Replies ...
jeffhergert (1-20):
Greetings Jeff,
Thanks for your rather authoritative input on milepost location signs that are attached to grade crossing electrical boxes.
With reference to UP 're-measuring the railroad' for Positive Train Control (PTC), your post said the railroad is "finding out that some of the mile post locations used on the crossings aren't quite correct." Do you know if the TRACK mileposts "aren't quite correct" also?
If that is a problem as well for the railroad, I might have an explanation and the whys of the differences. Please advise of the situation, if you would.
cacole (1-20):
In personal visits to the Red Rock*, AZ area, I found the location rather confining, especially with the Tucson Aqueduct nearby.
Three MapQuest links to aerial views are provided below:
http://mapq.st/ienUeC
http://mapq.st/fL1iH3
http://mapq.st/f7FUoA
But, I wonder if UP plans on building the yard more westward, and the namesake community of Red Rock will be the far eastern edge of the yard. I wish I could see diagrams of what UP has in mind there.
While the yard will start off as a small classifying facility, I can't imagine the railroad not being able to expand it in that open, rural area, except for the rather confining aqueduct area you, cacole, mentioned, plus the power entity on the east end.
* If one does a MapQuest.com search for "Red Rock, AZ," one will likely find another Red Rock in Arizona, near the Utah-Arizona-New Mexico border. If "Wymola, AZ" is typed in instead and one goes to a slightly closer view, one should have no problem seeing the UP Red Rock to the southeast of the Wymola siding.
Continued in Second Section
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
blue streak 1 KP: I can understand UP placing signals close to grade crossings for ease and quickness of access and not requiring track time. However some time in the future there will be a fouling of the track(s) resulting in the fouling vehicle taking out the signals and maybe the bungalow. ?? I remember the video of a NS train doing that one time. Anyone got the old video reference?
KP: I can understand UP placing signals close to grade crossings for ease and quickness of access and not requiring track time. However some time in the future there will be a fouling of the track(s) resulting in the fouling vehicle taking out the signals and maybe the bungalow. ?? I remember the video of a NS train doing that one time. Anyone got the old video reference?
The video show up in several places on YouTube. Here is one of them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Oh62FHF8sQ&feature=related
John Timm
Activity in Imperial and Riverside Counties, CA Part II, Section D (of A-D) The Highway 78 Area At Glamis, as expected, there was no two-tracking present, but new signals were being installed in the area likely related to the government mandated Positive Train Control future installation. Looking east at the east switch of the Glamis siding.
Activity in Imperial and Riverside Counties, CA
Part II, Section D (of A-D)
The Highway 78 Area
At Glamis, as expected, there was no two-tracking present, but new signals were being installed in the area likely related to the government mandated Positive Train Control future installation.
Looking east at the east switch of the Glamis siding.
A westward view of the west siding switch location, again with a heavy mirage effect:
The new, now in place grade crossing box has the current hotline "800" telephone number, but not the M.P. number.
The old box is still active, and has the old system "800" number and the milepost location.
While it is not as prominent of a feature anymore because of widespread technology advancements in the telephone industry, an owner of an "800" number (such as UP) can know the telephone number that the caller called the "800" number from. That undoubtedly cut down on the number of prank calls ... except from public payphones ...
As seen with comparing the last two above photos, new grade crossing control boxes seem to be positioned farther away from the tracks than previously.
------
Part III deals with some unusual things that are way further west of Highway 78, and is scheduled for posting Monday morning, January 24, 2011.
Part II, Section C (of A-D)
The Ogilby Rd. Area
The UP workers present had a rented work vehicle. It is unusual to see a work vehicle without UP markings. The old but still in service grade crossing electrical box on the lower right had the M.P. number blacked out.
UP must have gotten heavy flack and complaints over the severe grade crossing bump at the new second-track because now on both sides of the tracks signs warn motorists. The below orange "Bump" sign was the one on the south side of the tracks.
