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

[daniel3197]

That Southern Pacific line over Cajon was completed in 1967.   This "new" SP line was designed to allow freight traffic from Bakersfield to BYPASS the congested Los Angeles Basin.    At West Colton this rail traffic could join the Sunset Route and continue east to Texas and beyond.  This "SP Palmdale Cutoff" runs north from West Colton thru Cajon Pass to the Cajon Summit area.   Just north of Summit the SP line turns west and heads directly to Palmdale.   At Palmdale the new SP line JOINS the traditional SP mainline heading toward Mojave--Tehachapi--Bakersfield etc. 

 Visit this EXCELLENT Southern California website for MAPS of all major rail lines around Southern California:

http://www.socalrailfan.com/subdivisions/up_mojave_sub.html 

For some reason Socalrailfan does not appear to have Maps--Timetables for the Metrolink Valley Subdivision (former SP line from Burbank to Palmdale).

 You can follow the now 2 SP mainlines out of Palmdale, CA on this Google Map:

http://tinyurl.com/35tjru

I hope this little summary of the SP Cajon Pass line helps you! 

 ---Daniel 

The trackage rights are for operations on the original Cajon Pass line completed by ATSF predecessors in the 19th century and extend from Dagget to Riverside Jct.

In the late 20th century SP built another track from S. Bernardino up the pass to an elevation where they turned west toward their line south of Mojave and this is what UP operates w/o trackage rights.

[diningcar]

The trackage rights are for operations on the original Cajon Pass line completed by ATSF predecessors in the 19th century and extend from Dagget to Riverside Jct.

In the late 20th century SP built another track from S. Bernardino up the pass to an elevation where they turned west toward their line south of Mojave and this is what UP operates w/o trackage rights.

[Murphy Siding]

     A little blurb in the Nov. Trains Magazine about Cajon Pass mentions that both BNSF and UP own routes accross the pass, but many UP trains use trackage rights over BNSF.  Why is that?

[Modelcar]

....Good "action" photos....

[Warren Smith]

Here are two shots by Dave Toussaint from over at SoCalRailFan.com

This is up at Summit showing the joining of the CWR to ties.  You can see the front of the worktrain being supported by the dozer.  Ballast and alignment will be next.

And this is BNSF MOW working down at the UP connector installing signal bridges and switches.

Fun work with ongoing traffic ...

Warren

[ndbprr]

I was out there in the late 80's right after the SP coal train took out a portion of San Berdoo.  I drove right down the street where the pipeline ruptured a week later and carbonized the neighborhood.  Too late for one disaster and too early for the other.  perfect timing!

[Warren Smith]

When was the last time the San Andreas fault rumbled in that area. Seems like they are due for a major track reallignment.

There is seismic activity through Cajon Pass all the time - of varying magnitudes.

Kinda like wildfires and mudslides, when it happens (the big one), the rails will be one set of reconstruction activity out of a very large infrastructure package. There is a 36" high pressure gas pipeline, Interstate 15, high voltage transmission lines ...

You get the picture

Warren

[ndbprr]

When was the last time the San Andreas fault rumbled in that area. Seems like they are due for a major track reallignment.

[garyla]

Those are described as "short set-out tracks for bad order cars" according to a map in Chard Walker's article on the 1972 upgrades of ATSF's Cajon Pass trackage. 

The article appeared on page 8 of the October 1972 edition of Trains magazine.

But obviously they can serve very well for parking MOW equipment and helpers, too.

[Modelcar]

....Eric:  Thank you for the fine job of describing the operation of equipment working with the new ballast, track and alignment, etc....

[kenneo]

.....If they can "lay the dirt smooth"....why then can't the ballast be done the same way, and then the "track" put down on the ballast already smoothed for a good surface.

I suspect the root of the reason might be the machines or connected machines that lay track can do all the above in one complicated move and have something to actually be running on {rails}, while doing it.

It just makes me wonder how an adequate amount {and depth}, ballast is really inserted UNDER the track structure......

Quinton (and a note to Warren at the bottom)

The ballast can be laid prior to placing the track, but that can make things more difficult than the method I have described.  It may not seem "correct", but it does work quite well.  As the ballast trains operate over the newly adjusted rock, it packs it down so that it is more stable than it would otherwise be.  To pack the ballast prior to laying the track takes an entire crew of "Mudchickens", graders, packers, et all, and takes more time then to use your ballast train to do the consolidating.

