Update as of Thursday, October 1, 2008:
All tracks railroad west of CP CAJON have been realigned, and workers are focusing on Track 1 (rightmost) in this early morning view
The Blue Cut area (background): Swarthout Canyon Road is in foreground; Cajon Blvd is the far middle background
Later that morning the Swarthout Canyon Road grade crossing area was examined.
A tamper goes by the open access gate, just about where the tamper was in the above earlier photo. Panel track awaits insertion at the grade crossing
A beehive of activity is at the grade crossing. Why is there a broom here (lower left)?
This is why!
The earlier workers have left, but track equipment keeps shuttling back and forth between Blue Cut (photo top far left) to CP CAJON (out of view on lower right)
The tamping machine was also observed heading up to Sullivan's Curve on Track 1 east of CP CAJON. The Sullivan's Curve area is presently difficult to photograph
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
Thanks again, K.P. for some neat photos. Are you on a first-name basis with the work crews yet ?
In your 6th/ last photo of the lone tamper on realigned Track 1 (rightmost) west of CP CAJON - it looks like some more surfacing work is stil needed. The track looks a little humped through the darker area where the ballast was dragged/ dumped, and low/ in a dip through the whitish area (the exposed concrete ties - not enough ballast there yet) between there and the redddish ballast towards the tamper.
Now, I wonder how many years it'll be before the surfacing and lining gangs iron out that kink in the same at the near end - don't see many opbnstacles to the left there - and make a nice tangent out of all 3 tracks between the 2 curves at the opposite ends of these photos ?
I also like the 2 photos of the tamper(s) at /near the Swarthout Canyon Road grade crossing gate - both are pretty dramatic, and the progression of the "stacked" and concentric superelevated curves is a rare sight !
Thanks again - keep 'em coming, please !
-Paul North.
As of Saturday, October 4, 2008:
The new Track 2 between CP WALKER and CP CAJON appears fully operational and trains are traversing it at track speed
KP
It looks like you will soon only be taking train pictures once again on Cajon. But I guess the Sunset route will receive much of your attention for awhile until that too is completed.
Thx
Al - in - Stockton
Rigby wrote:Like many before I have to add my thank you for the work you've done and are doing on these threads. Absolutely fascinating. My hat is off to you.
+1 Thanks for taking the time and effort to document this. It's always neat to see the "before" and "after" shots of a project that takes lots of effort/time.
Dan
CNW 6000 wrote: Rigby wrote:Like many before I have to add my thank you for the work you've done and are doing on these threads. Absolutely fascinating. My hat is off to you. +1 Thanks for taking the time and effort to document this. It's always neat to see the "before" and "after" shots of a project that takes lots of effort/time.
DITTO!!!
Thank You ...
... for all the kind words in the above posts
As of Sunday, October 12, 2008:
In the Blue Cut area:
Adjacent Swarthout Canyon Road, the recently laid Track 1 (rightmost) still needs much work. In the left, the tracks swing around to a straightaway out of view on the background right ...
... And then make another swing on its westward trek to Los Angeles. The new track here still seems to needs aligning
Where Did All the Equipment Go?
This poster Sunday expected to see tampers, regulators, and whatever, but no such were anywhere to be found between CP KEENBROOK and CP WALKER
passengerfan (9-30):
Yes, I agree. The current project is almost done and there will be nothing further to document ... until they start laying track to LUGO, probably in the twenty-five century (Ha, ha) ...
I do hope to make it up to Barstow soon and document a few loose ends. For those that haven't been there for years, they would hardly recognize the place now. Compared to its western counterpart, in my opinion, BNSF Railway is a very progressive railroad, and what they've done track wise in the Barstow area reflects that progressiveness.
Also, what BNSF has done both at MARTINEZ and a number of years ago southwardly in the Riverside area, may appear strange now, but I believe is all part of a master plan that will all make sense in the long run. I hope to share that perspective in the not to distant future
Paul_D_North_Jr (10-3)
No, unfortunately, I am not on a first name basis with construction crews. While I've talked with a few and gained insight, the next batch of the project personnel soon comes along and I meet those new ones who in turn are replaced too ... But, the big problem is lack of access to the tracks where the workers are at ...
Sunday, I was looking to photograph a tamper with YOU in mind, but, as mentioned above, nothing was in sight ... Scotty must have beamed them up!
Thank you K.P. for those great pictures! It sounds like they will finish the section from CP Keenbrook to Cajon Station soon.
