A Very Successful Visit to Arizona
Part "R" (of R-V, Overall A-V)
West Picacho to Toltec
At CP SP937 WEST PICACHO (the junction CP for the Phoenix Line), in the westward view below, there is from left to right Mains 2 and 1, the north side Picacho siding (the high green signal on the right), AND an uncontrolled siding, which uncontrolled siding had auto-racks on it.
The cantilever signals for Mains 2 and 1.
The siding signal:
The signal was lit because of a westbound train in the siding. The train must have had work to do in the siding, because all the time K.P. was there, the train did not take the green signal.
Thread followers will recall the floodlights at the old CP SP937 PICACHO. This is what they look like under the new name and CP, CP SP937 WEST PICACHO.
While K.P. has no official word on why the floodlights are present, it would appear they light up the CP interlocking plant at night. Perhaps they are to help trainmen see the switch positions and track at night on flagging moves. Outside of that, K.P. has no idea why the floodlights are present.
Continued in Part S
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
Getting the True Picture(s)
Headway Run 5 (of 1-5)
The Colton Flyover
The Nearby East Leg of the Wye
Colton, CA
K.P. also pursued photographing the previously shown "Bypass" area ...
... from a different angle, a more close-up view of the trackage, IF that was even possible.
The Palmdale Cutoff from Cajon Pass ends basically here, just beyond the bridging over Valley Blvd. and I-10, at the junction between the West Leg and the East Leg of the Wye. A southbound just happened to come by as K.P. arrived.
The bridging on the upper right of the top photo above is in the trees of the just above photo's lower left.
The dirt ramp just above center in the top photo is the ramp just below center in the photo below.
The future, new East Leg of the Wye has stacks of concrete ties on it now.
It is hoped that this follow-up input about what is transpiring relative to the Colton Flyover project has been enlightening to the forum in some way.
Take care, everyone,
K.P.
Headway Run 4 (of 1-5)
Solving the Moving Rebar Towers Mystery!
A few days ago, this photo was reposted whereby the rebar towers were WEST (left) of the small concrete work by the freeway.
It was pointed out that the towers MAY have been relocated to the EAST of that small concrete work (far left).
Well, IT WAS AN ILLUSION! The truth is as originally understood.
As seen just above, an additional rebar tower is now to the east (right) of the small concrete-work.
Continued in Headway Run 5
Headway Run 3 (of 1-5)
At the La Cadena Drive Underpass
A few other views:
The east rebar towers (just photo left of the temporary walling).
A temporary heavy concrete base helps anchor the temporary walling.
The temporary erected walls on each side of La Cadena Drive are on the motorists side rather than away from motorists below. Likely that is to protect motorists from anything that might fall from the rebar towers.
Continued in Headway Run 4
Headway Run 2 (of 1-5)
The thin erected walling appears only temporary, and the west walling is crudely bolted to six difficult to see braces, that are in turn bolted to anchoring on the bottom at ground level.
Such temporary walling was used several months ago at the Milliken Ave. Flyover site in Ontario, about 14 miles to the west.
That anchoring with bolted support poles withstood the famous very strong north to south Santa Ana winds that have been known to reach 50 to 70 M.P.H.
One of the benefits for the Colton La Cadena Drive newly erected high walling is that it is SOUTH of I-10, which acts as a wind break for the very strong winds that occasional buffet the community. The below reshown photo (looking north towards the tracks and I-10) was taken on August 28, 2009 before any project work began, so the forum can get a fuller picture of the scene.
Continued in Headway Run 3
Headway Run 1 (of 1-5)
This presentation will be presented on an east to west basis, and deal with select aspects of the project. From the Santa Ana River the Sunset Route goes westward under the Mt. Vernon Ave. overpass, and then will climb up OVER the La Cadena Drive underpass, go over the BNSF, and then lower so that the line goes under the Rancho Ave. overpass.
This post deals with the La Cadena Drive underpass area. K.P. was able to hike in, and climbed up the old stairs for a better look that previously posted about.
The east-west Sunset Route tracks go over the bridging in the centers of both photos above. Los Angeles is to the right.
