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[lechee]

I have a picture of UP X8444 at a road crossing in cajon pass above it up on the mountain side is SP 4449. I think taken in 1989 at the 50th anniversary Los Angeles Union passenger train event. The road crossing is double track and the road sign says route U.S. 66 San bernardino 45 miles. There is a stater bros. markets truck stopped on the other side of the tracks. The road has crossing gates. Where is this location and can you still get to it?

[chad thomas]

Hey John how's it goin. I haven't seen you in here for a while.
Can you scan the photo and send it to me? I can't think of any crossing that a stater bros truck would be at. I don't know of any rte66 crossing either for that matter, at least not in the pass.

[Anonymous]

Is this the shot you are refering to. Well, if not the exact shot from the same day away

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=443

[lechee]

No, not the same shot but the same two trains. This photo or 20 by 30 poster is taken in the narrow part of the canyon, a very senic spot where the north track is climbing above the lower two tracks. There is no identification any where on the picture other than it is at a crossing, two road crossing gates, truck on the road and road sign.

[ndbprr]

The photo referenced in the previous post appears to be the lead to Sullivans curve. It is just after this point that everything kind of separates coming back together at Summit from my recollections of Cajon. That limits the locations in my mind to either the Summit area or some point southof Cajon proper and possibly south of Blue Canyon near Devore. Since I haven't been at Cajon in nearly fifteen years this is all speculation on my part however.

[chad thomas]

OK, now I know where you are talking about. It's Swarthout Canyon road. And yes it is still very much accessable as it is the main road for numerous houses west of the tracks. It's odd that a stater brothers truck would be there though, he must have been a railfan. Before the fire a couple years back there use to be a wooded area along the east side of the tracks and I would often camp about 100 yards south of that crossing. Then one night a train passed that had a car with a hotbox or a stuck brake and the whole wheel and 1/2 the bolster were glowing red hot. After that I decided not to camp there so close to the tracks anymore.

[chad thomas]

Oh yea, how to get there. From the north get off at the Cleghorn exit just after the scales. Turn right and you are on Cajon Blvd. Go south about a mile. Just after the highway trades sides of old 66 (from the former westbound lanes to the former eastbound lanes) turn right onto Swarthout Canyon road. The crossing is past the wash about 1/4 mile from old 66 (Cajon Blvd).

From the south you can follow the same as above but turning left at the bottom of the off ramp or you could exit at Kenwood Ave. turn left and then a right at the bottom of the hill and you will be on Cajon blvd. (old 66) and follow the track up to Swarthout.

[lechee]

Thanks Chad
Looks like a very good location. Will be there this weekend.

[chad thomas]

OK, here is the pic. It is in fact the location described above. It is staged though. I have seen that Stater Brothers truck being hauled around San Bernadino on a modern flatbed trailer. The sign is bogus too, This is Swarthout Canyon road not rte 66. Route 66 runs down the canyon east of the tracks and doesn't cross the tracks. It is a great photo though. I wish I would have caught that one. This is a good spot and good for photos in the morning.

[zgardner18]

Man, I remember that day.  We spent the day before at Union Station touring the trains and the station, and then we headed back up the pass to see both trains head north.  I had my dad's camera at the time and didn't have a clue how to use it.  Come to find out that it didn't have any film in it while I was taking pictures in the Pass.  Heck I was only 12 at the time.  My grandfather, whom took my brother and I, asked if we wanted to follow the 8444 to Yermo or the 4449 to the Loop.  We voted to follow th 8444 which now I wished we would have done the reverse.  Still, it was a great time.  I wish I knew where those pictures were.