K. P. Harrier A Little (“Little”) Off Topic but … … the Similarities are Striking Part “C” (of A-E) More … It is unknown to K.P. if that flyover will be for single or two-tracks, but Metrolink upgrades its tracks from time to time. Such an upgrade further north on Metrolink’s Antelope Valley Line will soon be covered briefly in the “Perry Valley Line Updates” thread. So, flyovers seem to be favorite techniques in grade separations in tight quarters where there are little alternatives. It is understood that in Arizona, in the City of Maricopa, an overpass for Highway 347 will be built sometime in the future. That future bridging is in tight quarters, and as K.P. understands it, Highway 347 will be rerouted slightly on the south side of the tracks. While the Sunset Route line was two-tracked through there not too terribly long ago, the specifications for the roadway overpass is for at least, I believe, five or seven tracks, so UP might have things in mind for the line we are obviously not privy to. Continued in Part D
A Little (“Little”) Off Topic but …
… the Similarities are Striking
Part “C” (of A-E)
More …
It is unknown to K.P. if that flyover will be for single or two-tracks, but Metrolink upgrades its tracks from time to time. Such an upgrade further north on Metrolink’s Antelope Valley Line will soon be covered briefly in the “Perry Valley Line Updates” thread.
So, flyovers seem to be favorite techniques in grade separations in tight quarters where there are little alternatives.
It is understood that in Arizona, in the City of Maricopa, an overpass for Highway 347 will be built sometime in the future. That future bridging is in tight quarters, and as K.P. understands it, Highway 347 will be rerouted slightly on the south side of the tracks. While the Sunset Route line was two-tracked through there not too terribly long ago, the specifications for the roadway overpass is for at least, I believe, five or seven tracks, so UP might have things in mind for the line we are obviously not privy to.
Continued in Part D
K.P.,
This link may shed some additional light on the Maricopa, AZ situation. http://www.inmaricopa.com/moving-amtrak-station-a-cog-in-overpass-plans/
I would doubt that any additional tracks are planned. More likely, it would be room for a parallel street. But given all the constraints and various agendas at work that the article cites, who really knows?
John Timm
Update as of Monday, June 6, 2016
Something Is Brewing!
Colton, CA
Part I (of I-III)
The fenced Colton Signal Dept. was found this visit to have much more small electrical boxes in it than previously.
Remember recently the electrical box for the long present CP AL525 GUASTI didn’t have anything in front of it. Now, however, small electrical boxes partially blocks the view towards it
There are at least two trailers present, the type often seen a signal and CP revamping sites.
Continued in Part II
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Ii (of I-III)
A bunch of track equipment was found afterward to be parked in the Ice Deck siding. It is unknown if that is a UP gang or a contractor’s set of equipment, but a recent poster posted photos of a contracted tie replacement in San Timoteo Canyon not too far east of here. The below may be that equipment.
Continued in Part III
Part III (of I-III)
Looking eastbound from the west side of that Hunts Lane overpass, CP SP542 LOMA LINDA is seen.
Above, it still seems having 30 M.P.H. crossovers and a like siding switch is an operating thorn in the side of UP. Interestingly, all the switches have wooden ties. Possibly (“possibly”) in the future the Ice Deck siding could be extended a mile or two to about Anderson Ave. (the overpass unseen beyond the background overpass), relocate the universal crossover to by that unseen bridge, and use 40 M.P.H. mainline switches. Now that an overpass is at Hunts Lane (camera position), there is no longer a hindrance (a grade crossing) to doing that. But, that may NOT be soon.
This will end the three part series.
A few quick thoughts from the last bunch of posts:
mvsRE: Burbank flyover: Mike, I think that was a siding which was removed to make room for construction. I'm curious if they will bring the siding back, once work is done.
Checked my notes and you're correct, that was the ~8000 ft Brighton siding at MP 12. IMO longer 2MT is more likely than a replacement siding as the latter is not advisable on a flyover.
Metrolinks 'long term' plans include extending 2MT to around CP Balboa (MP 25); due to too many grade crossings both MLNK and UP trains need to be kept moving.
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! ***
The following was posted on the "UP Brazos river bridge flood damage & repair" thread on Saturday, 06/11/16 by UPRR11:
"As an interesting note, about a week before the bridge at the Brazos was taken out of service UP had just put into service a new 10-mile stretch of 2MT between Missouri City (on Houston's southwest side) and Sugar Land, about 5 miles east of the Brazos River bridge.
Other than extending that another two miles to Harlem (the next siding two miles to the west of Sugar Land), I doubt UP is going to add any more 2MT to the Glidden Subdivision anytime soon due to the ROW restrictions in Richmond and the Brazos River bridge."
My last post on this subject was back in October (approximately). At that time, a considerable amount of work had been completed: bridges, right of way prep, signals and about a mile of track, but with little actual activity on the weekday of my visit. So it has taken about 8 months to complete the work. Seems like quite a lot of time to complete a 10 mile project that appeared to be at the "just lay the track" stage, but then, what do I know.
