Welcome back K.P., Hope you got lots of pics to share, look forward to see what you have found !
I was out in Maricopa on Saturday, about a week ago, the UP had halted their Track Renewal Project on the "old" South main at about Ralston Rd, west of Maricopa. Not sure why the stopped their work, but might be for crew rest or equipment maintance. Currently the TRT 909 is parked on the old south main at CP Mobile along with the 2 ballast cleaners and other assorted MoW equipment. They still have about 6-8miles to go to complete/connect with the new track work they did at Maricopa, AZ.
Here is the Picutre link:
http://www.westcoastrailforums.com/view_topic.php?id=3577&forum_id=73
California Shocker
Part A (of A-D)
Returning to California from Arizona, this poster checked out the Sidewinder Road area, just off I-8, very near Yuma, AZ. Sidewinder Road is where the Sunset Route angles off from civilization and travels through a very remote desert for miles to Niland, where semi-civilization returns.
Unexpected grading was noted to have had been completed. From Sidewinder Road at M.P. 723.4, looking east.
Looking west.
Looking east again at the new grading, with a telephoto. Notice the new culvert railing on the upper left..
Continued in Part B
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 B (of A-D)
This view again looks west, with a heavy telephoto. The new grading continues west for miles (background right).
The Sidewinder Road grade crossing is a dirt road crossing with pavement only over and briefly on each side of the tracks. The dirt roadway is surprising in light of the fact there is more vehicle traffic than one would expect here.
Continued in Part C
Part C (of A-D)
Nearly seven miles railroad west, at M.P. 716.6, is the Ogilby Road grade crossing. And the new grading continues. Looking east.
A telephoto looking east again, toward Yuma, AZ
A telephone looking westbound.
Continued in Part D
Part D (of A-D)
A side note from the past ...
A view from Olgiby Road, looking east, on April 13, 2008.
The same day, looking west.
No grading was evident a year and three quarters ago. Exactly when the new grading was done is unknown to this poster.
The next, accessible, "good" grade crossing toward the west is Highway 78, at M.P. 698.2, in the community of Glamis, over 18 miles away. There was NO grading there in January 2010.
A telephoto looking east.
Looking west from a like heavy telephoto: The sun reflects off the rails all the way back. Also, if you look carefully, the many signals are seen as the line goes into the distance toward Los Angeles.
So, at an unknown somewhere between Oligby Road and Highway 78, the new grading stops, or, is slowly progressing westward, one of the two. The recently completed two-tracking between Maricopa and Estrella in Arizona is about a 23 miles distance. The California grading may or may not be for a similar length. If it is, such 20 or so mile segments should be sufficient for opposing westbound and eastbound fleets of trains to meet without stopping.
The November 2007 TRAINS Magazine listed the above trackage west of Yuma being then scheduled for two-tracking in 2010. But, as seen in this series, grading was partially done BEFORE the year 2010. So, with the Maricopa-Estrella section in Arizona, we have TWO big variances from what was reported in TRAINS. But, that is really not unusual, because UP has the right to change the two-tracking game plan at its whim. But all the unused grading between west of Tuscon to Maricopa, and now in California, makes this poster wonder if some miraculous "economic stimulus money" has been somehow anticipated for some time now. Whatever the case, more Sunset Route questions than answers are floating around ...
If anyone has any furthers on the California grading, please share.
-----------
Coming in two or three days, the beginning of the multi-part, multi-day "Revisiting Arizona -- Early 2010." The Maricopa, Casa Grande, Toltec areas, and Rillito River crossing will be dealt with. The latter part of the series will deal with tie replacements west of Maricopa that continues for miles and miles and miles westward.
K.P.:
I rode the Texas Eagle in late December 2008 and early January 2009. On the way to Dallas from L.A., obviously it was dark and I couldn't see anything. However, we were a little bit late on the return trip from Dallas to L.A., so I woke up east of Yuma.
