K.P. A point you mentioned that I have wondered about. SP had a certain spacing between tracks and it seems UP likes a spacing two or three feet wider also I have noticed on BNSF there are a few places where the tracks are spaced about twenty five feet apart. What governs this ? Is it just the Railroads own Standards or are there some Federal Regulations?
Update as of Saturday, March 15, 2014
From Grand Terrace to Colton to Niland, CA
Part “N” (of G-N, Overall A-N)
Farther west still we now approach the east westbound signals of the new, future CP SP658 WISTER, and a piece of track equipment is seen.
Such track equipment was scattered here and there all the way to the Bertram area (M.P. 648).
The future west eastbound signals:
It was getting dark, but the most important areas were covered. There was nothing that popped out to K.P. from here west, both in coming east to Niland, nor going back west.
This will conclude the series.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 “M” (of G-N, Overall A-N)
Farther west, a wide graded place that has ties and electrical boxes resting on it.
Piles of ballast, signal stands, and rails are present.
Is the above a future staging area?
For those interested in a marker for this location, it is by Polo Wash.
Continued in Part N
Part “L” (of G-N, Overall A-N)
The west side’s future Main 1 eastbound signal:
One would think motorists would understand the obvious, but the railroad apparently has had to resort to signs.
The grade crossing box even has a barricade in front of it.
Some ties are numbered.
We now head west to a strange place …
Continued in Part M
Part “K” (of G-N, Overall A-N)
There is a huge and long pile of ballast near English Rd.
And rails and insulated joints are seen, possibly for a future crossover or siding switch.
And some concrete ties are present.
Continued in Part L
Part “J” (of G-N, Overall A-N)
The erected future west eastbound signals by English Rd.:
The future Main 2 west side eastbound signal’s lower head is a four-light unit:
(Above, counting the silver light backs, four units are seen.)
Continued in Part K
Part “I” (of G-N, Overall A-N)
The English Rd. grade crossing now has two-tracks through it.
Looking west from English Rd., the future Main 1 has been laid.
Looking eastward from English Rd., the future EAST westbound signals are seen.
Continued in Part J
Part “H” (of G-N, Overall A-N)
Heading to the west switches of Niland, the new east westbound signals are next to the old signals, so the east end of the CP will pretty much be the same.
The future Main 2 signal (on the present Main alignment) has not been erected yet, but an orange cone prevents the base from being tripped over.
Continued in Part I
Part “G” (of G-N, Overall A-N)
We head out to Salton Sea and Niland. In the EAST Niland area, no new signals or track rearranging was seen, so K.P. stopped heading east and return westward. But, a new spur on the second-track’s alignment was noted. View looks eastbound.
Above, the future Main 1 (that the track equipment is on) will have a wider alignment than the present north siding (photo bottom).
An angled view:
The east side of town grade crossing looks to be rebuilt soon.
It will be interesting to see if the present north siding is rebuilt in place or put on a wider alignment.
Continued in Part H
Part “F” (of A-F, Overall A-N)
Another view looking eastbound: Note the covered dwarf signal on the lower center.
Some views of the now covered signals.
Just above, did you notice the background covered (top) signal too?
While on site, it just happened that a BNSF westbound was lined through with a high green.
Just above, unlike UP’s new signals on the cross Sunset Route that use diode lights, BNSF still uses incandescent bulbs on their color light signals.
Also just above, UP’s Track 112 can be seen crossing the Transcon on OWLS.
Continued in Parts G through N, with a focus on Niland, CA in the M.P. 665 area, and is to be posted before 11:59 P.M. Tuesday, March 18, 2014, but likely much earlier.
Part “E” (of A-F, Overall A-N)
A couple of blocks to the north, BNSF’s new ‘eastbound control signal’ at GONSALES were facing forward and active too. The signal on the left (first photo below) is for the BNSF Connector, the track that transitions over to UP’s Sunset Route in the northwest quadrant of Colton Crossing.
The east (north) westbound BNSF signals.of their GONALES:
Continued in Part F
Part “D” (of A-F, Overall A-N)
At Colton Crossing, a bunch of BNSF vehicles and a trailer were present at the site.
The west (south) eastbound signals had the lower heads facing forward now.
Continued in Part E
Part “C” (of A-F, Overall A-N)
The center pier-work:
At the truss bridges’ assembly site, workers and activity were a plenty, and on a Saturday no less!
Continued in Part D
Part “B” (of A-F, Overall A-N)
Off of De Berry St. more towards the I-215 Freeway, lighting made the new south (railroad west) abutments difficult to see, but nevertheless they could be seen now with the wood moldings off.