Continued in Section D
Part II, Section B (of A-D)
A heavy telephoto looking at the next new CP within a mirage effect a couple of miles to the west of Ogilby Rd.:
On November 1, 2010, a nightmare for motorists was photographed: A severely lower new track! View looks eastbound.
At that time the roadway on each side of the tracks was littered with false teeth, carburetors, and mufflers ... Well, maybe that is an exaggeration, but it was a horribly bumpy grade crossing! Even at a low speed, K.P.'s car momentarily became airborne with a quick, hard landing. It was bad!
It was much, much better on the January 17 visit, but it still needed improvement. In this westward view, the track had been raised considerably.
Continued in Section C
Part II (of I-III), Section A (of A-D)
Now, at the Ogilby Rd. grade crossing at M.P. 716.6:
Looking east:
A telephoto also looking eastward:
A westward view: As suggested back in November, two new intermediate signals have indeed been put in right by the grade crossing.
Continued in Section B
K.P.,
Thank you for the anecdote about that area in Phelan. I didn't know about that accident there. I remember barely getting our Ford truck through along some of the dirt roads in the area.
Thanks also for posting the pictures. I vote for "Felicity" as the name of the new crossover.
K. P. Harrier Activity in Imperial and Riverside Counties, CA Part I, Section D (of A-D) The Sidewinder Rd. Area [snip ] Visible from Sidewinder Rd. was a couple of rail machines manicuring the new track.
Part I, Section D (of A-D)
The Sidewinder Rd. Area
[snip ] Visible from Sidewinder Rd. was a couple of rail machines manicuring the new track.
Ballast regulator trailing, back a couple hundred yards or so, "dressing" and shaping the ballast. It looks a little longer or bigger than normal, so there may be another one or something else right behind it ?
Thanks again for taking and sharing, K.P. !
- Paul North.
Periodically a work vehicle is seen zipping along and kicking up dust.
Visible from Sidewinder Rd. was a couple of rail machines manicuring the new track.
Part II dealing with the Ogilby Rd. and Highway 78 areas is scheduled for posting Saturday morning, January 22, 2011.
Part I, Section C (of A-D)
In an ironic twist, it looks like one of the relatively new crossing gates at Sidewinder Rd. is already being relocated slightly.
And here are some more of those tires mentioned at this thread a few years ago. So many grade crossings have them.
K.P. is starting to wonder if such tires are used as cushions while the crossing gate pole and mechanism is resting on the ground before being erected and positioned.
In the fenced UP yard area a few hundred feet southwest of the Sidewinder Rd. grade crossing is a bunch of laddered masts, probably destined for future two-tracking signals somewhere in the area.
Part I, Section B (of A-D)
Even with new track laid, the Sidewinder Rd. grade crossing is very smooth going over for motorists.
A new, not-in-service yet grade crossing control box is at the site waiting final positioning and hookup.
That new box does NOT have the milepost number on the placard.
Part I (of I-III), Section A (of A-D)
This multi-day report to the forum will be presented on an east to west basis.
K.P. was able to get in closer to the new control point (CP) just east of Sidewinder Rd., which street is at Sunset Route M.P. 723.4. The view below is of the WEST side of the new CP. That CP spot did not appear to have a CP box put in yet.
A detector is known to be in the vicinity, so the structure visible may be a 'high and wide' detector, which obviously will need to be replaced with a wider structure, possibly at a different location.
A few months ago, K.P. suggested the CP name of Sidewinder after a nearby road. On this visit, K.P. noted freeway signs that indicated this area is known as the community of Felicity. So, the name Felicity is another possibility for the CP name.
From Sidewinder Rd. now, an eastward view.
A westward view:
K. P. Harrier If UP was smart, they bought up ALL the land around the future Red Rock Yard, and could expand it greatly after the initial construction.
If UP was smart, they bought up ALL the land around the future Red Rock Yard, and could expand it greatly after the initial construction.