I had requested my designated operatives in Houston (non-foamer sister and brother-in-law) to visit the area and take a couple of pictures for me to provide an update, but since they live some distance, they had not yet done that. So, I was "scooped", as they say (used to say?) in the news business.
Incidentally, I wonder if the Rosenberg RR Museum experienced any flooding. It is a small operation, but it does have the original Tower 17 (with an ATSC monitor) on the property, moved a short distance from its original location.. There is a viewing platform with a good view of the UP and BNSF lines in the Tower 17 interlocking area (not sure what the railroad actually calls it now, probably not "Tower 17"). Also, they have a private car, a caboose and a small collection of local-interest RR material. And I musn't forget the chicken, that had crossed the tracks, taken up residence and had decided that the caboose was a good place to lay her eggs. In any case, worth a visit.
In Southern California, Making a Connection …
… between Two-Tracking Tehachapi Pass …
… and the Sunset Route Two-Tracking …
… by the City of Industry
Part “A” (of A-D)
In the El Monte-Pomona, CA area there is the ‘Up and Over’ flyover to the west and the four-track Diversion towards the east. “Two-tracking” (SP side, Alhambra Sub) in the Diversion is obvious (but still future at post time), but two-tracking on the western side isn’t clear yet, even after approaching a decade of held up Diversion related projects on the Alhambra Sub.
To remind the forum of what is at the eastern end, in Pomona, at the future four-track CP AL514 HAMILTON, the east signal bridge:
This post series, however, will primarily concern itself with the western portion of the El Monte-Pomona area, in the Bassett siding and “Up and Over” area.
The west end of the Bassett siding and its high, SINGLE HEAD signal (left) and an outbound Metrolink on the San Bernardino Line (right).
Remember that just above photo as it will prove to be a key photo in this series.
Focusing on the SP mainline, the west eastbound signal (near background) has three heads for three routes possible, but the head we are interested in is the middle head for the Bassett siding routing on the LEFT.
Continued in Part B
Part “B” (of A-D)
A bit to the east, the shoofly during when the “Up and Over” was being constructed, and the future signals near its top.
The shoofly and key ‘Up and Over’ signal on the upper right.
That south side key signal’s heads: The east side westbound head has only TWO lamps.
A wider view of that just above signal corresponding to the left signal below:
Based on the sequence of photos in these two Parts (A and B), it has long been felt by K.P. that the head in the center photo in Part A would be changed out to a red over type one, and the 30 M.P.H. switch would be upgrade to a 40 or 50 M.P.H. one. But, a recent development on Tehachapi Pass and its two-tracking probably 100 miles to the north has altered K.P.’s perspective. Details below …
Continued in Part C
Part “C” (of A-D)
On Tehachapi Pass, midway between the present Walong and Marcel sidings new, un-activated yet signals have been erected.
Note the left intermediate signal has a TWO lamp top head and a single lamp lower head for a yellow over yellow display. That signal cannot display anything higher, as in green over red.
Part “D” (of A-D)
At the north end of that two-tracking between Walong and Marcel, the future Main 2 has a THREE lamp head over a two-lamp head (photo center, right signal).
And, that switch is 30 M.P.H. and will continue to be such.
While a yellow over yellow in a two-track territory usually indicates a red over three lamp head on the signal ahead, the Walong-Marcel new two-tracking signals with a top THREE lamps head at the north end of those two-tracks (with a 30 M.P.H. switch) proves that something other than a red over type signal is possible. Thus, the single head signal (center photo Part A) doesn’t necessarily have to be changed out and the 30 M.P.H. switch can remain!
When the whole Bassett to Marne area is two-tracks, that two-tracks likely will NOT be considered two-tracks, BUT a main and contiinuously connected sidings! Nevertheless, the future timetable will have the final say, and we will have to wait until that is issued. The Tehachapi two-tracking shows signaling may have an alternative to what seemed to be cut and dry, and the Bassett-Marne stretch may (“may”) be one of those alternative type signalings.
This will end the series. But an important reply follows.
Reply to Pete-M3 (6-14):
The Houston, TX Area Two-Tracking Thanks, Pete, for word about two-tracking west of Houston that the ten miles of second-track was put in service less than two weeks ago, AND enlightening us all on where the much related Brazos River Bridge was at. I had seen that Brazos River bridge thread at this forum but had no idea the Sunset Route was involved, as there is a lot of land in Texas where the railroad bridge could have been located at.
The linked aerial below shows the area just WEST of the Brazos River Bridge, a very narrow passageway the Sunset Route traverses, which seemingly a sliver route is caught (trapped) between two residential roadways.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.5835588,-95.7619557,209m/data=!3m1!1e3
If the map is pulled (slid) to the left, more on the right comes into view, including the Sunset Route’s Brazos River Bridge. Personally, I’m having trouble correlating where the bridge problem is on the aerial views seen so far. Do I have the correct bridge, Pete?
About that ten miles or so Missouri City to Sugar Land two-tracking you mentioned, Pete, you visited that stretch area but saw little activity, and mentioned it taking about eight months. Here in California, the Pomona-Ontario segment of only five or so miles took a year and a half to complete.
