Second Section
A Delayed Reply for a Reason …
… to kgbw49 (11-20):
kgbw49 http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=472858&nseq=1 K.P., might you know if UP ever repainted the replacement box car that they provided with the SD40-2 and the way car in exchange for the 4014?
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=472858&nseq=1
K.P., might you know if UP ever repainted the replacement box car that they provided with the SD40-2 and the way car in exchange for the 4014?
About that boxcar (involving an SD40-2 and caboose in exchange for steamers UP 4014), it can be said definitively from a visit to the gates-locked site Tuesday, December 1, 2015 that it was only partially painted, a touchup job if you will, but all the graffiti cover-up that was on the lower 1/3 appears to be gone, but the paint still doesn't quite match.
We both now know (and I guess many others at the forum too).
Best,
K.P.
A ‘Third Section’ follows.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
Third Section
More about the Pomona Fairplex Displays
For those interested …
UP 3105 (a rare ex-Missouri Pacific unit that is dynamic brake equipped) could be partially photographed as well.
That caboose (reportedly ex-Rock Island) as viewed from the side:
The caboose from the rear:
A ‘Fourth Section’ follows.
Fourth Section
Some other company if the boxcar gets lonely …
A Tidbit about the Diversion Pipeline Relocation
It is understood that the Diversion’s pipeline that is being relocated belongs to Kinder-Morgan, and was originally owned by the Southern Pacific Pipelines, but because of the ill-fated Southern Pacific-Santa Fe merger effort, SP lost possession of the pipeline. One would think Kinder-Morgan would be doing the pipeline relocation since they own it now. But, photos indicate another outfit is involved.
Whatever the arrangement and why (likely because of the Alameda Corridor East Construction Authority’s doings), at least the Diversion’s completion after many years of litigation finally looks to be in sight.
This will end the ‘Sections’ postings.
Thank you, K.P.! You are the best!
It is a little surprising that UP did not "gussy it up" a little more than the patch job. I was thinking they might give it the Armour Yellow treatment instead of keeping it mineral brown. Who knows - something like that might still be on the docket long range.
Thanks again for taking the time to satisfy my curiosity!
Kinder-Morgan manages their construction projects but does not have a physical "building" division while Rasic is a local company capable of doing the work.
Same as BNSF having Ames do their construction work even as they have M-O-W employees that do the same "kind" of work. K-M has maintenance employees but large projects are contracted to companies that do that kind of work on a regular basis.
A10
K.P., great shot composition against the sun. I remenber from my trips to Rail Giants in Pomona back in the day that the layout of the site made it almost impossible to get sun-side photos. Your photos have great detail, clarity and color even though you had to shoot against the sun. I especially like the detail you have drawn out on the 9000 4-12-2. The sand piping down from the single sand dome is fascinating. That sure is a long run to the back drivers. I know Challengers have two sand domes, one over each set of drivers, with all the pipes being more vertical. And what an enormous main rod - I can understand with all thst rotating weight why they were initially limited to 35 mph as at higher speeds the hammer effect on the rails would be multiplied per the old physics equation that Force = Mass x Acceleration. So a Challenger with two smaller rods could do 70 mph on varnish or fast freight because the mass of the two main rods was much less. As could, I suppose, the Sante Fe 3450 Hudson - the stable mate of 9000. Just fascinating! Thanks again for swinging by Rail Giants to solve the box car mystery and for such great photos of the rolling stock!
K. P. Harrier Update as of December 1, 2015 The Diversion’s Petroleum Pipeline Relocation Pomona, CA During a dispatch to deep within Riverside County (CA), on the way K.P. was able to ‘sneak over’ to Pomona, and check on the controversy area of the Diversion pipeline relocation now underway that has held up finishing the project for years. An eastward looking telephoto at SP’s CP AL513 POMONA to set the scene: West of there and following the LA&SL route, plenty of equipment, dirt, and activity was seen. In the last photo above, a mast signal of LA&SL’s CP C030 ROSELAWN is seen on the right. The Diversion follows west the LA&SL. In theory, the other end of the Diversion, the west end, should have all the switches there positioned soon, new track laid, and the Diversion put in service after the work illustrated in the above photos is completed. Reportedly, the Ontario to Sierra Ave. in Fontana stretch will start to be two-tracked beginning around the first of the year. Maybe (“maybe”) the Diversion trackwork will be done at that time too. A ‘Second Section’ follows (and some)
Update as of December 1, 2015
The Diversion’s Petroleum Pipeline Relocation
Pomona, CA
During a dispatch to deep within Riverside County (CA), on the way K.P. was able to ‘sneak over’ to Pomona, and check on the controversy area of the Diversion pipeline relocation now underway that has held up finishing the project for years.