The Red Rock Yard is going to be squeezed in between I-10 on the west and the Tucson Aquaduct on the east. Future expansion will probably be impossible.
desertdog K.P., Your explanation of using DOT numbers instead of milepost locations makes perfect sense. What are your thoughts on the resumption of the Red Rock project? John Timm
Your explanation of using DOT numbers instead of milepost locations makes perfect sense. What are your thoughts on the resumption of the Red Rock project?
The UP has been remeasuring the railroad for the installation of PTC. They are finding out that some of the mile post locations used on the crossings aren't quite correct. They have been removing the mile post locations from all crossings across the system because of this.
Jeff
mvs (1-17):
That Photo #14 of the January 14, 2011 post looks much different than in person. In person it looks much flatter than the compression of the camera indicates. Nevertheless, in my opinion, in person that spot and southbound view is one of the most psychologically pleasing areas in all of Southern California. It just does something to a person's inner self.
That Johnson Rd. grade crossing that Photo #14 was shot from didn't always have crossing gates. Matter of fact, it was the site of a train vs. auto collision, where the auto ran into the side of a fast moving Oil-Cans train, and the auto was immediately dragged underneath the tank cars for three miles. At the north switch of the Phelan siding, a spectacular pileup resulted.
In Photos #15 and #16, a mast signal is shown. It is on the WEST side of Johnson Rd. Before that auto vs. Oil-Cans train incident, that signal was on the EAST side of Johnson Rd.
On the bottom of Photo #14 a grade crossing is present. For years the dirt road only had crossbucks. Because of the severe angle of the tracks, I considered it one of the most dangerous grade crossing in all of Southern California. But, it now is a paved grade crossing with flashers and crossing gates!
Since you have a "soft spot" for the Cajon Pass to Palmdale line, I thought I would pass along the above to you.
desertdog (1-18):
As far as my thoughts "on the resumption of the Red Rock [Yard] project" is concerned:
The news item you posted mentioned the expression "application process" which caught my eye. My guess is that there are allot of time consuming red tape type things associated with such a big, new yard project.
The future eastbound Red Rock Yard's westbound counterpart at West Colton Yard is severely hampered with no room to expand the Receiving Yard. I-10 is on the north, industries on the south.
California policies and taxations have been criticized for causing much business to flee the State. Right or wrong, that is a fact of life.
It wouldn't surprise me if, way down the road, UP moved all West Colton Yard operations to an expanded Red Rock Yard, and used West Colton Yard's land for an Inland Empire Intermodal facility.
I have understood there has been some talk of building an Intermodal facility at Mira Loma on the LA&SL.
In light of the crystal ball of some economic futurists, Intermodal will explode in the next 20-30 years. Even with a possible Mira Loma facility, West Colton Yard's land may become more valuable as an Intermodal facility than a classification yard.
Thus, opening Arizona's Red Rock Yard MAY be only the beginning of exciting things!
Of course, all this is just my opinion and conjecturing ... But it will be interesting to find out how the combination of eastbound Red Rock Yard and westbound West Colton Yard works out in actual practice.
K.P.
K. P. Harrier:
From a locomatt63 Email to K.P.: Arizona Photos Part II (of I-II) FOURTH PHOTO BY LOCOMATT63: Caption by locomatt63: This Piece of equipment was located near where they are building (I think) the other half of the double crossover for CP East Maricopa, I do not know what it is called nor what it does, but it looks like maybe some kind of "turnout" track gauge apparatus of some kind. Sorry dont know for sure. [snip] A PS comment by K.P.: Thanks locomatt63. The photos help us all see what is happening in Arizona.
Arizona Photos
Part II (of I-II)
FOURTH PHOTO BY LOCOMATT63:
Caption by locomatt63:
This Piece of equipment was located near where they are building (I think) the other half of the double crossover for CP East Maricopa, I do not know what it is called nor what it does, but it looks like maybe some kind of "turnout" track gauge apparatus of some kind. Sorry dont know for sure.
[snip] A PS comment by K.P.: Thanks locomatt63. The photos help us all see what is happening in Arizona.