After the ties are placed on the "dirt", the rails are secured to them and a "quick and dirty" alignment is done so that the ballast train won't derail.  Then the ballast train is backed onto the track and the ballast dumped.  Next, the liner-tamper is run down the track. 

Depending on how it is constructed, this machine can do only one or more than one tie at a time, but either way, it has clamps that grab the top of the rail head, then hydrolic jacks lift the machine, track, and ties, the tamper fingers then push the ballast under the tie(s), the jacks lower everything and the clamps are released.  This is how a "Spot Tamper" works.  A "Production Tamper-Liner" has the tools set up so that very little (if no) stopping need occurr.

Then they move forward (one or more ties, depending) and do it all over again.  After all of this is done for the length of ballast that had been dumped, the machines make way for another load of ballast and do this process all over again until the track is properly aligned, cross-leveled and surfaced according to the (civil) engineer's ballast profile.  It is now ready for trains.

Of course, if you have access "from the side" as they do on this work over Cajon, then they can dump the rock from the side and make the lift, surface, alignment, and cross level all in one move.  But I don't think they would tie up the main if they don't have to.  There is just too much traffic on that line to justify that.

The ballast profile is programmed into the tamper-liners computer and guages in the operators cabin tell him if everything is working OK or not.  Tamper-liners have that long multiple carriage with the booms to connect them and the lights shinning back toward the tamper-liner. 

The computer measures the angles and arcs reflected back and that tells the computer (and operator) to raise, lower, or move the track sideways.  Spot tampers do not have all that fancy gadgetry.  They do it mostly "by eye-ball" and just over a very short distance - hence the name "spot".

WARREN -- Keep your eyes open and I am sure you will see variations-on-the-theme of both methods I described above.  From the discussion on this thread, I am sure that many reading it will want to know just how they actually are doing the "dressing" operating.  Keep us posted both with words and pictures.  You are doing a fine job -- keep it up!

[Modelcar]

.....Yes, Warren....that makes sense.  After thinking about it a bit more, I realize since that work is so mechinized now, that machinery needs a "track" to run on to fine tune the final track structure.  Hence, the track down first.

[Warren Smith]

.....If they can "lay the dirt smooth"....why then can't the ballast be done the same way, and then the "track" put down on the ballast already smoothed for a good surface.

I suspect the root of the reason might be the machines or connected machines that lay track can do all the above in one complicated move and have something to actually be running on {rails}, while doing it.

It just makes me wonder how an adequate amount {and depth}, ballast is really inserted UNDER the track structure......

Quentin:

That's what the choreography of the MOW crews is all about. Since there are parallel tracks 15 feet away, concurrent operations can take place to ensure that the proper roadbed is in place prior to final alignment by the equipment which rides on the newly installed rails.

Warren

[Modelcar]

.....If they can "lay the dirt smooth"....why then can't the ballast be done the same way, and then the "track" put down on the ballast already smoothed for a good surface.

I suspect the root of the reason might be the machines or connected machines that lay track can do all the above in one complicated move and have something to actually be running on {rails}, while doing it.

It just makes me wonder how an adequate amount {and depth}, ballast is really inserted UNDER the track structure......

[kenneo]

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

Easier to get the sub ballast in.  With single track, grade the dirt smooth, lay the track, run ballast trains as necessary for the correct amount of ballast, use a Tamper-Liner between ballast deliveries, until the track is properly ballasted, surfaced and lined.  Run Trains!

[kenneo]

That short siding is the remaining one of two (one was on the other track) was/is used to cut out helpers.  With the greater use of DPU's, hardly any manned helpers are now used, so ---- "anything that fits --or needs putting away".  Same for the other track mentioned at the top of the Loop.  You'll find tracks like these at the top of all helper grades.

 

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

 

 

 

 

Hey Warren or anybody else-

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

[Warren Smith]

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

 Best guess is it's a clearance detector. Any concrete forms or such nearby that might temporarily reduce clearances?