Continued in Headway Run 2
K. P. Harrier Unscrambling a Signal Mystery Part B (of A-B) So, UP has, and is, putting in a second track on the Sunset Route with BOTH 40 M.P.H. and 50 M.P.H. crossovers. That would explain the 40 M.P.H. crossovers that have been put in just recently in the Picacho-Wymola area, such as at CP SP938 EAST PICACHO (the crossover, NOT the northernmost track or the left viewed siding switch below). The camera looks east. A westbound train approaching that CP in crossover mode should get a yellow over yellow in advance (the right facing heads on either mast) ... ... and a red over green (or red over flashing green) at the CP itself (assuming there is no train ahead) and signals ahead are lined also. On the other hand, if a siding route was lined by the DS at CP SP938 EAST PICACHO, a train would probably get a yellow over yellow in advance also, with a red over yellow at CP SP938 EAST PICACHO, the typical signal for an entrance to a 30 M.P.H controlled siding.
Unscrambling a Signal Mystery
Part B (of A-B)
So, UP has, and is, putting in a second track on the Sunset Route with BOTH 40 M.P.H. and 50 M.P.H. crossovers. That would explain the 40 M.P.H. crossovers that have been put in just recently in the Picacho-Wymola area, such as at CP SP938 EAST PICACHO (the crossover, NOT the northernmost track or the left viewed siding switch below). The camera looks east.
A westbound train approaching that CP in crossover mode should get a yellow over yellow in advance (the right facing heads on either mast) ...
... and a red over green (or red over flashing green) at the CP itself (assuming there is no train ahead) and signals ahead are lined also.
On the other hand, if a siding route was lined by the DS at CP SP938 EAST PICACHO, a train would probably get a yellow over yellow in advance also, with a red over yellow at CP SP938 EAST PICACHO, the typical signal for an entrance to a 30 M.P.H controlled siding.
Sorry to bring this up again, but it took me a while to wrap my tiny brain around this. I think part of the reason you're seeing an advance signal displaying a Yellow over Yellow (slang- "double bubble") is because there is still a 30 mph turnout involved in the control point.
I had the chance to see a time table for the area and noted the sidings before the second track was installed were listed as good for 30mph. Some of these sidings remain, and like the one in the example, the switch is in the control point that includes a crossover that's good for 40. Even though the crossover is 40, the signals don't distinguish whether the route is just through the crossover or includes the siding. Any trains approaching this possiblity, unless told what route they're going to use, will have to be prepared to take the 30 mph turnout. That's possibly why they put in 40 instead of 50 mph turnouts in this location. (Even if told in that situation I think I'd still be prepared to take the slowest turnout possible.) Trains running in the opposite direction, which wouldn't be able to take the siding turnout, could breeze through at 40 mph.
We have a similar situation. Over around KC Jct they had 30mph crossovers and a 30mph turnout to a connection that goes towards the Short Line (most everyone else knows it as the Spine). They upgraded the crossovers, but not the connection turnout, some years ago to 40 mph. They even showed up for a time in the timetable/special instructions as such. They didn't change the signals though. No matter which way you were lined, you only got the yellow over yellow. After a short time, they dropped the authorized speed over the crossovers back to 30mph. About the same time they upgraded the East Ames crossovers from 30 to 40. Again, they didn't change the signals, crossover moves get a Y over Y in advance. In this case, there isn't any other route that uses a slower turnout speed and the authorized speed remains 40.
I'd be interested in what the advance signals for the CP in the opposite direction, for those trains that couldn't possibly take the siding (trailing point switch) indicate for a crossover move.
Jeff
Steve-
My work in the mines was in the early '60s and they may have converted to non rail operations. by now. Been a while since I have been in the mines so I do not know the current status. My work was in northern WV where we were mining the Pittsburgh seam which was 6 1/4 feet thick. Being 6'2" I had to$1****$2my head all day. The 3 foot seams are in southern WV and I never have been in the mines there. The Pittsburgh was a gassy seam and you could feel gas coming out of the cracks. Needless to say any smoking was forbidden. As you know coal dust is very explosive so we would rock dust the coal face which made it white. People do not believe me that a coal mine is white inside. Of course if you turn off your light white turns to very black. Standing in the darkness you loose all frame of reference and eventually you will fall over. Fun game to play.