Especially in the last photo above, the new abutment’s relationship to the old BNSF girder bridge looks slightly angled, which would be consistent with the truss bridge’s unequal side ends.
Continued in Part C
Part “A” (of A-F, Overall A-N)
We start at De Berry St. just off La Cadena Dr. in the Colton-Grand Terrace area, where grading can be seen for the BNSF reroute in conjunction with the I-215 Freeway widening..
North of Barton Rd. looking westbound (southward), on the alternation Sunset Route, here the BNSF Transcon:
The bridge over the I-216 Freeway needing replacement is seen above on the top center.
Continued in Part B
Unexpected Opportunity!
On Saturday, March 15, 2014 K.P. had a surprise, unexpected opportunity to check out the Grand Terrace, Colton, and all the way down to Niland, CA scene.
Some of the wood moldings for the bridging supports were off for the new BNSF truss bridges over the I-215 Freeway in Grand Terrace, and one gets a very different impression now, a more harmonious one that makes the somewhat odd angled bridging design make sense. The construction of those future bridges must be in rush mode (to make up for lost time), because the swarm of workers were doing their thing on a Saturday!
In Colton the new, revamped BNSF color light signals are working and functional, and UP’s Track 112 (and OWLS diamonds) is up and running and floodlights for night work all gone!
Down by Salton Sea and the Niland area, not a single UP worker or vehicle was seen, but the English Rd, grade crossing (M.P. 665.3) had been revamped for two-tracks, and second-track track laying from the future CP SP658 WISTER area had reached east all the way down to the west switches of Niland .
In Niland, in the last month the erection of new signals has been painfully slow, at a snail’s pace. Previously, two new signals had been erected. This time only two more had been, and the fifth, the last one for the new CP east of English Rd., still hasn’t been.
At the east end of Niland, only a short spur was laid with equipment on it, on the alignment of the future second-track.
A more thorough report and photos can be expected in the next several days.
Update as of Thursday, March 13, 2014
Two Areas of Happenings
Part X (of I-X)
There were a lot of turned off night lights at the scene. Is UP now rushing things and working at night?
There were a few new to the site rails found at the end of South 4th Street, looking west.
Are those rails to fill the gap in the manual crossover?
The turnout route between Track 112 and the BNSF Connector has white insulated joints now, white being for 141 pounds per yard rail.
In looking over the site, one gets the impression, especially from the night floodlights, that UP is in rush mode. Will Track 112 and the new signaling for the BNSF Transcon be activated this Sunday or Monday? K.P. does not know, but it has to make one wonder …
--------
K.P. will soon embark on a concerted effort to get to the backlog of replies.
Also, it looks like Kevin Gray’s Amtrak Nos. 1 and 2 photo report, which will be heavy on the new Santa Teresa, New Mexico facilities, will be in three parts, and should begin within a week, possibly a half a week.
Part IX (of I-X)
On the west side of the BNSF Transcon, looking east from 4th Street, the track equipment was coming west ONLY as far as the derail which was in reverse with track equipment in the circuit!
From 4th Street, that track equipment EAST of the BNSF (lower left) takes on a different perspective.
Continued in Part X
Part VIII (of I-X)
The railroad’s private, paved (!) grade crossing for its own use:
The track equipment is clearly UP’s and NOT the BNSF’s.
Continued in Part IX
Part VII (of I-X)
Another view of used crossing gates and signals that are in view of the track machines.
Within the interlocking plant:
A westbound auto-rack train goes over the flyover.
Continued in Part VIII
Part VI (of I-X)
A number of track machines are getting the new Track 112 ready for service.
Continued in Part VII
Part V (of I-X)
From the western side of the I-215 Freeway:
A worker works on that grayish low wall type attachment:
Those lifts again:
We now head to the Colton Crossing area.
Continued in Part VI
Part IV (of I-X)
The human side:
Continued in Part V
Part III (of I-X)
A whole bunch of strapped ties are stacked, probably (“probably”) used previously on the old Riverside Industrial Lead Bridge over the I-215 Freeway. But, they look awfully good for a history that old.
Odds and ends are shuttled to one of the two bridges.
Just above, note the orange buckets being shuttled, probably filled with large rivet-like parts.
Continued in Part IV
Part II (of I-X)
The new truss bridge’s location is a cluttered one.
The bridge that was previously shown when there was only one truss bridge has workers all over it with ladders and lift machines.
The bridge is having gray metal sheets attached, possibly (“possibly”) to keep ballast from falling on the freeway motorists.