This grading that you speak of was there on my return trip in early January 2009. In fact, there might have been workers working on the grading while we passed by. I think the grading was around Dunes and Ogilby sidings, maybe stopping at Clyde or Cactus sidings which are before Glamis. Your pictures back up my poor memory.
Also of note: the Yuma Sun newspaper has an interesting article about a proposed landfill near Glamis.
locomatt63 (1-31):
Your kind words were appreciated.
Yes, I did get allot of pictures in Arizona! Some will be posted in the days ahead.
When in the Mobile area, it was very strange to see so many UP roadway vehicles on railroad flatcars. Your post might have explained why: A project could have been halted!
mvs (2-1):
Thanks for your eyewitness 'Amtrak ride' input on the two-tracking in California, west of Yuma, AZ.
Because of your excellent report, at least we all know that that new grading is at least a year old. I still can't believe it took place right under my nose, so to speak, and I didn't even know about it.
By the way, mvs, on the way back from Arizona I drove by the signal department in Colton, CA. The two [CP] AL514 HAMILTON boxes for Pomona were still there, but were now partially blocked by an additional office module that had been brought to the site, and a crew was working on it. And at night, too!
K.P.
PS: The Maricopa, AZ photo-report should be posted Wednesday afternoon, February 3, 2010.
One reason tie and track renewal activity may have been suspended in Arizona is the heavy rainfall we have received here so far this year. The series of severe storms that hit southern California have all made their way east. For example, the Casa Grande-Maricopa Highway was closed for several days, as were many other roads in the area due to flooding and washouts.
John Timm
Hi, K.P., and Matt -
I don't have any great info to share to supplement each of your reports - but I too was out that way in early January 2010, as was surprised to see the UP has apparently stockpiled some culverts and pre-fabricated bridge components for near-term use. Specifically, along the line that parallels the northeasterly side of I-10, about midway between Tucson and Casa Grande, and in the vicinity of Wymola and Picacho Peak State Park. For what they might be worth, here are some only fair-quality 'grab shots' that I got from the passenger side at about 75 MPH late on Thursday afternoon, January 7, 2010:
- Paul North.
Paul,
While it appears to the eye that grading and bridge construction is complete all along that stretch, it clearly is not and where all these components will be going is a mystery to me.
There has been a stockpile at Picacho for pretty much the duration of the two-tracking project, although it is much smaller than it was a year or so ago. Up until now, it was mostly pre-stressed concrete bridge sections like those in the your first picture. Now I see that they have brought in steel culverts, as well. The latter may have something to do with drainage for the proposed Picacho yard.
Meanwhile, another load of concrete bridge components was recently delivered to a siding at Eloy, a few miles to the west of the Picacho site. I have not been back through there for a few weeks so I don't know where they ended up. I have to be in Tucson on Friday so I may learn something at that time.
K. P. Harrier California Shocker Part D (of A-D) ...The recently completed two-tracking between Maricopa and Estrella in Arizona is about a 23 miles distance. The California grading may or may not be for a similar length. If it is, such 20 or so mile segments should be sufficient for opposing westbound and eastbound fleets of trains to meet without stopping. The November 2007 TRAINS Magazine listed the above trackage west of Yuma being then scheduled for two-tracking in 2010. But, as seen in this series, grading was partially done BEFORE the year 2010. So, with the Maricopa-Estrella section in Arizona, we have TWO big variances from what was reported in TRAINS. But, that is really not unusual, because UP has the right to change the two-tracking game plan at its whim. But all the unused grading between west of Tuscon to Maricopa, and now in California, makes this poster wonder if some miraculous "economic stimulus money" has been somehow anticipated for some time now. Whatever the case, more Sunset Route questions than answers are floating around ... If anyone has any furthers on the California grading, please share.
...The recently completed two-tracking between Maricopa and Estrella in Arizona is about a 23 miles distance. The California grading may or may not be for a similar length. If it is, such 20 or so mile segments should be sufficient for opposing westbound and eastbound fleets of trains to meet without stopping.