All for now.
Dick
Dick -
So - you saw my pictures ? After I posted the photos from Photobucket - I did not see them here on the Forum, so I edited the links from the post. I still need to get this photo posting thing figured out.
Here in Colorado rail is no longer used underground. The man trips here are diesel pickup trucks, modified with scrubbers and fire suppression. One of the mine engineers here once told me the only mines that use rail are the union mines ( mines here are non-union ) Also the coal seams here are 8-10 feet high, none of the 36 inch seams I hear about that they have back east.
Steve
Enjoyed your photos of the load out facilities, conveyor, etc. Brought back many memories. My surveying was during the summers while in college after I took a survey class. Being from West Virginia I initially was working on a mining engineering degree. After working in the mines and a couple minor explosions I decided to change my major to petroleum engineering. Black lung disease was common with miners in Applachia. Even being 100 feet from the active mining face while surveying you would still get the dust. At night I would blow my nose and it would be black. I could see bad things coming helth wise. Still have a lot of war stories to tell my grand kids about almost being a coal mole. The good thing is you got to ride on lots of trains in the mines. Not comfortable and plush but it got you to the work area. I think WV had more miles of rail lines underground than on the surface if you brought all of them to a common date.
Cheers,
Part "Q" (of I-Q, Overall A-V)
APS to West Picacho
In the previously shown photo below from the March 2012 trip to Arizona, it was pointed out that new poles were present along the old two-lane highway (far left).
On this trip, K.P. made it a point to find out what those poles were about, and if they were for trackside setout lighting. It was discovered that the poles only brought power to the Picacho Blvd. (M.P. 938.52) grade crossing electrical control box.
----------
The third, and final set, Parts R-V, will be posted Thursday, May 31, 2012 before 9 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time.
K.P. was on the prowl Monday, and the Colton Flyover area in Colton, CA was again visited. Better views of the La Cadena Drive flyover construction were obtained, and it was found that the movable location of the piers west of Colton Crossing was only an illusion, and photos prove that! A post(s) is pending ...
Part "P" (of I-Q, Overall A-V)
On the west side of CP SP938 EAST PICACHO, at the Picacho Blvd. grade crossing (M.P. 938.52), is that site of the three-head color light signal (left).
The three signals are very close to the roadway, and because of that, K.P. found that his camera equipment had an insufficiently wide angle lens to capture all three masts head-on.
Picacho Peak is in the background of both above photos.
Continued in Part Q
Part "O" (of I-Q, Overall A-V)
The new CP SP943 WYMOLA will be a full 40 M.P.H. double-crossover CP, but because of presently being the end of two-tracks, only has one switch. The site location has concrete ties stacked up for the future switches
The switches are very complicated beasts, and every tie is specific as to its location within the switch, hence, all ties are numbered.
The stack groups are marked in bright green markings. The interpretation of the markings are as thus: Left hand turnout, number 20 type switch (i,e,, 20 gauge widths from points to frog), and the intended location of installation, at M.P. 942.57.
This above group was marked number "975." Another group also at CP SP943 WYMOLA was switch group number "938" (top left). The ties marked "938" are not to be confused with CP's, such as CP SP938 EAST PICACHO, which CP is a little over 4 miles to the west.
Continued in Part P
Part "N" (of I-Q, Overall A-V)
The first, new dual intermediate set west of Park Link Rd. have been erected, but still not in service yet. View is from the south side of that tracks.
As with so many other locations, the electrical box for the above signals is away from the signals themselves and not next to them as the old boxes have historically been.
Continued in Part O
Part "M" (of I-Q, Overall A-V)
At Park Link Rd. now, by the west end of the Red Rock siding (behind the camera), looking west, an eastbound approaches. The new, not in service yet track is on the south (left).