An eastward looking telephoto at SP’s CP AL513 POMONA to set the scene:
West of there and following the LA&SL route, plenty of equipment, dirt, and activity was seen.
In the last photo above, a mast signal of LA&SL’s CP C030 ROSELAWN is seen on the right. The Diversion follows west the LA&SL.
In theory, the other end of the Diversion, the west end, should have all the switches there positioned soon, new track laid, and the Diversion put in service after the work illustrated in the above photos is completed.
Reportedly, the Ontario to Sierra Ave. in Fontana stretch will start to be two-tracked beginning around the first of the year. Maybe (“maybe”) the Diversion trackwork will be done at that time too.
A ‘Second Section’ follows (and some)
K.P.,
Perhaps you could collect a "bounty" by returning those shopping carts in the top photo to their rightful owner(s). It would help pay for your gas as you drive about snapping photos for us.
John Timm
K.P.:
I got a laugh out of John's suggestion about wayward shopping carts parked along mainlines !
I take advantage of your reports as I continue work on my N scale SoCal "trans-con" layout. Your photos help me me set the tone for my ROW details. As, such, there is a severed industrial track (next the the signal department) that leads into a lot of parked semi-trailers. I have been looking for a detail that would just set the tone perfectly for that forlorn piece of trash-strewn track.
Thanks to you I have found the urban-detail that begs to be modeled-- a trashed shopping cart!! Awesome!!
--John
K. P. Harrier That caboose (reportedly ex-Rock Island) as viewed from the side: The caboose from the rear:
The caboose was RI 17149. One of those financed by the UP in the late 1960s and repossessed in 1980 when the RI shut down.
Jeff
A Major Sunset Route Service Disruption …
… and Everything WAS on the Rails!
Last week towards the western end of the Sunset Route, specifically at the West Colton Yard (Colton, CA) crew change place(s), UP suddenly was at the mercy of circumstances, and those circumstances were not kind to UP. Most here at the forum undoubtedly know about the mass killing in San Bernardino, the next town to the east of Colton, in which 14 people lost their lives and two terrorist-like people were killed by law enforcement in a shootout.
The scene a few days after the shootout. The track is the ex-BNSF "Redlands Loop"
What the press has not reported is that away from home crews lodge very close by the shootout and thus those crews were stuck in a lockdown situation. So, they could not make reliefs. Thus, the Sunset Route and other routes related to West Colton Yard soon came to a grinding halt, with ‘on the law’ crews stuck on their trains all over the various subdivisions! After the crisis was over after numerous hours, it took UP hours and hours and hours to unscramble the situation.
On Saturday, December 5, 2015 K.P. had opportunity to visit the north side near the incident location, and everything was still all cordoned off, as pictured in the photo above. The police car was more dramatic than the photo depicts, as the fast camera shutter speed caught most of the lights off because of a strobe-like effect, but red and blue lights were flashing, and the headlights were glowing.
Presently, there does not appear to be any two-tracking in Arizona and California on the Sunset Route, so no ‘two-tracking’ got caught up in that service disruption.
K.P., it will be interesting to see what happens with 2016 Capital Budgets. Those are usually announced in late December or January along with the financial results for the prior year. Rail traffic is down and UP reported at the Credit Suisse Industrial Conference last week that they have roughly 1,150 locomotives stored per page three of this presentation.
Your intuition several months ago that things were slowing down was prescient.
Not only is rail traffic down, but the Wall Street Journal reported that new orders for highway truck tractors are at a 5 year low.
http://www.up.com/cs/groups/public/@uprr/@investor/documents/investordocuments/pdf_up_creditsuisse_slides.pdf
Part I (of I-II)
For Those That May Be Interested …
The Southern California Dispatcher’s Center
The western end of the Sunset Route, like with the SP Alhambra Sub, and related track like the LA&SL Los Angeles Sub, have the dispatchers here, at BNSF’s dispatch center in San Bernardino, CA.