Corwinda:

I asked one of the technicians in the van, who said that they are monitoring exhaust. They have a similar device over at the UP tracks. It's all part of the air quality mandate in the L.A. basin. That's why you'll see newer motive power on these lines ...

Warren

[corwinda]

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

 Best guess is it's a clearance detector. Any concrete forms or such nearby that might temporarily reduce clearances?

[Warren Smith]

What company is providing the track and ties for the Cajon Pass, Is it Foster LB?

Trout:

Could be. The plans we are staking from state "work by others" - meaning BNSF MOW crews. I'll see if I can find out, but it would be the usual source ...

Warren

[Anonymous]

What company is providing the track and ties for the Cajon Pass, Is it Foster LB?

[Jack_S]

Not to downplay the importance of the work at Cajon, but the BNSF is doing lots of track work in the flatlands of SoCal too.  When I ride Metrolink betwen Fullerton and LA I am moving through a constant landscape of stacks of ties and preassembled switches, ballast spread out in advance of tracks, new tracks already ballasted and waiting tp be finally aligned, and miles of rail waiting for attention.  They have widened one bridge to take one more track and seem to be preparing the approaches to others.  Regrading the ROW has been going on constantly at a couple of places.  Concrete retaining walls are going up along one long cut.

Some of the work looks like another main line, some is onviously lengthening the sidings right up to any obstacles, switching them back into the main, and then starting up another siding just after the obstacle.  It is clear that as soon as they need the capacity, they'll widen the bridges and crossings, move the signal towers, and connect the sidings as a new main.  All the new sidings look like they are built for heavy traffic.  Concrete ties are everywhere there is new track, with wooden ones only for switch assemblies.

I rode Metrolink yesterday from Riverside thru Pomona to LA on the UP and they are doing a good amount of work but not as much as I see on BNSF.  One station on that line has a shoo-fly built at platform to allow a new bridge to be built just west.  The rails at the station have been covered with plastic sheeting so that asphalt could be laid right over the rails for a new temporary platform giving access to the trains on the shoo-fly.

Jack

[Warren Smith]

     Wow!  That's some rugged country.  A couple of questions:  A photo of a bridge being built shows pilings.  Is the soil that bad?  And,what are the pilings driven into or down to?  A tunnel shown (#2?)  says it's going to be daylighted.  It doesn't seem that long, as you can see through it.  Why was it a tunnel in the first place, and not just a cut?

Murphy:

The bridges all cross streams, which make the existing ground alluvial. The piles are driven to refusal. New support structure design here in California is calculated for seismic activity, with allowance for elasticity.

The two tunnels are each about 500' long. In order to daylight them, and stay within the right-of-way, a 1/2:1 slope is required. This entails drilling soil nails - rebar and grout - to stabilize the woven wire fabric and concrete face. The original construction of a single line opted to bore and build essentially a culvert.

Warren

[Murphy Siding]

     Wow!  That's some rugged country.  A couple of questions:  A photo of a bridge being built shows pilings.  Is the soil that bad?  And,what are the pilings driven into or down to?  A tunnel shown (#2?)  says it's going to be daylighted.  It doesn't seem that long, as you can see through it.  Why was it a tunnel in the first place, and not just a cut?

[TimChgo9]

Great photos...

Thanks for keeping us up to date, awesome photos.

 

 

[Modelcar]

....Great update on construction photos Warren.  Contractors really have rugged stuff to open up and bridge.

My thanks for the continuing photos showing those of us interested in the project and it's progress.

[Warren Smith]

Abutments and wingwalls are formed and the new piers are being tied into the old ones at bridge 61.5X

CWR is being set out on the subballast from Summit down toward the tunnels. Note the MOW equipment parked in the little siding.

Work is progressing at the tunnels. Here is #1 with equipment drilling for soil nail placement.

Here is the other side of tunnel #1 with grading operations suspended for rail traffic.

Ames is drilling shafts at bridge 64.1X at the beginning of Sullivan's Curve.

And here is the rebar that goes into each one.

Here is the view from the south side of the Rock Bridge at Blue Cut. The new bridge will be alongside the existing, upstream.

Warren

[spbed]

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

 

 

 

 

Hey Warren or anybody else-

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

[Warren Smith]

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

[JSGreen]

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?

 

 

[Warren Smith]

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