The Texas Trip
October 4-7, 2012
Part 8
The Salton Sea Area, CA
The other new box, EAST of Range Rd., is right by the milepost 648 marker.
Two concrete burial stands are a few hundred feet EAST of Range Rd. It is unknown if these stands are for the east side of the CP’s westbound train signals, or for putting up vehicle crossing gates.
Continued in Part 9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 7
At the EAST end of the present Bertram siding, a Distributed Power Unit (DPU) is on the tail end of that Bertram siding train. Note the un-positioned CP box on the lower left box!
That box does have the CP placard on it (lower left), CP SP648 BERTRAM, the same as the old one. Interestingly, the CP will have TWO CP boxes! The pictured box is the west signal box, WEST of Range Rd..
But more is in the above photo! An in the ground, huge burial platform is present for a cantilever overhead signal!
Continued in Part 8
Part 6
In the last photo above, strangely there were NO new signals placed, just that new CP box. However, one burial signal base was observed on site (lower right below).
In the photo just above, note the third unit is one of the new AC45’s, gleaming UP 8015, a number series that supplanted the SD9043M’s.
The new CP box had the CP location name against the CP box so as to be hidden.
Continued in Part 7
Part 5
Now we get to a most interesting mast signal set, the third east from CP SP537 SALTON…
The right (south) signal above is the one with a two-bulb lower head, likely with green AND a yellow! Why? Midway BETWEEN this third pair of mast signals and the future CP SP648 BERTRAM double crossover is a future Main 2 siding CP.
Track equipment.
Now we get to the west switch of the Bertram siding. Note the uninstalled new CP box on the lower center. So, the Bertram siding will survive, and remain active when this is two-track territory.
At photo time, a train had gone into the Bertram siding.
Continued in Part 6
Part 4
A future Main 1’s ballast train was crawling eastward (rightward) periodically, dumping ballast as it moved.
In the above last photo, the train was backing eastward (again, rightward) in a blind fashion … except for the Renzenburger van as its eyes and ears.
Continued in Part 5
Part 3
Side views of those first intermediates east of CP SP537 SALTON
At photo time, the second intermediates location strangely only has one mast, likely only a temporary situation.
Continued in Part 4
Part 2
Apparently the Ferrum siding will be eliminated. An eastbound just past the Ferrum siding approaches the high bridge (only a couple miles east of that future CP SP637 SALTON) …
… and goes over that high bridge.
The first intermediate signals (far right) are just east of that high bridge.
Continued in Part 3
Part 1
Our first stop is the Corvina Beach area of Salton Sea, around Sunset Route M.P. 637, where two-tracks WILL soon begin eastward. The future Control Point (CP) has three mast signals erected.
The west side eastbound signal for single-track to two-tracks eastward.
There is only one eastbound signal on this west side. Single-track from Thermal (M.P. 620.2) thus is likely to remain for some time.
The east side westbound signals:
The future CP’s designation is “CP SP637 SALTON.”
The box is temporarily placed and uneven, hence, the CP plate is still attached. Turning the nameplate over may or may not be in the future. More on that later.
Continued in Part 2
Mostly Belated, Brief Replies:
jeffhergert (10-3):
The source with an opposing point of view referenced the System Special Instructions like you did, so I’m caught between a rock and a hard place on this one. But, I’m leaning towards what you said. It just makes more sense.
rdamon (10-8):
Ah, yes, a dentist! From a distance the machine sure looked inviting, though!
eolesen (10-9):
Perhaps the sudden activity in the vicinity of the future CP SP970 SABINO is because a new financial quarter started at the beginning of October. If things get slow towards the end of December, the quarter thing might be right.
Thanks for posting your photos. When I was by CP SP970 SABINO’s area a few weeks ago, I didn’t see what you photographed. Either I was blind, or UP swarmed the area after I left …
There was a ballast train west of Marana Rd. that had tied up for the night, partially in the future CP’s limits parked on the future Main 1.The rail laying train you saw was nowhere in sight when I was in the area.
STEVEL (10-10):
Your recent posts have been enlightening. Thanks. When I was by Red Rock a few weeks ago, things were pretty quiet there.
john_edwards (10-16):
You are welcome … Great to have you back with us as a forum poster …
MikeF90 (10-18):
Your input added a broader perspective to the somewhat unclear activity in the Pomona-Ontario, CA area.