A little more on this: As I said above, it is similar - though not quite identical - to Hulcher's "Panel Boss" track panel handling system. See:
http://www.hulcher.com/services_eng_panel_boss.html
and the brochure (1 page, approx. 2.35 MB in size) at:
http://www.hulcher.com/pdf/flyer_panel_boss.pdf
P.S. - The "Panel Boss" was evidently invented and patented by Ernest Bruce Durbano of Durbano Metals in Ogden, Utah, a company which does a lot of wreck clean-ups and scrap/ salvage for the UP. See this article from a Volvo excavator sales brochure:
http://www.volvo.com/constructionequipment/na/en-us/products/excavators/crawlerexcavators/successstories/menofsteel.htm
And this U.S. Patent for a "Railroad Panel Placement System" No. 7,287,476-B2 of oCt. 30, 2007 (16 pages, approx. 206 KB in size):
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/pdfb/documents/uspt/patent_pdf/7287/US7287476/pdf/US7287476.pdf
- PDN.
P.P.S. - See also the approx. 15-second video of the "Panel Boss" in action, at:
http://www.hulcher.com/videos/panel_boss_video.asp
Darned good idea, for the reasons stated in the patent application, and quite evident in this video. Now why didn't I think of that ????
The following is an excerpt from the Maricopa Monitor, published 1/12/11. The article deals mainly with the Safety Train that took officials from Casa Grande to Maricopa this past week. The most interesting details come at the end:
"The application process for Union Pacific’s Red Rock switchyard could be completed in 2011. They [UP officials] emphasized the yard could become a significant job center, and that the railroad jobs are all union and would pay in the neighborhood of $50,000 per year.-Double-tracking work on the Sunset Route, which has resumed in the Maricopa area, is likely to reach Casa Grande in 2011.-Quiet zones, where trains are not allowed to sound their horns, are gaining popularity in cities. Crossing gates have smaller, lower-decibel horns mounted on them that sound as a train approaches. Quiet zones are initiated by cities.-Concrete ties being used on much of the new track being laid not only should last longer than wood ties, but also help provide a smoother ride. Concrete ties being used in Arizona are made by a cement plant in Tucson, so the railroad is supporting local business."
Of note is the emphasis on job creation at Red Rock and the support of "local" business in Tucson (the latter being somewhat of a stretch as Tucson is 70 miles distant). This is a good time for the UP to proceed with the project as unemployment is high in the area and it will be harder for opponents to build their case against it.
It is pretty clear that the second main through Casa Grande will be laid on the south side of the current main, extending east from the Casa Grande siding at Thornton Rd. Among other things, there are too many structures on the north side of the tracks that would have to be moved or demolished, including a Chevron fertilizer plant that is a good customer of the railroad. The small abandoned grain elevator that stood along Main between Florence Street and Hermosilla Street was torn down a couple of years ago. That leaves plenty of room for the second main, as well as a drill track for the Arizona Grain Company complex east of Hermosilla.
Update as of January 17, 2011:
In a Few Days:
K.P. finally got to check out the Sidewinder Rd. area by the California-Arizona border, and the two-tracking there. But, he will need a few days to put a report together for the forum ... Included will be a section about the Salton Sea area, where what appears to be a couple future absolute signals of the baffling location type have been erected in an ungraded area that seems totally inconsistent with two-tracking or old-to-new signal conversions!
The Colton Signal Dept.
Last night, the Colton Signal Dept. in Colton, CA was visited on the way back from the Sidewinder Rd. area near Arizona. Things were found to have been whoppingly rearranged, and all the large wood spools of signal cable were not stacked high by the fence anymore.
Just recently, most of the fencing by the street had looked like this:
This forumist does NOT believe any of the previously stacked cable was transported to some worksite, such as Pomona by the future, big CP AL514 HAMILTON, but that area has not been field checked. The Colton site may merely have been rearranged to make the rolls of cable more secure against thieves. There appears to now also be a second installation of barbed wire just above the concrete barriers. What a shame the railroad has had to resort to such measures to secure its property!
desertdog (1-16):
Greetings, John!