It is a very secure location, as a team of BNSF gun toting Special Agents (BNSF police) work out of the building too!
Other UP territories are dispatched out of here also, like UP’s Mojave Sub over Cajon Pass and Tehachapi. So, if a BNSF dispatcher has a major concern, say about fluidity at Tehachapi, it can easily be taken care of in person!
Presently (“presently” is used because territories are always being changed around with the hi-tech electronics now in use), the Sunset Route track from Yuma. AZ to Ordway, CA (CP SP548 ORDWAY) is dispatched out of Omaha, but there is rumor that a new dispatcher position (Yuma-Ordway) will be coming to San Bernardino. If that happens, Ordway may or may not remain as the diving line between dispatchers.
With the advancement of technologies and security issues being solved, often the dispatching is out of TWO locations. Take that Tehachapi-Cajon Pass example. Hypothetically, if there is no one to relieve the Tehachapi DS at San Bernardino, a simple toggle switch can be manipulated, and presto, a dispatcher in Omaha, NE can take over, with console and track display and all! Niffy system!
Replies
rdamon (12-3):
Pro passenger train people undoubtedly will be encouraged at the federally funded study (just a study) of restoring Amtrak’s Los Angeles-New Orleans Sunset Limited to Florida, the New Orleans to Florida stretch cancelled 10 years ago because of the aftermath of Hurricane Catrina. What crosses my mind on this was the EFFECT that adding coast to coast service would have on timekeeping of the Sunset Route freight trains. Freight timekeeping is bad enough now, however, adding more Sunset Limited run territory where delays could occur further may complicate matters …Of course, the eastern end of the route may (“may”) be of a lower density, secondary line-like nature, hence, more fluid. Maybe someone out that way that knows and is unbiased could weigh in on this for us.
In the light that coal trains on the Central Corridor are reducing in numbers, and boxcar and Intermodal business is also presently down on the Sunset Route for economic reasons, it is wondered if UP will have a change of heart and allow daily Amtrak service on the Sunset Route, and the extra money UP would earn pocketed. But, my gut tells me there are too many trains running over the Sunset Route for UP to have an open arms smile for daily Sunset Route Amtrak service, especial with so many miles left to be two-tracked.
SP357E44 (12-4):
Thanks for the clarification about Kinder-Morgan contracting with qualified outfits to do the work Kinder-Morgan has to have done. I just wonder now how long after the Pomona work is completed that we will finally see the Diversion completed.
kgbw49 (12-5):
You are welcome.
One of these days I hope to revisit the Rail Giants place (Pomona, CA) and get some close-up photo views. Maybe there will be someone, a staffer, there that will be knowledgeable about the plans for painting or not that boxcar.
desertdog (12-5):
The next time I’m out the Pomona (CA) way I should check on that shopping cart and see if it is even salvageable. Curiosity abounds if the carts owner would appreciate a call or if they would say ‘Thank you, now get lost.’
John Simpkins-Camp (12-5):
Now, that is a novel idea! Modeling abandon shopping carts along railroad tracks! That sure would add realism to a layout, and be the topic of conversation for visitors!
jeffhergert (12-6):
Thanks for the background on that caboose at the Rail Giants museum as part of the exchange for Big Boy 4014.
At first I was somewhat disappointed that a historically ”UP” caboose wasn’t given in exchange. But, then I thought the Los Angeles & Salt Lake line wasn’t in the UP fold either until 1925, but yet I consider the LA&SL UP. Funny how the mind works …
kgbw49 (12-8):
Not only is manufacturing down, but also big ticket construction items, like freeways and overpass bridges in the Southern California area …
… are winding down as well.
The above photos were taken earlier this year on a BNSF fireman’s special I was privileged to ride.
ccltrains (12-13):
You are OK. You probably were just suffering a bit of jetlag from that oversees flight!
I personally abhor those roundabouts, and avoid then whenever possible. The proliferation of federally funded new ones in recent years may inspire cities to seek more federal money to get rid of them!
Continued in Part II
Part II (of I-II)
About ...
That BNSF train ride mentioned in the reply above to kgbw49 went through Cajon Pass, and a northbound DPU set on the tail end of a UP on its own Palmdale Cutoff was about to be passed in the below photo.
Very likely that UP train was moving under authority of the UP dispatch section within the BNSF building in San Bernardino (pictured at top of previous post). As mentioned before, both Omaha (NE) and San Bernardino dispatches the Palmdale Cutoff, and either complex is capable of being the controlling entity.