Continued in Part III
Part I (of I-X)
On the alternate Sunset Route between Colton and Pomona, CA, on the LA&SL, more narrowly on the BNSF Transcon section, in the Grand Terrace area, the off-site second truss bridge is very quickly being assembled.
The west section (as it currently is positioned):
The east section:
The current two truss bridges (latest one on right):
The above photos were shot east of the I-215 Freeway, off of De Berry St. in Grand Terrace.
Continued in Part II
Correct -- the dual track from Marana to Stockham was definitely in service back in October...
However...
There was still an active tie replacement program going on in that section of track up until February, so *if* that work was part of the same capital project as the double tracking, then UP's document is technically correct as that final phase wasn't "completely complete" until 1Q2014...
billio desertdog In replying to Pete-M3, desertdog notes Thank you for posting the interesting link to the UP presentation. The map of completed 2MT appears to be inaccurate, or at least outdated with regard to the area east of Picacho into Tucson. It shows large gaps, but for all practical purposes, the second main project is complete in that area. John Timm John, technically speaking, UP is correct: the segment just west of Tucson was completed in January, 2014, and UP's NRCMA presentation merely says says work scheduled to be completed in 2014 -- it just doesn't say when in 2014. What I think that means is that the most recent double-tracked stretch in Arizona, which was what?, maybe 10 miles in length?, means that this year they expect to add some 33 miles +/- of track in the vacinity of the Salton Sea/Niland. That's my reading of this tea leaf. Moreover, as (I think) MikeF90 noted above, this mileage does include any work that may be planned between West Colton and Pomona, in the LA Basin. ... snip ...
desertdog In replying to Pete-M3, desertdog notes Thank you for posting the interesting link to the UP presentation. The map of completed 2MT appears to be inaccurate, or at least outdated with regard to the area east of Picacho into Tucson. It shows large gaps, but for all practical purposes, the second main project is complete in that area. John Timm
The map of completed 2MT appears to be inaccurate, or at least outdated with regard to the area east of Picacho into Tucson. It shows large gaps, but for all practical purposes, the second main project is complete in that area.
John Timm
John, technically speaking, UP is correct: the segment just west of Tucson was completed in January, 2014, and UP's NRCMA presentation merely says says work scheduled to be completed in 2014 -- it just doesn't say when in 2014. What I think that means is that the most recent double-tracked stretch in Arizona, which was what?, maybe 10 miles in length?, means that this year they expect to add some 33 miles +/- of track in the vacinity of the Salton Sea/Niland. That's my reading of this tea leaf. Moreover, as (I think) MikeF90 noted above, this mileage does include any work that may be planned between West Colton and Pomona, in the LA Basin. ... snip ...
I'm not sure if we'll ever figure out how UP tallies these miles.
Per my Gila sub map annotation from postings here the last segment west of Tucson was activated in October 2013. BTW Google Maps for that area was just updated (non-45 view) and it shows the new universal crossover.
To correct a possible brain cramp , those UP mileage figures now lead me to believe that work west of Colton crossing is Not included in their 'countdown'. The Alhambra sub second MT to west Pomona will get done when it gets done. Now, back to more Yuma sub speculation .....
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! ***
In replying to Pete-M3, desertdog notes
Thank you for posting the interesting link to the UP presentation.
John, technically speaking, UP is correct: the segment just west of Tucson was completed in January, 2014, and UP's NRCMA presentation merely says says work scheduled to be completed in 2014 -- it just doesn't say when in 2014. What I think that means is that the most recent double-tracked stretch in Arizona, which was what?, maybe 10 miles in length?, means that this year they expect to add some 33 miles +/- of track in the vacinity of the Salton Sea/Niland. That's my reading of this tea leaf. Moreover, as (I think) MikeF90 noted above, this mileage does include any work that may be planned between West Colton and Pomona, in the LA Basin.
Food for thought: UP's Fourth Quarter Earning Presentation, held 23 Jan 2014, spells out their plans to spend $420 million on federally mandated Positive Train Control [UP website, capital expenditures, Slide 16 -- I personally believe this a total misallocation of capital, thanks to the hack MetroLink engineer who was more interested in texting than watching the road, but that's another story]. Imagine where work on the Sunset Route might be today absent this mandate. Sigh!
That's life...
A Thursday Running Around
Grand Terrace and Colton, CA
In taking care of matters, on Thursday, March 13, 2014 Grand Terrace and Colton were visited.
The second Grand Terrace BNSF truss bridge (background) is very quickly taking shape.
In Colton, Track 112 was all together now and did not have missing pieces anymore. Track equipment was working it over.
Over 150 photos were taken, and in the next day or so it is hoped a post series on all this can be put together.
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