M’s in the early 2000’s, and came after it There are over 1400 units of the model. Train crews reportedly prefer GE units over such EMD’s, saying these SD70M’s are terrible creekers! EMD’s simply aren’t what they use to be …
Continued in Section 8
Part “A”, Section 8 (of 1-8)
Along this stretch equipment was on the future Main 1:
The west side of Niland was looked at, but nothing stood out as new from last time. It was noted, though, that an eastbound train was in the south Niland siding.
The east end of Niland, though, had much UP workers on site. The train in the south siding had come out and was approaching Main Street (the camera location). Note the signal bridge’s left overhead signal heads are turned aside and a now active ground level mast target signal had replaced it (just left of the train).
----------
Continued in Part B about Niland-Iris, CA to be presented before 9:00 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time Saturday, July 26, 2014, but could be posted up to 12 hours early.
Part “B” (of A-H), Section 1 (of 1-11)
Niland-Iris, CA
At Main Street in Niland, burial bases were present for new crossing gates.
New signals have been erected at the junction switch for the east leg of the wye. Just left of center is the closer future Main 1 signal. The future Main 2 signal is the right one. Visually between the two is the east leg of the wye signal.
The slow moving eastbound train (in the last Section of Part A) finally crosses the grade crossing.
Just above, note the track this side of the train.
Part “B”, Section 2 (of 1-11)
That future Main 1 track through the grade crossing has the old north Niland siding all removed.
There was a flurry of activity just to the east.
The north siding was all gone to the west too.
Part “B”, Section 3 (of 1-11)
There were curled up signal cable by the new mast signal.
That signal wire was near the new grade crossing box.
Part “B”, Section 4 (of 1-11)
The new far side east westbound signals are seen on the left. The single crossover and junction switch to the Calexico Sub wye won’t have much use in comparison to high greens for the Sunset Route trackage.
A UP truck turns off Main St. to straddle the tracks.
From the south side, the Calexico Sub east wye switch.
Just above, note the Ames main contractor’s red crane.
Part “B”, Section 5 (of 1-11)
Looking westbound again, the old signal bridges is on borrowed time now..
An eastbound telephoto: Note the future Main 1 (old north siding track, left) has not been laid yet.
The west eastbound signals are just east of the grade crossing.
K.P.,
Thanks for the report. Things look like they are moving ahead in California at a nice pace. But your photo of the C40-8 made my day.
John Timm
Part “B”, Section 6 (of 1-11)
Looking westbound again at the now trackless north siding, the future Main 1.
That power on the Calexico Sub (Section 1, middle photo, left distance) now uses the East Wye.
Part “B”, Section 7 (of 1-11)
The ex-north siding bridge for the future Main 1 apparently is being replaced (right). The red Ames crane is present.
Above, note the CP box right of center.
Apparently switch parts are laid out at the CP’s east side.
Part “B”, Section 8 (of 1-11)
We now in a roundabout way follow the tracks eastward out of Niland, and come to the first intermediate set east of said town.
K.P. simply cannot reconcile the background future Main 1 mast’s right westbound heads with what is known about Niland to the west (left). Thus, it is believed these signals are absolute ‘Holding’ signals, which are reconcilable. The fact the masts (above) do NOT have (at least at this time) turned inward intermediate number plates suggests they are in fact holding signals. The happening in the second photo of Section 6 would make holding signals here prudent.
We then head east further to the Flowing Wells Rd. area. From the grade crossing, looking west:
Looking east:
K.P. had anticipated intermediate signals would be erected here at Flowing Wells Rd. but as can be seen above none were.
Continued in Section 9
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