The BNSF roundtrip special ended back at San Bernardino, and once all the passengers disembarked, quickly departed for assumedly Los Angeles.
It was a cool ride way back in May of this year.
Take care all,
Said N-scale shopping carts WERE located-- in Oceanside of all places! As per your dispatches, a few old tires should be included, too.
What, exactly, is "The Diversion" (capital "D")? I know that it has something to do with a K-M pipeline relocation, but it has a formal name?
Pete-M3 (12-16):
In this thread rail routes mentioned often use the terminology Southern Pacific (SP) and Los Angeles & Salt Lake (LA&SL, the owner before Union Pacific bought the line) for clarification of what is meant. In the western part of the City of Pomona the SP and LA&SL routes get farther apart. The northern SP line crosses both Temple Ave. and Pomona Ave at grade crossings, Temple Ave. being the whoppingly busier of the two.
To make vehicle traffic more free-flowing, the powers that be concocted the idea of moving the SP line over to the LA&SL route, a diverting of sorts, eventually coining it the “Diversion.” So, now, instead of the LA&SL side only having two-tracks, it will have four-tracks. The fourth track is pending the finishing of the pipeline relocation.
The Diversion known early-on to followers of this thread got severely bogged down in lawsuits, a predictable cause and effect result stemming from Southern Pacific being stripped of its association with the Southern Pacific Pipeline Company in the 1980’s and coming into the possession of Santa Fe Pacific back then in conjunction with the SPSF merger attempt. Of course, when UP bought SP sometime later, SFP saw the bad writing on the wall, sort of speaking, and sold the pipeline company, and the buyer, Kinder-Morgan, has been in lawsuits to no end because UP was powerful enough to stand its ground. As far as the Pomona situation is concerned, the present owner of the pipeline settled the lawsuit, a pipeline reroute is being worked on, and soon everything will be fine (hopefully).
Now you, Pete-M3, know what the “Diversion” is all about (hopefully, too).
Stay safe,
Thanks, K.P. Wow, what a soap opera! So, to summarize:
1. The Diversion starts and goes west for about 3 or 4 miles from the CP AL514 Hamilton area (more exactly, CP Oak or CP East Pomona?) along the LA&SL route.
2. The diverted line then "diverts" again, back to the Ahambra Sub main from the new CP Spadra on the LA&SL, via a short connecting track. Incidentally, was it a stroke of incredible luck or farsighted planning that they had that patch of available land in just the right place for the west-end connecting track in this heavily built-up area?
3. The old main then gets disconnected (and shortened?) at its west end to become an industrial track, accessible from the CP Hamilton area.
So, are my conclusions correct?
Also, thanks to Mike. Examining his SoCal metro area map was a great help in visualizing and understanding your comments.
Finally, a question/comment: it appears that the opportunities for double tracking west of the Diversion's west end are limited in several places by encroaching buildings. What do you think?
Pete
I think your conclusions are basically correct, but the whole project may be five, possibly six miles in length A to B, especially with the transition alignments at each end.
About your ‘question / comment’ … The right-of-way on both the Alhambra and Los Angeles Subdivisions for the most part are sufficiently wide for a multi-track arrangement, in some places for four-tracks or more.
A few odd quirks, in my opinion, come to mind, though. The 605 Freeway in the Pico Rivera-City of Industry area has only a two-track opening for the tracks.
The State, I assume, would have to pay for that opening to be widened. Years ago that was a single-track line through that opening. I don’t think anyone ever imagined the UP and SP would merge, but they did. Somehow I imagine this LA&SL route will ultimately be expanded in traffic, and a third track laid through here.
The location means more to K.P. than most because as a kid 55-60 years ago I remember riding UP domeliners through that 605 Freeway / LA&SL track opening. It was awesome, as the track severely angles underneath the freeway making the tunnel-like effect very, very long and in daylight tunnel-like darkness too! What a childhood memory!
The above photo, too, is the location where, in 1962, the City of Los Angeles with E-9 unit UP 900 on the point derailed at about 60 M.P.H. because of not having a slow order that was in effect there. I saw it afterwards on Los Angeles TV news, with yellow passenger cars jackknifed all over the place.
Then, there is the San Gabriel Trench construction on the SP Alhambra Sub.