Because of that approaching train, the west eastbound old target signal is high green in the below eastward view.
A wide angle from the paralleling two-lane highway: The old and new CP boxes are on the right. This future CP location apparently will be a split one, with both absolute (far left) and intermediate (left) signals.
Because of the approaching train in the first photo above, the crossing gates (left) were down. The grade crossing control box is on the right. The two-lane track-paralleling highway is visible, with I-10 beyond that.
Continued in Part N
Part "L" (of I-Q, Overall A-V)
Still by the east end of the Red Rock siding ... The future east end of the CP has only one of two east side westbound signals erected (photo right, the one erected for the future Main 2).
A double-stack goes by (rightward) with the future CP box in view on the lower right. The present CP boxes are on the lower left.
Up on the narrow roadway hill by the freeway off ramp, a very compressed eastward telephoto view: The future CP box and one of two signal erected only look close together (lower right), but are some distance apart.
Continued in Part M
Part "K" (of I-Q, Overall A-V)
Previously shown, the following March 22, 2012 photo depicts the area just west of the east switch of the Red Rock siding (third track up on left).
On the May 18, 2012 visit, a small group of tie carrying cars were parked on the future Main 2.
Continued in Part L
Part "J" (of I-Q, Overall A-V)
Continuing ...
Then they parked everything, and everyone took off.
Figure that one out! Didn't K.P. tell you it was a Twilight Zone type experience?
Continued in Part K
Part "I" (of I-Q, Overall A-V)
After taking the typical normal photos in Part "H", a bunch of UP workers converged onto the track equipment scene (by the Arizona Public Service Corp.). The parked equipment in the soon to occur Twilight Zone type experience were all started, and moved around. Especially note the just mentioned words, "Moved around."
Continued in Part J
I too am a mine surveyor .. I spent 22 years doing underground mine surveys. West Colorado. Setting up transits - total stations, - under a plumb bob hanging from a spad. Setting sight up at the working face, Running control surveys.
I am a contract surveyor, all of my work is at a Coal Mine here in Colorado, I havn't been underground in 5 years, but still do surface work. Subsidence surveys, drillhole locations. i have done construction surveys on all the surface projects: conveyor belts and the train load out. Shaft sites. Etc.....
K. P. Harrier It was a westbound empty ballast train! Is UP dumping ballast on newly laid track on the new grading down by Salton Sea, over a hundred miles to the east?
It was a westbound empty ballast train! Is UP dumping ballast on newly laid track on the new grading down by Salton Sea, over a hundred miles to the east?
K.P. -- It would be very difficult to know for sure if it is the same ballast train I have seen moving east, loaded, through Benson, Arizona, heading toward, perhaps, the yard construction site at Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
How far would UP really be willing to haul ballast -- and from where does it come -- surely they have more than one ballast train and one source of ballast so they don't have to haul it all the way from California to New Mexico!
Right on Steve. Your answer brought back fond memories of the surveying I did in the dark ages (like 45 years ago). We did not have the modern laser transits and levels that are in common use today. About half of my surveying was inside coal mines which is slightly different than terrestrial surveying. We would hang the plum bob from a spad (nail) in the ceiling rather than from a stake in the ground. I did find out that my surveys were accurate as they were used to drill a relief shaft a year later after a mine explosion. That explosion along with other incidents got me out of the mines for ever.
Right on Steve. Good writeup on surveying. Back in the dark ages (like 45 years ago) I did some surveying. Your discussion brought back fond memories. Thanks.
Dick Watkins
A gentleman with some kind of mini-surveying instrument was taking measurements and writing them down
Maybe someone at the forum with some contemporary surveying experience might be able to explain what we are seeing above.
The instrument is an Auto Level - used to shoot elevations. The instrument operator looks through the telescope at another surveyor holding the rod, ( the pole with the numbers ). The rodman sets the rod on a benchmark, point of known elevation, the instrument man reads the number that he see the cross hair in the telescope intersect on the rod, writes that down in the field book. So lets say the benchmark elevation is 510.0 feet ( above sea level ) The x-hair reading on the rod is 6.5, so now the x-hair elev in the instrument is 516.5. then the rodman walks over to a point to shoot - like the top of a concrete form, then another reading is taken on that point, if the rod reading is 4.4, then that elevation is 512.1. If the top of concrete in the design plan is 512.0, then there is 0.1 cut to finished grade. the surveyors will write this info on a stake and pound it into the ground, or mark the concrete forms.