MikeF90 in his January 11, 2011 post brought up some good points from Arizona aerials, and I think he is right. The way I see it, it is only a matter of time (not far away either!) that the Anderson Rd. grade crossing east of Maricopa but west of the present Bon siding will have two-tracks through it.
Concerning those grade crossing hotline placards ... like the one previously shown at Milliken Ave. in Ontario, CA which HAD a milepost location on it.
It seems UP had a policy change sometime in 2010 and new grade crossing control box placards no longer show the milepost location, but only the unique Department of Transportation (DOT) grade crossing number. Old placards are having the milepost location removed or painted over, as you, desertdog, had mentioned.
The above Brea Canyon Road grade crossing is at Sunset Route M.P. 508.0, technically in the very narrow twenty-mile long City of Industry, CA. The photo was taken back on May 8, 2010.
Railroaders and railfans that call those hotlines usually can totally comprehend the rail territory and subdivision, and can convey exactly where some defect or problem is located at. But the general public usually has no comprehension about milepost locations, and sometimes might not even know what town they are in. From the perspective of the centralized grade crossing hotline center in Omaha, NE, a milepost location could be in any of a number of states and any number of subdivisions, but a grade crossing's DOT number is specific, and the location can immediately be pinpointed and an appropriate respond made quickly.
I can see exactly why the railroad is doing what it is gradually doing, but K.P., as well as others, sure found the milepost numbers helpful in knowing where one was at in relation to the multistate Sunset Route.
Take care John,
Thank you K.P. for posting your photos, and also thank you for posting LocoMatt's photos (thank you Matt for sharing them).
I have a soft spot for the Palmdale Cutoff stretch from Cajon Pass westward to Mojave. It is the "other side of the hill" from where we live here in the L.A. Basin, and in winter, it is beautiful up there in Phelan. I will be sad to see circa-1980 tri-lights disappear. I'll also be sad to see the searchlights at Dike disappear.
Here is a little update from the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin about a potential grade separation in Rancho Cucamonga:
Etiwanda Avenue has an overpass over the UP Alhambra Subdivision and an underpass under the UP Los Angeles Subdivision. Therefore, this grade separation would deal with the Etiwanda Avenue at-grade crossing for the SCAX (Metrolink) San Gabriel Subdivision.
K. P. Harrier From a locomatt63 Email to K.P.: Arizona Photos Part II (of I-II) FOURTH PHOTO BY LOCOMATT63: Caption by locomatt63: This Piece of equipment was located near where they are building (I think) the other half of the double crossover for CP East Maricopa, I do not know what it is called nor what it does, but it looks like maybe some kind of "turnout" track gauge apparatus of some kind. Sorry dont know for sure. [snip] A PS comment by K.P.: Thanks locomatt63. The photos help us all see what is happening in Arizona.
"+1" to that last comment. Your description and summary of the Track Laying Machine above was about as good as it gets in the space used and without being able to get real close to watch it operate for an extended period.
This is a "track panel clamp or lifter". It is used to lift, handle, position, slide, and/ or place pre-paneled track sections and turnout (switch) panels, as well as 'skeleton' track = track that's pretty much assembled but lacking its ballast stone, and maybe sometimes even ballasted track if it's not too heavy or 'bound' too firmly into its present place by the ballast stone and mud or dirt, etc.
The red/ orange bracket at the top is for attaching it to the boom of a 'tracked' 'hoe' or excavator, instead of the usual bucket - the 'pins' go through the holes that have the red circles around them.
That firm attachment - as opposed to the type that just hang down from the hook of a crane - enables the machine to exert a lot of sideways/ lateral and longitudinal forces on the panels to move them into place and adjust their final positions to fairly close tolerances, without needing much or any manual assistance by trackmen such as with track jacks, lining bars, or on-track equipment such as lining machines, etc. Also, that 'wrist-type' action enables the panel to be tilted - or lifted/ moved from a tilted position - with a lot more positive control than risking it swinging. For all these reasons, it's a good choice when the panel has to be placed quickly and accurately in a small space or distance, such as during a shutdown or outage of a main line with a short opening - in both the time and spatial dimensions - to install a turnout or grade crossing, etc.