K.P., I feel a bit like a housewife looking forward to the next episode of a favorite soap opera -- except that there's no soap in this thread, and the story is vastly more interesting. I appreciate your updates enormously.
Your conjecture regarding how UP may be going about expanding the Sunset Route goes back to something that I've wondered about quite awhile. UP's modus operandi has been to start at El Paso and work west, mile by mile, double-tracking and upgrading the former SP right-of-way all the way to Tucson and simultaneously double-tracking the line down the east side of Beaumont Hill to Thermal (something it had planned to do at the beginning of the decade, except that other, more pressing needs for capital and unforeseen circumstances delayed the work until a couple of years ago). This leaves them with the need to double track from Tucson to Thermal. If I were construction boss, I'd opt to build 20-mile stretches of double track along the remainder of the single-track line, starting at the stretches where trains tend to get hung up and working along till the line is pretty consistently 20 miles of single-track and then 20 miles of double-track. If at all possible, these first 20-mile stretches would cross the flattest, easiest to grade and least expensive to construct segments of single-track railroad, saving the most expensive stretches for last (much as BNSF has done with Abo Canyon, saving it for one of the last peices of Transcon to be double-tracked). Then, start filling in the gaps. I suspect you nailed it with your surmise about where the grading is taking place east of Yuma.
These efforts would be independent (if I were the dictator of UP's Sunset Route construction) of work necessary to fill in single-track gaps west of the West Colton Terminal (i.e., -- in the Los Angeles Basin) and to construct terminals at Santa Teresa NM and Picacho AZ, which presumably will get built as money becomes available.
Thanks once more for your reporting -- and to others who fill in the gaps. -- billio
Hello Billio, I feel that your conclusions are dead on the money!...UP has pretty much completed the CP Estrella - CP Maricopa section (still replacing wood ties for concrete ones), and the line is pretty much graded and prepared for ties and rail from CP East Maricopa to the Tucson yard (going East). However, to the West of CP Estrella, to Gila Bend Yard, Gila Bend AZ, NOTHING has been done at all, still single track and searchlight signals still very much in use. Gila Bend is a far West as I have gotten in my adventures due to time constraints. In a few weeks I hope to get to at least to Dateland AZ or where the old Phoenix line used to connect to the Sunset Route and look around that area.
The reason I believe they are holding out on the CP Estrella-Gila Bend yard section is due to the curvature of the trackage, and the grades that they must contend with, I believe it is mostly uphill from CP Estrella to at least Gila Bend and possibly further west of that point. That would mean a lot of surveying crews and alot of planning.
Revisiting Arizona -- Early 2010
Part I (of I-IV), Section A (of A-E)
Maricopa, AZ
On January 29 and 30, 2010, Arizona was visited by this forumist. The following multi-part series shows the results from recent developments that have taken place there ...
You may recall the recent big news in Maricopa about two-tracks now crossing Highway 347 and being extended eastward to the new [CP] EAST MARICOPA. Part I will focus on that aspect.
Highway 347 is generally midway between the intermediate signals on the west and the absolute signals of [CP] EAST MARICOPA in the east.
In the previously posted photo below, the west side intermediate signals are shown. Camera view is eastward.
This forum poster theorized the above signals might be converted to absolute signals, and be of the "holding" variety. That would prevent eastbound trains from crossing Highway 347 and stopping over it account of a red absolute signal at the new [CP] EAST MARICOPA. Upon inspection, though, that was found NOT to be the case. The intermediate signals are still intermediates, as shown by the fact they are still number plated.
The signal department area on a side street off Highway 347 had signals laying on the ground. They had been put all together, and not in pieces as previously. The signal yard, if one wants to call it that, was cleaned up considerably, and more organized.
The cleanup including the removal of many old signal CP and grade crossing boxes, making for a semi-barren looking facility.
The nearby Highway 347 grade crossing is definitely finished now. The sidewalks dip down to rail head level.
