Update as of February 5, 2013
Colton-Ontario, CA
Part II, Section B (of A-H)
West Colton’s Receiving Yard
Rebuilding Track 207
Bloomington-Fontana, CA
At the WEST side now, this section has eastward views from Sierra Ave. in Fontana.
This west end of Track 207 IS connected (bottom).
Other nearby trackage seems to be in the process of being rebuilt too. And, there are plenty of workers on the project.
A north side view:
Continued in Section C
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
Part II, Section C (of A-H)
The West of Sierra Ave. Scene
Fontana, CA
The last Section’s photos looked east. From the same Sierra Ave. vantage point, this section's first photo has a westward slant. Main 1 (upper right, within CP AL533 SIERRA) as reported by others, still does not have any two-tracking extension-work.
Ribbon rail reportedly has been laid in the area, possibly for a SOUTH of the siding future fourth track (lower right). The below previously shown photo was shot August 25, 2010 from Cyrus Ave. way before the ribbon rail came along.
Continued in Section D
Part II, Section D (of A-H)
The Milliken Ave. Flyover
Ontario, CA
At the Milliken Ave. Flyover, many trucks were constantly dumping sand into the flyover construction, plus other equipment was onsite too.
The north side railings were only partially installed.
Trucks turning in tight quarters were a show in itself.
Continued in Section E
Part II, Section E (of A-H)
Both side’s railing are seen (top). The north side’s railing are incomplete at this time, and as they approach Milliken Ave., they stop.
At Milliken Ave. the east slope still has more construction necessary.
As seen above, both the Main 1 and 2 bridges are in place now.
Continued in Section F
Part II, Section F (of A-H)
A north side view looking east:
In comparing the last photo in Section E with the above in this Section F, the north Main 1 Flyover side has a different, incomplete look.
All the vehicle lanes except one in each direction is barricaded off while the sidewalks and curbing is altered for more lanes.
Continued in Section G
Part II, Section G (of A-H)
An eastward view: The yet to rise even more north walling by Milliken Ave. Note the belter machine is on a makeshift hill!
That CAT machine shovel-dropping dirt into the flyover:
Now that CAT (Caterpillar) is the final parent owner of EMD, it has to be wondered if someday ("someday") SD70ACe’s will have a “CAT” label on them …
The big mound of dirt makes the flyover look impressive.
Continued in Section H
Part II, Section H (of A-H)
A close-up of the Plain Jane look:
Looking west, there is much flyover construction yet to do.
Finally, the cubical construction previous shown empty is now full of dirt.
This will conclude this series.
KP-
Heard from UP on the acquisition of the obsolete target signals:
ccltrains (2-12):
The link was gone to and the section ‘asset sales’ was attempted to be checked out. Unfortunately, one has to register for access. Can anyone imagine having to register to buy shampoo from Wal-Mart? I give up.
Maybe someone here at the forum WITH access can check out the specifics …
About the California-Arizona Trip Posts
A rough draft has been completed, and as it stands now, there will be four separate posting groups, starting in Tucson, AZ and ending by Salton Sea, CA.
It is too early still to post a specific schedule.
Take care all,
K.P.
I have found that UP is very tight lipped about their operations etc. They do not respond for updates on the Sunset route or other things. Perhaps I should buy more UP stock (cash donations are accepted) and vote myself on the board. I served on the board of directors of DART for seven years, but I think UP would require more management experience for their board. I have found the best source of UP info is from an engineer we see at the local coffee shops couple times per week between his runs. He has given me considerable insight on many issues such as the Midland TX disaster. If I get any good feeds from him I will post them.
*** Tucson Update ***
1) The HARSCO tie and rail crew is done putting down the second track between Marana and Kino.
They've spent the last week parked within sight of the Marana Road grade crossing. Thursday and Friday, they closed the gap, and put down the last ties at the east end of CP Marana. The previous week, they'd also made great progress, closing in from just north of Tangerine Road. It seems they work for a few days, and then don't for a week or two... I want *that* job....
The truss is now loaded on a flat car, and the crew told me the entire machine will be sent back to New Mexico to work on the new yard.
More interesting, the SD70 and SP patched Dash 9 which had been on the rear for the past two weeks are now on the head end. How they got it all swapped is a bit curious. Did they pull the whole set out to Kino and run the power around? Back to the Tucson yard? We may never know... ;)
Before:
After:
2) The west facing crossover at CP Marana is the official end of the double track, and has been in service since last fall.
There are three more turnouts to be built, and one set of the ties are onsite and stacked on the south side of the tracks. As with Sabino, lots of stick rail is staged, the slider clamps are sitting in a bin, and all the turnout hardware & frogs appear to be there as well.
This week, two panel sections were built, so my guess is the east facing turnout is going to be cut in shortly.
3) Ballast has been dumped along the line past CP Sabino, but still isn't all the way to Tangerine Road. Since the tie train has been sitting west of Tangerine, my guess is they will start ballasting again in the coming weeks.