However, I think BNSF still has an expansion project in Southern California. Isn't BNSF adding a third track from Bandini to Basta? In fact, I think they have already added the triple track such that the only gap is from CP Serapis in Pico Rivera east to Los Nietos or Buena Park.
As of Friday, October 17, 2008:
The Track Machines Return
By the Swarthout Canyon Road grade crossing: Trains on operational Tracks 2 and 3 were traversing the area at full, allowable speed
Maintenance time
Another parked machine being serviced
Manicuring the ballast kicks up dust
Very faded machine with twirling rollers evens ballast to tie level
The way Track 1 (rightmost) at Blue Cut looked on Sunday, October 12
But, on Friday, October 17, the Track 1 had proper alignment and curvature smoothed out
[
The above work equipment was shuttling back and forth in the area
Schedule
The track equipment reportedly did not work recently because of high winds. Maybe someone at the forum will know if that sounds right or not.
Reportedly, too, this coming Friday the new track will be “de-stressed,” which I assume means evening out the stresses on the rail, which presently has extreme force variations on it because of radical vertical and lateral positioning movements having been applied to it during construction.
So, BNSF is almost done. But, the source said they have till the end of the month to totally finish the project
Greetings! In an all day project, I was hoping to check out your above report, but I made it only as far as west as Pomona. I’ll get to Los Angeles one of these days.
Once again KP it is sure looking like the end is drawing closer so the end of the month looks about right.
Off to Disneyworld the beginning of next month so will have to wait for my return before I can take a trip down south to Tehachapi and Cajon and at last try my new camera on some rail subjects. My granddaughter will not let me take her to Disneyland it has to be Disneyworld. So I'm off to Florida and I don't even like to fly.
Thanks for the series on Cajon Pass and keep up the great work on the Sunset route.
I often ride Metrolink from Fullerton to LAUS and back. Over that stretch to the Metrolink flyover across the LA River there are so many areas where work is under way to add track it is hard to keep them all straight. In some places it looks like adding a 3rd main line. Other places it looks like lengthening sidings right up to obstacles. In one place (San Gabriel River? Rio Hondo?) a new bridge is being constructed. In several places new concrete sectional walls are shoring up the side of the ROW. Some grading is going on here; some track is already ballasted there. Lengths of rail, piles of ties, and stacks of switch assemblies are everywhere.
Yes, BNSF (reportedly with some financial help from Metrolink) is working to expand capacity from LA to Fullerton.
Jack
Wow, K.P. - another great set of photos, esp. the close-ups of the M-O-W machines. I'll provide some commentary when I have more time than at the moment.
Although the construction activities - esp. the shifting inherent in the raising, tamping, and lining processes, etc. - undoubtedly induced some unrelieved deformation into the rails and track structure, the "de-stressing" is most likely to adjust the thermal stress in the continuous welded rails (CWR) to the specified neutral temperature/ stress level for that location. For a pretty good and short discussion of that, see the current "rail thermometer" thread here, at
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/t/139964.aspx
esp. the 3rd post by jchnhtfd on 10-22-2008 at 9:33 AM.
Later. - Paul North.
Seeing the wooden ties is almost like seeing a caboose!!!
I am assuming this would have to do with the tracks requiring more “flex” since the concrete bridge being more rigid than the earth.
Also in comparison to the Sunset expansion I see that the UP uses concrete for its turnouts. According to one of the links on the ties it looks like they use a higher rated tie as well. Are these rated at higher speeds? I know the speeds are low up the pass, so it is it just a cost savings.
Robert
K P: Appreciate new info and more great photos of project.
Quentin
Jack_SOver that stretch to the Metrolink flyover across the LA River there are so many areas where work is under way to add track it is hard to keep them all straight. In some places it looks like adding a 3rd main line. Other places it looks like lengthening sidings right up to obstacles. In one place (San Gabriel River? Rio Hondo?) a new bridge is being constructed. In several places new concrete sectional walls are shoring up the side of the ROW. Some grading is going on here; some track is already ballasted there. Lengths of rail, piles of ties, and stacks of switch assemblies are everywhere.Yes, BNSF (reportedly with some financial help from Metrolink) is working to expand capacity from LA to Fullerton.
Correct. I believe that triple-tracking is already in place over the Rio Hondo, and I know that it will be very difficult to place a third track over the San Gabriel River due to space constraints caused by the Slauson Avenue viaduct. I know they had to build a new bridge over Paramoutn Boulevard, which is complete.
DONE---DONE AND DONE!!