Continued in Section B
Part I, Section B (of A-E)
Main 1 (right) still has wooden ties. More about wooden ties will be discussed in Parts III and IV. Main 2 (left) was the old Maricopa siding, and has concrete ties. The number plated intermediate signals that were pointed out in Section A are in the background, about a mile away.
A wide angle view, looking west over Highway 347.
Again looking west, but back just about five months previous, on September 4, 2009, the two-tracks junctioned into single-track before crossing Highway 347.
Back to early 2010 ... Six days before the below photo was shot, just west of Highway 347, UP track maintenance forces chalk marked onto a rail the date and important info for them.
Continued in Section C
Part I, Section C (of A-E)
Looking eastward: With the second track laid across the grade crossing, the new crossing gates had to be repositioned from their latter 2009 installation. The across the street sidewalks dipping down to track level is even more evident in this view. The Maricopa Amtrak station is on the photo upper left.
Old timers can marvel that Highway 347 now has two tracks crossing it. The crossing gates control box is in the upper photo center, away from both the tracks and the motoring public.
Looking east, the Mains now alignment shift in the background. Highway 347 is in the lower foreground. Note the pile of old wooden ties in the upper left quadrant. Main 1 from Highway 347 to [CP] EAST MARICOPA (photo upper right quadrant) is now concrete ties throughout that small section.
Continued in Section D
Part I, Section D (of A-E)
A telephoto from Highway 347 looking east toward the alignment shift and the new [CP] EAST MARICOPA. Main 1 is the center foreground track.
With a more powerful telephoto lens zoom.
On this poster's September 4, 2009 visit to Maricopa, only about five months ago, the then single-track line had wooden ties, and the long finished grading was just patiently waiting for track to be laid on it and the alignment shift to take place.
Back to the present again ... Main 2 from the south side, looking east. Note the milepost marker sign in the photo center. Also of note is that Main 2 converts from the new concrete ties to the old, not replaced wooden ties as it approaches the CP in the background.
Continued in Section E
Part I, Section E (of A-E)
From Porter Road, looking back WEST at the east side of [CP] EAST MARICOPA. It is only single-track eastward (toward the camera) from the CP. Note the alignment shift over to the alignment of Main 1 (right track) in the background just this side of the new CP.
The Porter Road grade crossing. As was the case at Highway 347, in the future the crossing gates on the photo right will need to be moved out of the way of laying another main. The new tri-light railroad signal on the left is now in service.
----------------
Part II will deal with a few key spots on the line's way to Tucson. It will be posted Friday afternoon, February 5, 2010.
Anyone know how UP plans to double track the bridge crossing the Colorado River at Yuma?
They'll probably do the same thing that was done in Benson, Arizona, where a very similar bridge crosses the San Pedro River -- they just added a stressed concrete span to one side of the old bridge.
Looking at this photo, though, there doesn't seem to be room on either side for an additional bridge. They could conceivably build a totally new line and bypass Yuma, though that would probably be an extremely expensive undertaking.
cacoleLooking at this photo, though, there doesn't seem to be room on either side for an additional bridge. They could conceivably build a totally new line and bypass Yuma, though that would probably be an extremely expensive undertaking.
- the Quechan tribe and others want to restore the river natural habitat and to have tourist friendly development along the river. They reportedly have refused a UPRR request to build a new bridge (next to I-8?) through this historic and scenic area.
- some Yuma politicos want to have a new courthouse on the riverfront to encourage business. IMO this would create a ghost district only inhabited M-F 8-5.
- if the Punta Colonet port project gets started, UPRR would prefer to build a connection from the border around the east side of Yuma. Of course, the existing property owners (mostly farmers) aren't happy about that.
- A new DT bridge 'east' of the existing one and a flyover over I-8 could be built and the existing yard would be moved 'east'; the existing ROW could then be redeveloped. I've only read second hand reports of this proposal so I don't know any details. Expensive, definitely!
I'm not holding my breath...