This way the surveyors tell the construction contractors what the correct elevation is for a given design point on a job site. A lot of responsibility, with design tolerances of 0.02 foot ( 1/4 inch ) a mistake can be a big problem for thousands of dollars of steel and concrete.
Update as of Friday, May 25, 2012
Checking on Places of Known Activity
Part VIII (of I-VIII)
While taking documenting photos, a typical westbound 'run of the mill' train approached on Main 2.
But, that 'run of the mill' train was more significant than it first appeared.
Maybe over this bridge too?
While K.P. was in Arizona just a few weeks ago, workers did mention to him trackwork down by Salton Sea. Perhaps ("perhaps") laying the second main has begun over there!
Anyway, getting back to the Colton Flyover project itself ...It is hoped through these posts, photos, and captions, that the forum is increasing its knowledge and awareness of what is transpiring at the Colton Flyover construction site. Ditto for the other sites covered in this post series.
Part VII (of I-VIII)
A ground level view of that mysterious ramp-like grading alongside the I-10 Freeway onramp:
A hole had been dug, and a wood form put in it.
Is this a super deceptive photo?
The newly erected piers in the above new photo appear to be EAST (further back) than the short rebar forms on the left.
A few days ago the below photo was presented to the forum. The piers appear to be to the WEST (left) of those short forms.
Was K.P. too tired and losing his mind, or do you see strange things too?
Continued in Part VIII
Part VI (of I-VIII)
At the La Cadena underpass site, large walling has been erected on both sides of the underpass, and rebar forms have been erected also.
The above views are from the south side.
Still on the south side of the tracks, at the 3rd Street dead-end, an interesting sign is present. Assumedly, the 'Form B Number' for visiting workers is related to the railroad's Form B for trainmen.
Continued in Part VII
Part V (of I-VIII)
The Milliken Ave. Flyover
Ontario, CA
Rebar parts were laying near the dug hole, by the public walkway. It must be a tedious job putting all the rebar parts together.
A gentleman with some kind of mini-surveying instrument was taking measurements and writing them down.
After visiting this particular area, K.P. went to the east end of the flyover, but nothing seemed to have been transpiring there.
Continued in Part VI
Part IV (of I-VIII)
A rebar form (bottom) is in the center construction area of Milliken Ave. for a west installation. Like-forms have already been filled with concrete and temporarily covered with tarp material (by the stop light).
There was a preliminary covering on the center support (left). Compare it to the right covered support cement work.
Such requires a dug hole, as presently on the west side of Milliken Ave.
Continued in Part V
Part III (of I-VIII)
The 'Up and Over'
City of Industry, CA
In close proximity to the PHIMF on the LA&SL is the SP 'Up and Over.' Still no Main 2 track has been laid on it, or on either side of the structure. The below east side westward facing photo was previously shown.
Whatever controversy is holding up further progress (like laying a fourth track, left) on the Diversion in Pomona ...
... apparently is hold up further track laying progress on the 'Up and Over' in the City of Industry too.
A Side Tidbit
Pomona, CA
In K.P.'s traveling Friday, nothing construction-wise was observed in Pomona, CA, and things remain as they were months and months ago. However, there was an odd situation in downtown Pomona, at the Park Ave. grade crossing, M.P. 514.1.
A bunch of ballast was all over the sidewalk area, and halfway across the roadway.
It did not appear anything on or between the rails had been struck, so whatever caused the situation remains unknown, and is somewhat baffling.
Technical track I.D. info (from bottom to top): SP Main, LA&SL Main 1 (the ballast everywhere track / ex-SP Pomona siding), a now isolated former SP switching track, and LA&SL Main 2.
Continued in Part IV
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.