The 3rd MAIN PROJECT is now COMPLETE on CAJON PASS ATSF (BNSF) as of 11-4-08 according to this Socalrailfan post by the owner of that excellent Socalrailfan web site:
http://www.socalrailfan.com/forums/showpost.php?p=27572&postcount=333
Congrats to ALL for this truly HISTORIC day on Cajon Pass in southern California! --- Daniel
http://www.trainmaster.ch/cajon-09.htm
UPDATE:
This contributor has recovered from his lengthy medical absence. The desire in this post is to photographically update the now finished triple-tracking from [CP] KEENBROOK to [CP] WALKER, and to make an announcement ...
From west to east:
An update on the ONO area ...
Looking eastbound (physically northwest) from the completed new University Parkway overpass. As is so often the case, the area is so smoggy that mountains of Cajon Pass cannot be seen in the distance
Where the grade crossing use to be ... Note the small signs by the pickup trucks
The many townsfolk in the immediate area are warned to not cross the tracks.
Even though overpass construction has been completed for weeks, something trackside is taking place
Now, in Cajon Pass proper ...
An eastbound railroad east of Swarthout Canyon Road on the new Track 1
The alignment shift railroad west of [CP] CAJON
Looking eastbound at [CP] CAJON
A new cantilever signal structure can easily be seen from Highway 138 or the UP main
Activity can be hot
6795
Looking eastward
Announcing:
A photo series within this thread themed: "Studying Oddities." There are some significant matters and quirks affecting the triple-tracking west of, including, and east of Cajon Pass, and all the way north (railroad east) to the Barstow-Daggett area. Series begins Saturday, May 9, 2009.
K.P. - In order of importance:
1.) Glad to have you back ! Hope all is progressing well.
2.) Nice photos !
3.) Thanks for sharing, together with the captions.
4.) Looking forward to the series.
Take care - I'm sure you enjoy and value the time you get to spend out there.
- Paul North.
K. P. Harrier This contributor has recovered from his lengthy medical absence. The desire in this post is to photographically update the now finished triple-tracking from [CP] KEENBROOK to [CP] WALKER, and to make an announcement ...
Welcome back....and we hope you have good health back again.
Thanks for your extensive photo accounts regarding the triple tracking and updating since it's completion.
Modelcar K. P. Harrier This contributor has recovered from his lengthy medical absence. The desire in this post is to photographically update the now finished triple-tracking from [CP] KEENBROOK to [CP] WALKER, and to make an announcement ... Welcome back....and we hope you have good health back again. Thanks for your extensive photo accounts regarding the triple tracking and updating since it's completion.
AMEN! In spades! Also, thanks again for getting this exhaustive chronicle under way, and finishing it in style.
Now we need you to chronicle the next stage: triple tracking from Summit to Barstow!
Studying Oddities: PART I of VII
[CP] WEST RIVERSIDE (M.P. 10.6 San Bernardino Subdivision, corresponding to M.P. 92.0 Cajon Sub): Looking westbound from the Cridge Street grade crossing, from left to right, Mains 2 and 1 to Los Angeles, with the UP main branching off on the far right via an entirely separate route to Los Angeles
Looking eastbound, the UP (Branching off to the left), Mains 1, 2, and a distant visible 3 on the right
Telephoto of above: The overhead bridge in the background is for Metrolink commuter train passengers. Oddly, this is very high volume mainline trackage with some rare mainline pot-like / dwarf signals!
[CP] HIGHGROVE: Looking westbound, from left to right, The 38 mile "San Jacinto Industrial Spur," then Mains 3, 2, and 1 from Riverside and Los Angeles
Looking eastbound, a key oddity: Mains 1, 2, and 3 in the foreground. The track designations in the background are uncertain. There will be more about this oddity in Part II. Note the barely visible Barton Road overpass in the upper right.
Grand Terrace: A very old, curved, lowering, narrow two-lane Barton Road bridge
Another view of the bridge and its tight confines, as view from the north (east): Before a third track could be laid here, the bridge would need to be replaced. The bridge is simply too important to locals to simply be knockdown and eliminated without a replacement!
Colton: Looking westbound. For BNSF, how will narrow I-10 bridge support confines be solved for the future third track? In reality, is there enough room? From upgrading single-track to two-tracks many, many years ago, the tracks are on wider centers here, so looks can be deceiving. On the other side of the freeway is the UP Sunset Route crossing at grade (El Paso, TX to the left, Los Angeles to the right), site of the future UP flyover.
A telephoto view
A connecting track from the UP: This track, as it heads north to San Bernardino and Cajon Pass (toward the photo right), significantly, changes its identity only two blocks from here! More on this in Part II.