Reportedly, it will only be for two-tracks. Not being expandable (for all practical purposes), a third track theoretically can’t be laid in it. That suggests, at least to K.P., that the Alhambra Sub (from Pomona westward) will take on a lesser importance status in the future, while the Los Angeles Sub increases. Above, comparing the trench with the track on the far right, one has to wonder if three-tracks would fit in the trench.
Back on the Los Angeles Sub, not too far west of the western end of the Diversion, UP laid the tracks in a strange way! With a jog in them! (See towards photo center-top.)
To K.P., that suggests a third track will eventually be laid, with a flyover to get a (“a”) south (left) track over to the north side (right), which would be perfect for the Metrolink station stop just around that far bend.
So, while the Pomona Diversion is yet to be finished, west of it to Los Angeles many things could happen. And, the widths of the right-of-ways for the most part would allow those things to take place.
K. P. HarrierThe Diversion known early-on to followers of this thread got severely bogged down in lawsuits, a predictable cause and effect result stemming from Southern Pacific being stripped of its association with the Southern Pacific Pipeline Company in the 1980’s and coming into the possession of Santa Fe Pacific back then in conjunction with the SPSF merger attempt. Of course, when UP bought SP sometime later, SFP saw the bad writing on the wall, sort of speaking, and sold the pipeline company, and the buyer, Kinder-Morgan, has been in lawsuits to no end because UP was powerful enough to stand its ground. As far as the Pomona situation is concerned, the present owner of the pipeline settled the lawsuit, a pipeline reroute is being worked on, and soon everything will be fine (hopefully). Now you, Pete-M3, know what the “Diversion” is all about (hopefully, too).
OK, I understand that the UP tracks and the SP tracks were combined on ne ROW and suspect that the pipeline also had to be relocated to that same ROW. Were the lawsuits an atempt to determine who would pay for the work to relocate the: 1) Pipeline, 2) The RR, or 3) Both? Or was something else involved?
Electroliner 1935 (12-18):
Some time ago a colleague made contact with the Alameda Corridor East (ACE) people, and was told a UP Vice President had signed off on the Diverson project. Apparently, there were some loose ends that he didn't catch, and may have been subsequently fired. Whatever the case, Kinder Morgan didn’t feel they should pay for the work of a public project, and it ended up in the courts. My colleague friend asked the ACE people back at that early contact if they would make up the shortfall and ACE eventual (“eventually”) said if they had too. Sure enough, as K.P. understands it, in the settlement ACE forked in over a million dollars, and UP and Kinder-Morgan a way lessor amount.
My friend now says everybody (“everybody”) would have saved themselves a whole bunch of litigation money if they would have just given him a few thousand dollars to come up with a common sense solution … and the Diversion would have been operating and grade crossings closed as intended years ago …
Don’t laugh too hard,
Pete-M32. The diverted line then "diverts" again, back to the Ahambra Sub main from the new CP Spadra on the LA&SL, via a short connecting track. Incidentally, was it a stroke of incredible luck or farsighted planning that they had that patch of available land in just the right place for the west-end connecting track in this heavily built-up area?
It was mostly luck. Cal State Pomona has owned an agricultural plot there for decades, and UP/ACE had to negotiate a purchase of ROW that cut it in two. Note the new roadway underpass. Fifty years ago there was a connection between UP and SP just east of Grand Ave - now it is just more industrial park buildings.
Pete-M3Finally, a question/comment: it appears that the opportunities for double tracking west of the Diversion's west end are limited in several places by encroaching buildings.
For many reasons double tracking the Alhambra sub is unlikely, at least west of COI yard. If Metrolink negotiates more train frequency on the LA sub (unlikely) then some three mile long, center (freight only) trackage blocks might be in order at some of the five stations. Station sidings would cheaper but not be as desirable, since that implies that Metrolink would have to wait for passage of a long freight ..... so much for on time scheduling.
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! ***
A local resident updated me on the historical artifacts found in San Gabriel. The foundations were built using alluvial rock (Rubio wash area) and mud so there was no way to move or transport the pieces so they were measured, photographed, and small pieces saved before construction resumed and the majority was removed. No "new" construction data was presented. Said resident lives two blocks south of the Mission.
Private-Eyeing the Diversion Again
Pomona, CA and Nearby
MikeF90 posted some excellent information two days ago related to the Diversion in Pomona (CA) in response to inquiries by Pete-M3. K.P. aerial reviewed the area, and has come to similar conclusions as he had previously, but with a few minor revisions in light of the passage of time.