By the way … There have been a couple of masts at the Colton Signal Department’s west end in recent times, near Colton Crossing (Colton, CA). I was by that area Wednesday, and the masts were gone! They don’t seem to be between Pomona and Loma Linda. The only other place left that came to mind is by the cantilever signal structure on the ground by the Puente Hills Intermodal Facility near the 605 Freeway in Industry, where a couple of masts will be needed. Have you been out that way lately?
STEVEL (10-18):
As you undoubtedly noted in the previous post, I was actually by Santa Teresa, NM earlier this month, and took plenty of photos of the UP construction there. The upcoming post series devotes 13 posts just to Santa Teresa! After posted, it would be interesting to hear from you if you saw anything more that might have escaped my notice. It was a thrilling place to visit. Wow, what a place!
Take care all,
K.P.
“The Texas Trip”
From October 4 to 7, 2012, K.P. traveled from California to Texas and back, and obtained a good overview of the Sunset Route two-tracking and related matters.
In recent months there have been some mysteries that have surfaced at the forum about altered switches in Arizona, specifically whether this new 40 M.P.H. crossover at CP SP938 EAST PICACHO … …
… was changed out to a NEW 30 M.P.H. one or not. Official documents that K.P. was shown by contacts say they are now 30 M.P.H., but were they just speed downgraded instead of physically changed out? Because of “The Texas Trip,” the answer to such IS now known!
And, things about New Mexico are now known too, like what the huge Santa Teresa “Block Swap” facility construction area looks like!
Such will be shared with the forum under the following …
Post Schedule
GROUP ONE: Sunday, October 21, 2012
The Salton Sea Area (Posts 1-9)
GROUP TWO: Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Niland, CA Area (10)
East of Niland towards Iris, CA (11-12)
Something is Brewing in the Stanwix-Sentinel, AZ Area (13)
The Example of CP SP841 PIEDRA (14-15)
GROUP THREE: Thursday, October 25, 2012
The Casa Grande (AZ) Signal Dept. Area (16-18)
Revisiting an Area of Much Industrial Trackage (19-22)
A Bunch of Ties at the Toltec Staging Area (23)
The Eloy Industrial Track (24)
GROUP FOUR: Saturday, October 27, 2012
Mysteries, Truth, and Exceptions (Picacho, AZ) (25-27)
The Wymola Staging Area (28)
At the West End of the Red Rock Siding (29)
Another Mystery and the Truth (30)
More on CP SP952 [EAST] RED ROCK (31)
GROUP FIVE: Monday, October 29, 2012
Between Red Rock and Naviska (32)
West of Marana Road (33)
By Twin Peaks Road (34)
From the Kino Ave. Overpass (Tucson, AZ) (35-36)
Trains on the New Main 2 Reroute (by Marsh Station Rd.) (37-38)
The Old Main 2 and the Storage of Railcars (by Marsh Station Rd.) (39)
GROUP SIX: Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Scattered Views (Benson. AZ) (40-43)
The Dragoon Grade Crossing and Vicinity (44)
The Willcox Area (45-48)
GROUP SEVEN: Friday, November 2, 2012
Eastward up Another Hill (49-50)
Peculiar Tracks by a Rest Stop (51-52)
CP S1207 DEMING JCT (53-54)
A Roundabout Route (Highway 549 in New Mexico) (55)
GROUP EIGHT: Sunday, November 4, 2012
The Block Swap Facility (Santa Teresa, NM) (56-68)
GROUP NINE: Tuesday, November 6, 2012
As Close as One Can Get to Mexico (69-71)
Two Great Bridges (72-74)
Fueling (El Paso, TX) (75-76)
GROUP TEN: Thursday, November 8, 2012
The Trainway through a Hill (77-79)
The Connecting Golden State Route (80-82)
Posts should be up by 9:00 A.M. (P.D.T. / P.S.T.) on the scheduled dates, but likely much, much earlier.
----------
Some replies will be forthcoming tomorrow, Saturday, October 20, 2012
spent 4 hours on line from Deming, NM to ElPaso,Tx on Oct 17th, all 2 trk is complete. There is major work being done at San Theresa new yard between 1276.5 and 1286.0. Massive earth moving, leveling, grading, drainage, and electrial work over the 10 miles. 75 to 100 pieces of equipment, piles of drainage pipe, and hundreds of men/women in the middle of nowhere. My SUV has taken a beating on those dirt washboard roads along the right of way.