This kind of equipment is usually made by custom machine shops and hydraulic or power equipment shops, on a 'one-of' or maybe a dozen or so pieces a year, at most. If the photo was larger or clearer we could maybe read the logo on the top red bracket and figure out who built this one - I don't know or recognize it immediately. I have seen photos of this equipment in use from time to time, but they are not common, and I can't think of a source of one to post here right now. Maybe later . . .
This morning (1/16/11) K.P. posted the following:
"K.P. believes a second main will be laid between EAST MARICOPA and the new CP west of Anderson Rd., to behind the camera in the above photo.
Once that future track is in service, the Bon siding could then be removed from service and rebuilt to mainline standards. Matter of fact, the whole wood laid Bon siding might be ripped out and a new second main with concrete ties replace it.
That second main would go eastward to a new CP graded for it somewhere EAST of Bon. "
With regard to the first paragraph, this most likely is already a done deal. I have not been on site since the beginning of the year, but westward track laying was already within a mile of CP EAST MARICOPA.
Likewise, the second main that begins at the hand thrown turnout at Ethington Rd. was already complete to within a few yards of the east siding switch at CP BON.
That still does not explain to me why there is a power turnout at Anderson Rd., unless they do not plan to rebuild the Bon siding into a second main any time soon.
I hope to get back down to the Gila Sub after January 31 when I retire (sort of) and have a few more photos, answers--and questions, as usual.
One other point I keep forgetting to mention is that for whatever reason, the railroad has painted out the milepost markings on the control boxes at the crossings in the construction area. I will need to sit down with my SP and UP employee timetables and try to figure that one out. The mileage used to reflect the distance from SP headquarters in San Francisco, but with possible alignment changes over the years they may be using the current construction as an opportunity to make corrections.
The 'Missing' Two-Tracking West of Bon, AZ
K.P. Joins the Theory Fray
The Bon siding is between the cities of Maricopa and Casa Grande, AZ, and the west switch of BON is at M.P. 906.6 with a CP number of SP907.
PHOTO "A":
The west switch of the Bon siding is shown in the following photo, shot eastward from Anderson Rd. back on August 4, 2008:
The area in question is the CP in the above photo and grading towards the camera and beyond behind it to the new CP desertdog reported presently being installed.
Between the EAST MARICOPA crossover and CASA GRANDE siding there is ONLY ONE SIDING, called Bon. To take it out of service would seem to ask for logistical problems. K.P. believes a second main will be laid between EAST MARICOPA and the new CP west of Anderson Rd., to behind the camera in the above photo.
PHOTO "B":
That second main would go eastward to a new CP graded for it somewhere EAST of Bon.
PHOTO "C":
Eastward past that the only monkey wrench would be the new NORTH side track-laying eastward having to alignment shift (the below photo looks westbound) ...
... through Ethington Rd. west of the Casa Grande siding so that track-laying could continue eastward on the SOUTH side.
K.P. even with some un-posted file photos to examine is unsure if the alignment shift will take place in the grade crossing itself, or on either side of it.
With both mains eventually in service eastward from Bon to where Photo "B" was shot at, the Casa Grande siding could then be taken out of service and rebuilt, and finally connected to the south side track laying coming eastward towards it.
Anyway, that is my theory ...
Hmmm.
What do you mean there is no cash prize for the best theory?
I thought we were all in this guessing and theory competition for the money ...
Oh, well.
Take care, everyone!