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! ***
Part II (of I-IV), Section A (of A-E)
The Casa Grande Area
Shortly after the sun came up on Saturday, January 30, 2010, the following quite long concrete tie train was photographed adjacent the CASA GRANDE siding.
The concrete tie maintenance-of-way cars were standard UP green.
Way before Union Pacific purchased the Southern Pacific and its Sunset Route circa 1997, in the 1970's, UP apparently purchased an oversupply of maintenance-of-way green paint. The result was that green paint sprung up everywhere ... Even absolute and intermediate trackside signals were painted green! Because the SP had its own shareholder owners back then, that company and the Sunset Route was spared that ugly spectacle!
Because of time limitations, this forum poster made a special point to focus on and check out two areas reported on by forumist desertdog in recent months. The findings are reported on in Sections B through E that follows.
Part II, Section B (of A-E)
The Toltec Area
In the Toltec area is a jointed rail spur that UP often uses to offload construction supplies. It had rained heavily the week before this photo of the spur was taken. (More on the rain will be in Part III.)
Much of the concrete bridging had been offloaded when this poster arrived at the scene, but nobody was present, and there was much still to be unloaded off railcars.
A small crane was on hand. It had tank-like traction to move about.
Part II, Section C (of A-E)
A partially unloaded car.
There were several groups of concrete bridging, and right by the public road (left) for easy photography.
It is unknown if the above bridging was the type reported on previously, but the bridging needed at the Rillito River crossing site is of a girder design, unlike what was photographed here. In close proximity are staging areas to the west and east. Last year those were reported on with photos in this thread. So, exactly what these bridge parts are for is unknown, as the grading and bridgework in the immediate area had appeared complete (at least to me) for some time, but time limitations precluded further investigation.
Part II, Section D (of A-E)
The Rillito River Crossing
An overview of the present single-track bridge crossing (in the distance) of the dry Rillito River. The river fencing here makes the area have a picturesque look to it. The local auto traffic roadway railing in the foreground is of an unusual color to say the least.
A telephoto of the east side bridge construction.
Construction in the riverbed. The below support is one of four such within the river crossing.
Part II, Section E (of A-E)
The west side.
There was also a tall crane on the southeast side of the site.
A different perspective from further east on the one way public freeway frontage road. Looking westbound.
Lastly, the below previously posted photo shot in Thermal, CA, east of Indio, back on October 4, 2008, shows the then under construction bridge for the new second track there. In comparing it to the third photo in Section D above, both bridges seem to be of the same basic design.
Part III will be about tie replacements WEST of Maricopa, and is schedule for posting Super Bowl Sunday, February 7, 2010 in the afternoon.
But Saturday afternoon, February 6 ... There has been some forum discussion about the crossing of the Colorado River in Yuma, AZ. A few file photos will be posted to assist followers of this thread to make their own evaluation of the situation.
The Colorado River Bridge Crossing
There has been questions and speculation about two-tracking over the Colorado River by Yuma, Arizona.
Below are some facts about the present bridge crossing, and five file photos.
PHOTO #1:
From the north side: A straight-on southward view of the bridge. Railroad west is nearside, east is far side.
PHOTO #2:
For many years an over six-mile section of two-tracks from the west ended here at [CP] SP732 COLORADO, west of the Colorado River bridge.
PHOTO #3:
The single-track from the end of two-tracks curves southward (toward the camera) and under an overpass opening, which technically has room for two-tracks.
PHOTO #4:
Then goes over the big, single-track Colorado River Bridge, the other (far) side of which is [CP] SP733 YUMA.
The second bridge would of necessity have to be on the east side (left) of the present structure. Fill dirt would be needed on the photo bottom left for a second track to a second-track's bridge.
There also would need to be a track alignment shift between Photo #3 and a new bridge in Photo #4.
There should be no problem connecting such a bridge to track on the east (south) side to the current end of two-tracks from the east.
OR, they could build a whole new two- (or more) track bridge physically east of the present bridge (left side of PHOTOS #1 and #4).
As a side note ...