K.P., thanks for the photo update around the Pomona - Ontario stretch. BTW some of those piles of gravel east of San Antonio Ave (Pomona) have been there for quite a while (but not the orange fencing). The grading west of San Antonio Ave (Ontario) shows that UP owns this property formerly occupied by citrus packing houses.
As noted elsewhere the grading reportedly is for some long storage sidings. A very good use for this underutilized, highly 'constrained' urban parcel.
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! ***
Subgrade trains have been working between Kino and Sabino the past two days, and it looks like they're getting ready to start grading the second track footprint. Subgrade is already done from Sabino to Rillito. Also noted a fully loaded tie flatcar parked in the APS siding by Red Rock on Monday.
Given the lack of grade crossings and other obstacles between Rillito and Sabino, it looks like this could get moving very quickly... Only three grade crossings between Sabino and Kino, two of them major arterials (Ina & Cortero Farms, plus Massingale).
Thanks KP for all the updates (and the hint about posting!). I really appreciate the map link from a couple of days ago as with about 1/2 hour of studying the aerial map and looking at the 1928 Rand McNally RR map of LA I was finally able to link all those posts with real locations.
John
Update as of October 12, 2012
A Brief Flyovers Report
Part II (of I-II)
The Milliken Ave. Flyover
Ontario, CA
Top forming is in place on the center support.
The Milliken Ave. west and east side rebar rods are in place.
Some grading is now present on the west side.
This will conclude the brief Colton and Milliken Ave. Flyovers report.
Part I (of I-II)
The Colton Flyover
Colton, CA
The flyover walling (right) is getting higher between the Colton Crossing and La Cadena Dr. The rebar piers by Colton Cross (left) have been concrete filled now, with rebar forming between them.
The side walling is getting higher by the east westbound Colton Crossing signals.
More and more of the rebar piers west of Colton Crossing are filled with concreted that has fully dried.
Continued in Part II
More Alhambra Sub Two-Tracking?
Pomona-Ontario, CA
Part D (of A-D)
The first grade crossing EAST of the North Ontario siding is Bon View Ave. It was down to one lane and much unknown type of work was being done at or by the track. Because of so much activity and vehicle traffic congestion there, photo taking was deemed inadvisable.
There was preliminary grading to the east, up to Cucamonga Ave., where grading abruptly stopped, at a location with things to ponder about, as seen in the following photos:
That place of idle activity (at photo time) was seemingly the present eastward end of the preliminary grading.
Part C (of A-D)
A heavy westward telephoto: The Mountain Ave. overpass is in the near background, the far background overpass is that Central Ave. overpass again.
Strangely, in the westward wide previously cleared land area is something buried in the way.
We at the forum probably should NOT read too much into all this wide grading in the San Antonio Ave. (ONTARIO) area, for aerials show that grading has been there for some time.
LINK: Aerial of the Sunset Route by San Antonio Ave, Ontario, CA
There was even some previous grading to the east of San Antonio Ave. (ONTARIO) at the west end of the North Ontario siding, by CP AL520 NORTH ONTARIO.
But, this time black construction fencing was now on the south graded side, just east of San Antonio Ave. (again, Ontario).
Continued in Part D
Part B (of A-D)
To the east farther, at another San Antonio Ave. (this time in ONTARIO, M.P. 519.55) there is previous grading on the west side of the street …
… but also what now seemed to be a new staging area had been put in.
Continued in Part C
Part A (of A-D)
Sunset Route thread follower Matt Kennedy gave this forumist a tip about possible two-tracking in the Pomona to Ontario, CA area. On checking that area out through an onsite visit, it was found that the area was in what looked like the early stages of two-tracking, mainly initial grading. But, the grading may be overlapping another project, so it was not exactly clear what was transpiring.
At this point in time, if it is in fact two-tracking, it may coincide with the second Milliken Ave. Flyover now under construction. So, the two-track bridging of the gap between Pomona and Fontana may be only a year away!
From San Antonio Ave. (in POMONA), an eastward view of the SP Alhambra Sub: Piles of ballast and gravel are seen.
Eastward on the LA&SL Los Angeles Sub, just a stone’s throw to the south, orange construction fencing has been put up (left).
At Monte Visit Ave. (M.P. 517.37), is the SP North Montclair siding (middle track up and down). A belted digging machine was present.
Looking east from Monte Vista Ave.: There had been some grading previously between the SP and LA&SL. The Central Ave. overpass is in the background, and there is orange fencing by it now (left background). Orange cones are now on the lower right.