A K.P. Investigation
Yesterday, the following photo and caption from locomatt63 was posted:
K. P. Harrier [There] is a new box installed along the route, but does not make much sense because it is basically 1/2 way between CP East Maricopa, and CP Bon....what purpose could it serve? Maybe a junction box for crossing signals??? not sure, just thought it had an odd placement, plus in viewing [K.P.'s] pictures of the Colton [CA] staging area, most boxes are pre-lettered for their CP's yet this one has NO sign at all (Note: they have not put the name up on the west end of the CP East Maricopa either).
[There] is a new box installed along the route, but does not make much sense because it is basically 1/2 way between CP East Maricopa, and CP Bon....what purpose could it serve? Maybe a junction box for crossing signals??? not sure, just thought it had an odd placement, plus in viewing [K.P.'s] pictures of the Colton [CA] staging area, most boxes are pre-lettered for their CP's yet this one has NO sign at all (Note: they have not put the name up on the west end of the CP East Maricopa either).
K.P. found in his photo files the following never before posted photo shot September 4, 2009 at an intermediate signal location between [CP] SP876 ESTELLA (the present end of two-tracks from the east, from Maricopa) and the east switch of the first siding westward at [CP] SP870 SHAWMUT.
In comparing the two photos, it appears that the two boxes are the same style, thus the box in locomatt63's photo is probably an intermediate signal electrical box. Since locomatt63 reported that the box's location is midway between BON and EAST MARICOPA, K.P. perceives that intermediate signals will soon be erected there.
Great timely photos by locomatt63, hopefully more of the TLM in action are to come.
<locomatt63 quote: [There] is a new box installed along the route, but does not make much sense because it is basically 1/2 way between CP East Maricopa, and CP Bon....what purpose could it serve? <end quote>
It is extremely likely that this is for new intermediate signals. Just noticed that there is a ROW grading 'bulge' about this point.
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! ***
From a locomatt63 Email to K.P.:
FIFTH PHOTO BY LOCOMATT63:
These Tri-lites where installed to the west of the west end of CP Bon approx 500-1000ft, looks like they will be the West End of another set of double crossovers similar to CP Enid, They have a large amount of room on the north side along CP Bon that was graded, could they possibly use/keep 3 tracks there? or will the new double track use the CP Bon siding as the north new track (with new CWR to be installed along the siding) or will they move CP Bon Westward with double crossovers, new rail alignment then tear out the siding (like they did at CP Enid) ?
SIXTH PHOTO BY LOCOMATT63:
Comment by K.P.: The CP boxes at the Colton Signal Dept. in California have the location plated on them, but when they are transported to their intended sites, the plates are removed and believed to be stored inside the boxes so as not to confuse train crews that may pass by those boxes.
A PS comment by K.P.: Thanks locomatt63. The photos help us all see what is happening in Arizona.
K.P. was email contacted by locomatt63 who wanted the forum to see the following January 14, 2011 photos, which are caption presented below in two parts.
Part I (of I-II)
FIRST PHOTO BY LOCOMATT63:
[This] is the "Temporary switch" that was cut into the single main just west of the Casa Grande staging area for Abbott Labs/Frito Lay so that they could start the double tracking process moving WESTWARD rather than Eastward as they did when they started the double track from CP Estrella to CP East Maricopa.
SECOND PHOTO BY LOCOMATT63:
[This] is the tie/rail machine moving westward (snail's pace), first crews have to set the CWR upright using heavy equipment (after the lenghts are welded (Thermite ?) together, then placed as shown approx to 5 - 5 1/2 feet apart. The machine is stocked with concrete ties from the rear on a conveyor and move down to the bottom of the machine, the rails are taken in by feeders on the left and right sides and set onto the ties. The machine I believe then somehow (difficult to get close to determine exact operation) the ties are set, clamps attached to ties, then rail set into the clamps and the machine somehow bends the hooks to hold the rail to the ties (conjecture). Very fascinating to watch the process, however due to their close location to Maricopa, personnel on-site, no parking area available etc. I could not get pics or video of the process exactly.
THIRD PHOTO BY LOCOMATT63:
These stands are located West of the staging area for Abbott/Frito lay, along Cowtown Road (runs alongside the south side of tracks off of Thompson Rd) looks like those searchlights wont last much longer as they will upgrade to the tri-lights for access to the newest section of double track to old single track.