An aerial of the western end of the Diversion shows an SP-side routed track with a slight kink in it by the present two LA&SL mains.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0375495,-117.8151111,99m/data=!3m1!1e3
That suggests that the single re-routed track will be connected to the LA&SL (on the left) that is just below it (on the aerial).
As previously thought, LA&SL Mains 1 and 2 will alignment shift southward a bit (as they go eastward), and become our B and A Tracks (on a north to south D to A arrangement).
That leaves the north side D track to be FUTURE laid, and the aerial suggests a north side laying, especially as examined at a bridging-work area.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0370561,-117.8159989,99m/data=!3m1!1e3
It should also be noted that the current SP Walnut siding a few miles to the west is a north side one. The present west end of the SP Walnut siding, WEST of Lemon Ave.:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0089123,-117.8594936,199m/data=!3m1!1e3
Just EAST of that Lemon Ave. is a street called Paseo Sonrisa and in talking with a UP man several years ago there was projected to be a CP [AL507] PASEO SONRISA right in that area. Likely, the present Walnut siding would become the straight track Main 1 and southern Main 2 the turnout route. In the above link, if you adjust the view by pulling it leftward, the above area will come into view on the right.
(There are two north-south streets with similar Spanish related names, and K.P. believes be got the right one in identifying the future CP name.)
It would seem laying Track D might be done at the same time as the Ontario to Fontana section of the SP line is two-tracked (after the Kinder-Morgan pipeline issue is all taken care of).
Back on the LA&SL, reshown in a recent reply to Pete-M3, a flyover is reportedly going to be put in somewhere in the below re-reshown view’s track alignment shift in the background.
What has terribly confused K.P. is that putting three-tracks in that alignment shift area doesn’t jive with the Pomona Diversion, as if instead of four-tracks in it there should be five-tracks. That is based on the future three-track bridging arrangement just west of the Metrolink stop by Brea Canyon Road.
Putting a north side third-track on a bridge yet to be built does NOT make sense, though, because that third-track would go right through the present Metrolink platform.
In that light, the future flyover must involve only two-tracks, with Main 2 going over Main 1, AND then there being another flyover somewhere west of the Metrolink station so the track identities won’t have to be changed. In should be noted that towards the west the Metrolink Montebello stop is on the SOUTH side! The Metrolink stop in Pomona is also a south side one. Thus, with such a future arrangement as described above, the LA&SL two-track line through the area would be relatively free-flowing, and NOT all tied up as Metrolink’s keep crossing over back and forth.
Of course, K.P. could have mistaken the past word of a flyover and the weird alignment shift as just a two-tracking quirk, like the third photo in the very first post in this thread, east of the old Mons area close by milepost 576 in the Lower Desert of Southern California.
If K.P. did misinterpret matters some years back, Metrolink and UP (LA&SL) have a very bleak future in the Montebello-Pomona area, as both have set themselves up for eternal conflict (but UP has the upper hand, though, as owner of the line).
In downtown Pomona area the SP Mains 1 and 2 (our D and C) and LA&SL Mains 1 and 2 (B and A) are relatively self-evident and don’t need an explanation, EXCEPT SP Main 2 changes identifies in downtown Pomona and currently is understood as LA&SL Main 1. Got that? Very likely once the NEW CP AL514 HAMILTON is up and running, the track identities will officially take on a more logical order.
Hope all this makes sense to post readers.
The Metrolink platform at Brea Canyon is nothing but concrete and rebar, very simple to demo and replace. I've built concrete structures that were only in place for four years.
The San Gabriel Trench is Now looking like a Trench!
K.P. had a day to himself Wednesday, December 23, 2015, and he decided to check out the Vineyard Ave. underpass construction in Ontario (CA) and the San Gabriel Trench in San Gabriel. Both had exciting developments to report. In the latter, a section (only a section) of the 1.4 mile project had the dirt finally dug out and concrete flooring poured.
The four cross street bridging locations were stopped at, and the bridges open but they needed to be finished still. The trench as a whole was in various stages of completion.
A findings photo-report is hoped to be posted sometime early next week.