Continued in Part B
Steve, you called it correctly on the line poles. I drove up to Picacho on Friday, and the line poles and wire were all gone...
Still a bunch remaining all the way from Naviska into Tucson, but probably not for long.
A Sunday Wrap-Up Photo Project
September 30, 2012
Part XXII (of XIV-XXII, Overall I-XXII)
The Future Streeter Ave. Grade Separation
Riverside, CA
The actual Streeter Ave. grade crossing underpass won’t be easy either.
This will conclude the “A Sunday Wrap-Up Photo Project” series.
Part XXI (of XIV-XXII, Overall I-XXII)
The Future Riverside Ave. Grade Separation
A church is to the south …
… and a residential neighborhood with a two lane road (left background) and another intersection makes for the need of hard engineering choices …
This EAST end of two-tracks has a somewhat out of harmony CP name, and UP has never did anything about it. (CP C055 PACHAPPA may be more appropriate. See second photo of Part XX and second photo of Part IX.) The below diagram shows the pre-1992 old track arrangement under the “Streeter” SIDING designation (which made much sense at the time), but dashed lines as an overlay illustrating the two-track arrangement presently.
Continued in Part XXIi
Part XX (of XIV-XXII, Overall I-XXII)
In his post of September 23, 2012, mvs linked a news items from the Inland New Today. It mentioned future “undercrossings” (underpasses) at both Riverside and Streeter Avenues. Both projects do not appear easy to accomplish.
The LA&SL through here has a speed limit of 50 M.P.H., and the track is highly embanked to accomplish that rate of speed on a tight curve. A westward view:
And eastbound view:
Westbound trains after traversing the highly embanked curve encounter an absolute signal at CP C055 STREETER, the beginning of two-tracks. The turnout is 40 M.P.H.
In the above photos, please excuse the appearance of leaning. The poles are windblown … but the signal is perfectly vertical.
Continued in Part XXI
Part XIX (of XIV-XXII, Overall I-XXII)
A Triple-Track Grade Crossing with an Old Signal Bridge
Not too far west of Iowa Ave., about midway between BNSF’s four to five mile triple-track line control points is the below signal bridge.
Looking the other way, eastbound, is the Columbia Ave. overpass. The bridge over the railroad right-of-way looks wide enough for a seven-track mainline!
Continued in Part XX
Part XVIII (of XIV-XXII, Overall I-XXII)
The Site of the Future Iowa Ave. Grade Separation
Highgrove, CA
A south side, eastbound view:
From the marks on the tracks, obviously this grade crossing has some water flow problems.
Before the Limonite Rd. underpass (guard railings just below photo center) was built in Pedley on the LA&SL …
… during rainstorms, water over the tracks was so bad at times the LA&SL rail line had to be closed! But, that was way before UP bought SP.
Continued in Part XIX
Part XVII (of XIV-XXII, Overall I-XXII)
Many Sunset Route trains take the alternate route via Riverside. While on the triple-track BNSF section, they pass Iowa Ave. An overpass is planned for this crossing. View looks westbound.
Continued in Part XVIII
Part XVI (of XIV-XXII, Overall I-XXII)
The Santa Ana River Trail Parking Area
And, of course, the access to the parking area, by La Cadena Dr.: The BNSF Transcon (that the LA&SL has trackage rights on, with many Sunset Route trains taking the longer way around via Riverside. The Transcon is just above the right driveway. Colton is to the left, Riverside to the right..
Finally, a last word about the trail: There are unisex bathrooms on site. K.P. found the doors locked!
I talked with a nice couple, and they brought up the locked bathrooms. None of us could believe it. She said she was going to find a bush somewhere! Bad PR for the trail for sure …K.P. wasn’t as desperate, and got a whole bunch more photos in down the tracks before the inevitable …
Continued in Part XVII
Part XV (of XIV-XXII, Overall I-XXII)
The access to the trail is from the west side of the parking area:
There is a picnic area … and a water fountain.
For a family oriented railfan, a nice place to visit for the whole family … and obviously for the railbuff one eye will be on the tracks …
Continued in Part XVI
Part XIV (of XIV-XXII, Overall I-XXII)
Very recently the Santa Ana River Trail walkway-bikeway was featured in this thread, by the Sunset Route, barely visible on the upper left. (A reshown photo)
The Colton parking area for that mostly paved pathway is a few miles away, where the Santa Ana River and Trail goes under La Cadena Drive, by the BNSF Transcon south of town.
Continued in Part XV
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