4) ADOT issued a lane closure warning for Marsh Station Road (I'd heard it mentioned on the morning traffic reports) and it appears that they're prepping the UP bridge for removal.
eolesen (2-16):
Informative report, Eric!
Visible signs of the possible removal of the railroad bridge west of Marsh Station Rd. have proven somewhat deceptive. However, your post inspired me to check the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) website, and it says the removal will take place Friday night, March 8, 2013 and will be finished the morning of March 9.
LINK: I-10 UP Railroad Bridge Removal Schedule
So, now we know!
Best,
After listening to weeks of 'Form B' activity between Pomona and Ontario, I decided to venture out and get a first hand view. Here is the
Montclair Yard area update!
Starting from the west at San Antonio Ave in Pomona, we look east from CP Reservoir. Take notice of the smooth graded area for a presumed second main track. It is about 1.7 miles from here to North Montclair siding.
Further east at Ramona Ave and the North Montclair siding west switch, more grading but not much else yet.
At Monte Vista Ave, the grading continues. This will likely be the west end of new leads and sidings. Electronic signs report a street closure from Tues 2-19 to Tues 3-05 at this location. Hmmm.
From the Central Ave overcrossing, a completely unexpected view - all of the yard buildings are GONE! Plenty of room for new trackage. Two of the ladder tracks have been cut back at their west end.
End part 1 of 2.
Links to my Google Maps ---> Sunset Route overview, SoCal metro, Yuma sub, Gila sub, SR east of Tucson, BNSF Northern Transcon and Southern Transcon *** Why you should support Ukraine! ***
Montclair Yard area update (continued)
From Mountain Ave looking east we see a graded plain ready for ........ something. Reportedly some storage sidings will be installed adjacent to a new main track (or maybe a 1.5 mile siding-to-siding connection). When's that TLM coming back to Cali?
Also looking east but along the LA sub, we see what appears to be grading for a connecting or bypass track.
Finally from the other San Antonio Ave in Ontario looking west, we see a forlorn new LH turnout not yet fulfilling its presumed destiny as the entrance to a yard lead.
Here's a follow up question for our Tucson area correspondents: is there any sign of track laying between Kino siding and CP Stockham? Perhaps this is another capital conserving single track 'gap'.
I borrowed (copied stole?) this from the West Coast Rail Forums site
K.P.’s Trip Report Posting Schedule
Tuesday, February 19, 2013: Part “A”
Tucson, AZ
Thursday, February 21, 2013: Part “B”
Red Rock, AZ
Saturday, February 23, 2013: Part “C”
Way Out in Arizona
The Mesquite Line near Glamis, CA
Monday, February 25, 2013: Part “D”
Two-Tracking in the Niland, CA Area
Along Highway 111 – California’s Salton Sea Area
Wednesday, February 27, 2013: Part “E”
Posts should be up by 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on the scheduled date, but likely much earlier.
MileF90 (2-18):
Absolutely great Pomona-Ontario, CA series, Mike!
As far as Tucson, AZ and track laying between Kino and Stockham, while I did NOT check that area out per se on the trip out that way less than two weeks ago, as per the following photo at CP SP976 KINO (M.P. 975.8, east end), I have reason to believe NO further track laying is taking place there.
More on the Thursday post.
California – Arizona Trip Report
February 7-8, 2013
Part “A” (of A-E), Section 1 (of 1-8)
This report will generally be on an east to west basis.
Ever since K.P.’s last trip through Arizona in early October 2012, top on the list for this next visit was getting photos from the 22nd Street overpass. So, that was the special focus this trip.
A UP train crew-change bridge is just railroad east of the 22nd Street overpass.
A telephoto looking eastbound: From left to right, Main 1, Main 2, Track 103 (Siding 1), and Track 104 (Siding 2), and of course, a bunch of yard tracks to the right.
Above, the milepost marker 986 is present on the photo bottom. Behind the wood electric pole midway back on the left is the Main 1 intermediate signal. The only evidence of it is basically the head disk partially visible from behind that pole.
Main 2, Tracks 103 and 104 only have absolute signals, as below.
Continued in Section 2
Part “A”, Section 2 (of 1-8)
From the 22nd Street roadway / pedestrian bridge area, looking eastbound:
Are all the birds railfans from another life? Seriously, it may be a blessing railbuffs don’t have access to the bridge … Do trainmen here wear hardhats?
The south side of the UP employee bridge:
Continued in Section 3
Part “A”, Section 3 (of 1-8)
An Example of Pedestrian Bridges
Los Angeles, CA Area
The Los Angeles, CA area has fenced pedestrian bridges over the I-10 Freeway (with a good view of the Metrolink tracks [ex-SP line that UP still has trackage rights on]). Those bridges have fencing NOT all the way overhead, and that likely avoids the droppings problem.
Continued in Section 4
Part “A”, Section 4 (of 1-8)
With UP’s two-tracking effort, much new concrete ties are used. On the south side of the Tucson Yard, between three quarters of a mile and a mile is devoted to tie loading.