SP657E44 (12-24):
The Brea Canyon Road Metrolink “Industry” stop as it is official known on the Riverside Line (over the LA&SL) would be, as you stated, SP657E44, easy to have the concrete platform torn out, and a third-track put through there. But, in looking at the below aerial, there is NO room for another platform, unless everything anywhere near the tracks is torn out and parking lot solar coverings shortened too!
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Diamond+Bar,+CA/@34.008016,-117.8459615,199m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x80c32c8e42f729a9:0xea88c028d17dd7a9
When I was at the ‘Industry’ stop on August 15, 2014, close to a year and a half ago, the parking facility seemed very full and landlocked, so there may be no way for expansion except putting up a multilevel parking garage. But, unless an additional stop is put on the line somewhere nearby, to take away a big portion of a crowded parking lot to construct a parking garage doesn’t seem feasible.
A third main center line would be 10 feet back from the current edge of the platform. While the amount of landscaping would be reduced, a dozen parking spaces would be lost, and the angled bus spaces may need to be reconfigured .... there is in fact enough space. There's already one parking structure on the premises and the solar panels would not be affected. The plan as always been to put another main on the north side IF traffic warrants it, that's why the bridge and the right-of-way to the east are both configured for it.
Update as of Wednesday, December 23, 2015
An Update Outing Full of Surprises
Schedule
Parts A-C, to be posted Tuesday, December 29, 2015 by 9:00 A.M. Pacific Time
The Vineyard Ave. Underpass, Ontario, CA
San Gabriel Trench, San Gabriel, CA
Walnut Grove Ave.
The Rubio Wash Area
Parts D-G, to be posted Wednesday, December 30, 2015 by 9:00 A.M. Pacific Time
San Gabriel Trench
San Gabriel Blvd.
Del Mar Ave.
Mission Road
Ramona Street
Parts H-J, to be posted Thursday, December 31, 2015 by 9:00 A.M. Pacific Time
All the above Parts may (“may”) be posted up to 12 hours early.
Part “A” (of A-C, Overall A-J)
The Vineyard Ave. Underpass
Ontario, CA
This presentation will generally be on an east to west basis.
The north side of the site was visited, at public access of Vineyard Ave. and Holt Ave. That intersection appeared to have been lower a tad bit
South of Airport Drive (on the other side of the bridge and the Sunset Route) Vineyard Ave. appeared to be open now, a one-way street.
Above, the bridge’s center supports (left) seem crude, and may be awaiting some type of façade covering.
The southwest quadrant of the Vineyard Ave. and Holt Ave. intersection’s business now has a Vineyard Ave. side access that lowers steeply. (See the angle of the center white pickup truck.)
The new underpass bridging is for three tracks, though only one track is on it presently. It is believed this area from CP AL521 NORTH ONTARIO to CP AL533 SIERRA will be two-tracked starting soon. The Guasti siding (to the east, left) may or may not be extended west to this area. About the time word started to circulate about this underpass a new east end box for CP AL525 GUASTI showed up at the Colton Signal Dept., and has been there ever since, and may be part of UP’s contribution towards the underpass. No NEW box for the WEST end of the Guasti siding has ever been at the Colton Signal Dept.
When the Pomona to North Ontario section was two-tracked, it was completed last year after one and a half years of that two-tracking effort. If two-tracking here starts in January, it might extend to July 2017.
Continued in Part B
Part “B” (of A-C, Overall A-J)
The San Gabriel Trench Construction
San Gabriel, CA
From the Walnut Grove Ave. grade crossing (M.P. 491.67) looking west, the bridging in the distance at San Gabriel Blvd. is clearly seen now as a bridging over the trench, which still in not dug down much.
Above, it can be seen that bridging is clearly for only two-tracks.
By Rubio Wash, the shoofly bridging (center) and the new housing (background).
The channel new walling is thin at the top but real think on the bottom.
Continued in Part C
Part “C” (of A-C, Overall A-J)
A real close-up:
The house that was in danger of tumbling into the wash when the great flooding occurred has been removed from the scene (right).
A link to the house (center) that was torn down:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rubio+Wash,+California/@34.0956521,-118.0878781,99m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x80c2daeb38047a93:0xbfaa7be7aeb79cd8
About the above aerial link, it is unknown how long the view will remain as aerials are undated often.
--------
Continued in Parts D-G scheduled for posting Wednesday, December 30, 2014 by 9:00 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, but posting may be up to 12 hours early.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.