PHOTO #5:
All eastbound trains hang over the single-track bridge during crew changes, blocking the line from being used by westbound trains. View looks north (or westbound).
In the future, two-track bridging would certainly make things more fluid.
Being a bit of a 'crane fan', too (do they have a mag?), I took exception to you calling the Manitowoc '222' a small crane. Just because it doesn't have a long stick, it is not impotent! I went to their web-site. The '222' is a 100-ton crane, capable of carrying a 200' lattice boom (plus outriggers). With the short stick, in the photo, it can pick heavier loads in a confined area, without worrying about too much overhead fouling. I can't tell from the photos, but Manitowoc calls it a "wagon crane". Does it have rubber tires driving the crawler tread, as does a tank? Dunno how much it is picking, but counterweights don't seem necessary with that short boom. Cool! Keep the updates coming, Most enlightening and interesting, even to this non-Uncle Pete fan!
Hays
Great pictures again, K.P.!
Just to clarify: is there currently construction on the second Rillito River bridge in Tucson?
Regarding Yuma, if a second bridge over the Colorado was ever built, I agree with you that it would be east of the current bridge. The road bridge you mentioned (Quechan Drive?) might best be rebuilt when that time comes, to allow for a second track.
Hello Everyone,
Just a follow up on the smaller bridge sections that everyone has been wondering about, I travel SR238 every day (four trips a day) and keep an eye on the happenings between CP Mobile, and CP Maricopa. On certain occasions I have to go to Tucson and get a load of trash from the Ina Rd transfer station, and then I am able to see the entire line to just east of Tucson Proper. When they were two tracking between Mobile and Maricopa, there were some of the old SP small trestles crossing some of the "minor" washes. As the UP crews did the pre-grading work, they just "filled in" some of the smaller trestles with stone ballast and left them there and put trackage ontop of the fill, I believe however when they had the track geometry vehicle/car go over those spots it detetected that these spots were settling and causing dips. Then the UP crews would and did dig up a few spots, take the old trestle out and sometimes put in those pre-cast bridge pieces in, and re-lay the track and ballast, or just totally remove the old trestle and just fill it in and compact it with loaders and excavators. It will be something to watch when they restart the double track East of Maricopa towards Casa Grande, and Tucson...
To add to what Matt is saying, I was in Tucson yesterday and noted that crews are replacing an old SP trestle just south of Ruthrauff Rd. There are additional culverts lying along the roadbed in the same area. The Rillito Creek bridge piers that K.P. photographed on his recent trip appear to be completed. There were no steel or concrete bridge deck sections present. Perhaps the decking will not be added until later, but there have been so many surprises during the two-tracking project that anything is possible.
Meanwhile, the concrete cross tie piles have been greatly depleted at the L.B. Foster / CXT plant in Tucson along the west side of the yard.
There was a long string of UP MOW flats loaded with wooden ties sitting at Pichaco Friday, most likely destined for the Phoenix Sub renewal project.
locomatt63Hello Everyone, Just a follow up on the smaller bridge sections that everyone has been wondering about, I travel SR238 every day (four trips a day) and keep an eye on the happenings between CP Mobile, and CP Maricopa. On certain occasions I have to go to Tucson and get a load of trash from the Ina Rd transfer station, and then I am able to see the entire line to just east of Tucson Proper. When they were two tracking between Mobile and Maricopa, there were some of the old SP small trestles crossing some of the "minor" washes. As the UP crews did the pre-grading work, they just "filled in" some of the smaller trestles with stone ballast and left them there and put trackage ontop of the fill, I believe however when they had the track geometry vehicle/car go over those spots it detetected that these spots were settling and causing dips. Then the UP crews would and did dig up a few spots, take the old trestle out and sometimes put in those pre-cast bridge pieces in, and re-lay the track and ballast, or just totally remove the old trestle and just fill it in and compact it with loaders and excavators. It will be something to watch when they restart the double track East of Maricopa towards Casa Grande, and Tucson...
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