From the 22nd Street Bridge, southeastward views of a small portion of that background long, long tie area:
LINK: Focused Aerial of Tucson Yard Tie Loading Area
LINK: Yellow Overhead Tie Loading Machine Aerial
In both map aerials above, the views can be mouse dragged as desired, and made closer or farther away.
Continued in Section 5
Part “A”, Section 5 (of 1-8)
Of Time Machines and Photo Doctors
Let us travel back in time to May 29, 2009, to when the previously shown west-looking photo (below) was shot from the 36th Street overpass at the EAST end of the Tucson Yard. (That bridge the camera was on at that time is the background bridge in the second photo in Section 1 above.)
In K.P.’s reviewing the photos shot that 2009 day, one that was never shown to the forum was found to be of special interest, and doubly so. First, a highly cropped view and doctoring of that special interest photo shows the yellow crane-like machine (upper right in the below photo) used to lift those ties illustrated in Section 4.
So, the tie operation has been there for a while. Forum contributor desertdog (John Timm) back in 2011 posted some excellent photos of the private company concrete tie operation.
LINK: Open, and Scroll Down to deserdog's Two Posts on the Subject
Back then K.P. did not make the connection that the tie facility was within the Tucson Yard. But, now, we all can make that connection!
Continued in Section 6
Part “A”, Section 6 (of 1-8)
That above highly cropped and doctored photo had something unusual in it, thus, the photo was super cropped even further to the point of blurring … A windowless (or painted over windows) old gray GE unit is seen on the right … with the headlight on, being moved around!
In the past, such a unit was in the back lots of West Colton Yard (CA) as a backup, emergency power source for all the buildings ...
… and night floodlights, as in the Departure Yard.
Both above night photos are reshown and shot between 11 P.M. and midnight December 4, 2009
It is unknown if the old GE unit is still at West Colton Yard, if it was transferred to Tucson, or if UP has a whole fleet of backup power units for yards though out its sprawling system.
Continued in Section 7
Part “A”, Section 7 (of 1-8)
Looking westbound, an eastbound train heads under the 22nd St. overpass the camera was on.
A westward telephoto: The Kino Parkway overpass and the big CP SP985 CHERRY AVE (M.P. 985.2) west of it.
All the 30 M.P.H. crossovers in this area are, as most are elsewhere, of the UP spring frog type:
Continued in Section 8
Part “A”, Section 8 (of 1-8)
Presently (2013), West Colton Yard in the Colton-Fontana area of Southern California, does both westbound and eastbound classifying of boxcar traffic.
After West Colton Yard’s future counterpart classification yard is built in Red Rock, AZ (near of the below reshown landmark photo taken back on April 14, 2008) …
… there will then be separate westbound and eastbound facilities, one in California and one in Arizona. It is unknown to K.P. exactly how that arrangement will affect the surface switching at the Tucson Yard …
… as in the above eastward view from the 22nd Street overpass in Tucson, AZ.
If the Tucson’s present yard receives its traffic from the west, the future Red Rock facility will mesh well. If Tucson receives its traffic primarily from the east, Red Rock will add mileage to shipments. At this point in time, it is unclear what the future of the Tucson facility and its trackage will be.
-------------
Continued in Part B, to be posted Thursday, February 21, 2013 by 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, but likely much earlier.
I suspect Red Rock will wind up getting the PHX traffic which is now collected and moved out of TUS. That backhaul adds 40+40 miles of extra mileage for container traffic out of LA, and possibly another day in transit.
It looks like there's more traffic coming out of Nogales, so anything that can ease up space there is a benefit, especially if the proposed alternative container superport gets built south of Tijuana. That's going to increase traffic at all points west of Yuma.
eolesenespecially if the proposed alternative container superport gets built south of Tijuana.
UPDATE: Incidental Sunset Route sighting on television
One of the current episodes of Top Gear UK airing now (series 19, episode 2) features a 'race' from Palm Springs to Calexico; Jeremy Clarkson chooses the SR-111 route with a few fleeting shots of UP freights in the background. No construction or K.P.H. sightings however ...
I don't know the proper nomenclature for those gray, windowless GE units, but when they're m.u.ed to any other unit(s), they allow the unit or consist to be operated remotely. As far as I know, they're just shells, maybe with a bit of weight added...no engines, generators, or traction motors (none working, at any rate).
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
I've heard them referred to as "boosters," but mostly as "slugs." They do have extra weight and operating traction motors -- at least the ones I've seen. I would not see them as having any purpose, otherwise. On the UP there are (were) some painted in standard colors. The ones in Tucson are usually tied to a remote control unit, which may explain why they are painted gray, i.e., to distinguish them visibly.
John Timm
I agree with Carl that the gray GE's have the remote control receiver/control gear. Hook them up to any other locomotive and you have a remote set.
It was my understanding that the first ones from about 10 years ago didn't have (or didn't use anymore) traction motors and the diesel engine removed. I don't know about other conversions after the first group.
When Des Moines first got RCO, we didn't have equipped engines. They took old switcher slugs, that were recycled from old end cab switch engines, and used them to carry the remote gear. Some had their traction motors removed completely,while others still had them but the wiring had been disconnected.
Jeff
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