Continued in Part II
Update as of Tuesday-Thursday, January 11-13, 2011:
Where Did the Colton Laddered Signal Masts Go?
Part E (of A-E)
To finish this series off, the Palmdale Cutoff was pursued further northward.
PHOTO #13:
Presently, the last newly installed signal northward is at Baldy Mesa Rd. in the M.P. 454 area. The view below looks southbound toward Cajon Pass.
In the above photo, the ground sloping downward to the left makes the photo have strange illusion effects.
PHOTO #14:
The PHELAN siding is next northward. It too currently has target signals. In the below view that looks southbound FROM Johnson Rd. (M.P. 447.7), the north switch of PHELAN is seen some three miles away.
K.P. detects the above view (Photo #14) has a Midwest appeal to it with the track having a rolling hills feel, so uncommon in Southern California.
PHOTOS #15 and #16:
The following final views looking northbound from Johnson Rd. shows the current start of OLD, circa 1980 tri-lights northward (westward) to Palmdale. They will likely be replaced soon.
So, the Sunset Route's Colton Signal Dept. seems to have, naturally, jurisdiction over the Palmdale Cutoff (at least parts of it, anyway), as well as the local portion of the Sunset Route including the LA&SL from Riverside westward.
The Sunset Route in both the Salton Sea and Sidewinder Rd. (by the Arizona-California border) areas still are on the K.P. list of Sunset Route places to revisit and check out (and report on). But at this point in time, at least we now have some evidence of where some of the new signals that were stacked up at the Sunset Route's Colton Signal Dept. might have gone to, i.e., up on the Palmdale Cutoff.
A single matter is hard enough to comprehend and keep straight in one's mind, but adding a second matter concurrently often confuses even the best of minds. The two-tracking of the Sunset Route, the theme of this thread, has seemed to have unwittingly gotten intertwined with the Positive Train Control (PTC) government decreed anti-collision program for the railroad industry and the new signal installations necessary for it. Making a distinction between the two matters is proving rather difficult for observers, i.e., most of us (at least for those making noise in this topic). It is hoped this five-part post series at least helps make some kind of distinction between the two matters, and that we can now better focus on the two-tracking of the Sunset Route while still reporting on and exploring related matters of interest.
---------
Soon: K.P. will offer his own two-cents worth of 'theory' on the much theorized about missing two-tracking gap in the Bon, AZ area.
Part D (of A-E)
PHOTO #10:
Anyway, between KEENBOOK and CANYON, a third new mast intermediate is further northward.
PHOTO #11:
The absolute signals at the south switch CANYON (by the famous Sullivan's Curve) still have old target heads that are so common at CP's on the Palmdale Cutoff.
PHOTO #12:
To give those unfamiliar with Cajon Pass a better idea of the CANYON siding area, the below shot taken about two and a half years ago is shown, when BNSF was triple-tracking Cajon Pass. The two signals shown in Photo #11 above are somewhere in the area of the below photo's top center. The rock formations are synonymous with the famous Sullivan's Curve. The slanted tracks in the photo upper right are the same BNSF tracks in the lower foreground.
Beyond the south switch CANYON, tri-lights previously had been put in heading northward on the Palmdale Cutoff by UP to [CP] SILVERWOOD near the top of Cajon Pass, where there is another connection to the BNSF, just south (west) of Summit.
K.P. also checked out the north switch HILAND (Summit area), and the interlocking signals there were still old targets.
An interesting aspect of the signal replacements so far on the Palmdale Cutoff is that old signal boxes still seem be being used. CTC was put in from scratch on the previously "dark" Palmdale Cutoff circa 1980, so the signal boxes and wiring is sufficiently modern to escape complete replacement. But, that may or may not change when tri-light signals replace the target signals at the actual CP's. Complete replacements, however, are most often the case on the Sunset Route.
Continued in Part E
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.