Part II is scheduled for the morning of Monday, May 11
What an awesome display of photos including on back into this thread....!
Studying Oddities: PART II of VII
Odd, but definitive official track designations! Notice there is no Main 2 in Colton by Valley Blvd.
Colton: Looking eastbound at CP29 (San Bernardino Sub, NOT the Cajon Sub). The tracks in the foreground are, left to right, the connection from Union Pacific's Sunset Route and West Colton Yard, Mains 1 and 3. Forward looking toward San Bernardino, in the distance are Mains 1, 2 and 3. Thus, Main 1 in the foreground (middle track) takes the turnout route to the background
Looking westbound at the same CP29
Eastward view of the western approach to [CP] RANA (The "A" in "RA" is pronounced as in BAS-ket-ball). RANA is less than a mile from CP29
[CP] RANA: Looking westbound from Olive Street near mid control point. From left to right, are Mains 3, 2, and 1.
[CP] RANA: Looking eastbound from Olive Street.
[CP] RANA: Looking westbound FROM Laurel Ave. on the EAST end of the CP: Left to right: The former "Short Way" now called Track 4 (the original line out of San Bernardino to Fullerton), The GM Lead, Mains 3, 2, 1, the B Yard Lead
BNSF has a sense for track identification here too: Great for railroaders and railfans alike!
Part III, dealing with Cajon Pass itself, is scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, May 13
K.P. -
Once again, very nice, very informative photos. Thanks for sharing. Goes to show how much can be learned - and how much fun can be had - just from carefully observing the infrastructure, without any / while waiting for the trains. I can also see that you were pretty scrupulous about taking the photos from grade crossings and other public areas (only). Some comments:
- The stenciling of the track ID's is the first time I've seen that. Good catch !
- That 6-track signal bridge at CP RANA is something else, too. I'm sure they've been used before in the NorthEast Corridor and approaches to major stations in Chicago, St. Louis, and others, but I'll bet they are rare in the LA area. Plus, it's clearly accessible and visible with the several grade crossings in the vicinity. A neat future photo would be WB from Laurel Ave. with most (or all) of the signal heads lit up - kind of like your CP 29 EB photo above.
- The grade crossing at Laurel Ave. looks real nice - all new (or nearly so) rubber surfaces. But with those 6 active tracks, I'll bet it can be quite a wait for motorists to get across sometimes !
- Your photo captions are very detailed meticulous about where you are, which way you are facing, and what it shows - thank you for that ! I know that's as much work as taking the photo itself. It seems you have gotten better at that as the project as gone along.
- You have quite an opportunity here to put together a slide show or a website showing the progress of the work, and a tour of the project length, now that it's completed. The only other possible source for that might be either BNSF's or one of the contractor's PR departments - did you ever see or hear of anyone else taking as many photos in as many diffferent locations ? Give some consideration to either producing such a show for the railfan clubs and market, and/ or BNSF and the contractor and their engineering records, AREMA convention and other professional or trade presentations, etc. It might be worth contacting BNSF's Public Relations or Engineering Dept. (etc.) people to see if they'd be interested in doing something like that, sharing photos, etc. I saw the tail of a hi-rail (inspection ?) truck in your last photo of Part I (the UP connecting track). If you're lucky, maybe they'd let you ride along with a track inspector some day and get some photos from that vantage point as well ? Just a thought - can't hurt to ask.
Again - thanks very much for your efforts in taking, assembling, editing, captioning, and posting your photos. I hope you've gotten as much out of it as the rest of us !
Best regards,
Paul North (5-11):
About that six-track signal bridge ... Believe it or not, but that bridge USE TO HAVE numbers on it above each track. The problem was that the plated numbers did NOT correspond with the actual track designations. As an example, the "6" sign (previously on the photo far left) was for Main 4. Not surprisingly, when I showed up to photograph the signal bridge for this effort, the plates had been removed!
That above shown grade crossing surprisingly isn't blocked that often. Because those six-tracks funnel down to three-tracks, and trains most often are kept moving these days, motorists can be happy and know that any delays to them likely will be very brief.
About that hi-rail car ... Believe it or not on this also, but there actually were TWO hi-rail vehicles! Just for the novelty of the situation, I made it a point to photograph them too!
Thanks for you kind words ...
Modelcar (5-7/9) and billio (5-7):
That last sentences above goes for you all too ...
Take care.
K.P.
Can't tell the players [tracks] without a scorecard, I suppose !
I'm glad you grabbed the shot of the 2 hi-rail trucks, too. Note the rear-facing "ditch lights" on both of them, as well as what looks like a back-up light on the top of the cap of the closer one - unless that's just a reflection from your flash gun ? (or similar) Quite a parade there, esp. with the UP double-stack crossing in front of them. Note also in the right foreground the reservoir of the rail lubricator ("greaser") for the curve ahead to the right. Another good photo.
Thanks again for sharing. Looking forward to your next installments.
P.S. - Is there a detailed map of the Cajon Pass area - to better follow your photo locations - either earlier in this thread, or on-line someplace ? I know I have a couple in my stack of back issues of Trains, but aside from being out-of-date (I don't think any of them mention or show Swarthout Road, for example), no one else following this thread would have access to them. I haven't done a thing yet as far as searching on-line for one, so maybe that will solve the problem, but in the meantime if someone knows of one or any help or suggestions in this regard will be appreciated.
Studying Oddities: PART III of VII
Now, into Cajon Pass itself ...
M.P. 65: Between the [CP] WEST RIVERSIDE vicinity and [CP] LUGO, all control points are one or two blocks apart, except between [CP] KEENBLOOK and [CP] CAJON, a span covering THREE blocks. Therein, specific intermediate signals can display flashing yellow as a typical aspect, and sometimes can be seen with alternating flashes. Looking westbound in Blue Cut are, from left to right, Mains 3, 2, and 1. While it is not possible to show it in a ‘still' photograph, the far left signal IS flashing yellow. The signals for the three tracks can make for a colorful display
And, toward the top of Cajon Pass:
One doesn't have a sense of the steepness of the grades of Cajon Pass until one has a reference to compare where one is at. The Mormon Rocks in the distance is such a reference. They are less than two miles away the way the crow flies! Wow! The rails of Cajon Pass really are steep! The signal bridge oddly is NOT new, but probably was transferred here from Daggett, where triple-tracking there was completed last year. This is the only full signal "bridge" on Cajon Pass. Oddly, too, the bridge has room between supports for THREE tracks!
Tracks appear to go every which way. From top left to bottom right: Main 3, then 2 and 1, plus Union Pacific's north-south Palmdale Cutoff.
Speaking of things going every which way ... With the BNSF third-track operational now, downgrade at the Cajon Pass McDonald's fast food restaurant (with a view to UP's Canyon siding) and upgrade at Summit (with a Highway 138 view to UP's Hiland siding), it is now theoretically possible to see in close proximity FIVE moving trains at once! Before triple-track, a few times over the years I have personally witnessed four moving trains at once! I can hardly wait to see five now!
Both [CP] SILVERWOOD (1/4) (pictured) and [CP] SUMMIT (3/4) combines to do what a traditional three-track four-crossover control point can do.
[CP] SUMMIT: Looking eastbound, another oddity. Behind the camera (west side) tracks extending to the foreground left, from left to right, are Mains 1, 2, 3. In upper background right (east side), are Martinez Siding (which is now NOT a siding, but an eastward extension of mainline trackage), Mains 1 and 2.
And now, down Cajon Pass's east side
[CP] MARTINEZ: Looking eastbound, from left to right, are Martinez Siding, Mains 1 and 2. The control point may be only a somewhat lengthy TEMOPRARY situation. But, for those looking for an eastward extension of triple-track anytime soon, a very bad omen has presented itself: Main 2 on the far right has had its long holdout old mast target signals recently replaced with Tri-lights that now line up with the signal for Main 1, so things are NOT going to change soon! Of course, the flipside of that is that BNSF may be making preparations for triple-tracking eastward soon ... So often things we see can be interpreted two or more ways ...
A ground view of the NEW arrangement: The new mast is on the right.
How the above signals did not line up LAST YEAR (note the far right signal)
Interestingly, before the radical earth alterations of the triple-tracking between [CP] KEENBROOK to [CP] SUMMIT, BNSF filed an Environment Impact Report (EIR) with authorities. It can even be found on the Internet to this day. [CP] WALKER was then planned as [CP] ALRAY. Presently, no EIR filing is known to exist for any BNSF third-tracking east of [CP] MARTINEZ
The following is a super simple, un-detailed, way not-to-scale, many-miles long, big picture west-east basic track schematic
Part IV is scheduled for the morning of Friday, May 15
Great schematic and pictures again KP. One question: are there any defect detectors in the area that went from two to three tracks? If so they would have to get reprogrammed I believe as well as having additinoal sensors added.
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