So, two-tracking efforts are often very snail-paced. And, it should be remembered crews often work seven or eight days straight and have a comparable time off, so if one visits the site area and sees no activity, it probably is during the seven or eight days workers are vacationing in Hawaii or flying kites with their kits or whatever they do on their off days. In Arizona about five or six years back, between Picacho and Wymola …
…UP put in about four miles of two-tracks on a very, very accelerated schedule. Logistically, that then new two-tracks would allow other sidings to be taken out of service and the line in that area still be relatively free flowing as much as possible for single-track. So, the masterminding logistics people – for the Arizona and the Houston areas -- must have their work cut out for them within the constraints of the budget limits set by top management.
A look into (“a look into”) visiting that bridge problem area in Texas and the nearby two-tracking span was made because of YOUR news posting, but it would cost too much and have logistical problems right now. I may be able to get out that way in the future, though, by combining it with a trip to the Midwest to see by daughter, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
Again, thanks for the very informative and enlightening update.
Best,
K.P.
PS for others: A link to that Brazos River Bridge thread is below:
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/256946.aspx
(Sorry, guys, but the just above link wants to be temperamental and not work. Just copy and paste it into your browser.)
REPLIES FOR OTHERS
K.P. has a giant backlog of replies to get to, and it is hoped that can be gotten to very soon. Also, an unexpected trip to the San Bernardino area was forced upon K.P. yesterday, but a few photos of a new Perris Valley Line commuter train was taken on the alternate Sunset Route in the Riverside-Highgrove area, and a couple of those photos is hoped to be posted in a few days.
K.P.:
Yes, the truss bridge to the right of your satellite view is indeed the bridge in question. If you look closely, there is a concrete deck trestle that extends for a few hundred feet from the east end of the truss bridge over a low and maybe swampy area. It is indicated by a dark shadow, immediately above it. The problem area is the subsided bridge pylon, shared at the east end of the truss and the west end of the trestle. By looking at the photos on the Brazos River Bridge thread (links, provided by poster blue streak 1), it appears that the subsidance was about 3 or 4 feet. A satellite view today would reveal a considerably changed shore line in the area of the pylon. Some of those early photos show that water was within 5 or 6 feet from the bottom of the truss bridge, way above the normal flow. This very powerful flow washed out a lot of the soil in the area of the pylon, no doubt permanently changing the width of the banks and maybe the course of the river. Mike has posted links to more recent photos on that thread now that the river has gone down. You can see a lot of daylight under that trestle that wasn't there before.
Pete
Pete-M3 Incidentally, I wonder if the Rosenberg RR Museum experienced any flooding. It is a small operation, but it does have the original Tower 17 (with an ATSC monitor) on the property, moved a short distance from its original location.. There is a viewing platform with a good view of the UP and BNSF lines in the Tower 17 interlocking area (not sure what the railroad actually calls it now, probably not "Tower 17"). Also, they have a private car, a caboose and a small collection of local-interest RR material. And I musn't forget the chicken, that had crossed the tracks, taken up residence and had decided that the caboose was a good place to lay her eggs. In any case, worth a visit.
Pete,
The Rosenberg Railroad Museum wasn't affected by the flooding at all and is alive and well. It, along with the tracks that run by it (including the Sunset Route), are in a higher part of the city and weren't flooded. Some of the museum's volunteers have been able to give updates on all the reroutes in the area due to the situation with the Brazos River.
And yes I must say that it's a very nice musuem and definitely worth a visit to anyone in the area. Although it's small it's got a lot of neat exhibits and it's a lot of fun to move the levers and switches up in Tower 17 just like the old operators did.
Pete-M3 K.P.: Yes, the truss bridge to the right of your satellite view is indeed the bridge in question. If you look closely, there is a concrete deck trestle that extends for a few hundred feet from the east end of the truss bridge over a low and maybe swampy area. It is indicated by a dark shadow, immediately above it. The problem area is the subsided bridge pylon, shared at the east end of the truss and the west end of the trestle. By looking at the photos on the Brazos River Bridge thread (links, provided by poster blue streak 1), it appears that the subsidance was about 3 or 4 feet. A satellite view today would reveal a considerably changed shore line in the area of the pylon. Some of those early photos show that water was within 5 or 6 feet from the bottom of the truss bridge, way above the normal flow. This very powerful flow washed out a lot of the soil in the area of the pylon, no doubt permanently changing the width of the banks and maybe the course of the river. Mike has posted links to more recent photos on that thread now that the river has gone down. You can see a lot of daylight under that trestle that wasn't there before. Pete
KP & Pete,
The bridge to the right (east) of Richmond is indeed the troubled bridge. The pier that failed is the one at the far east (right) end of the truss-sections. Although its inital subsidence was about 4 ft, I got a look at it about a week ago and it was down about 6 or 7 ft.
It's worth mentioning that the pier in question had not normally been even close to the water's edge. It went into the ground about 20 ft higher than the river's normal course.
The river's normal height at Richmond is about 15 ft above sea level, while the deck of the railroad bridge is somewhere around 57 or 58 ft. By comparsion, the river crested two weeks ago at 54.75 ft. The massive amount of water flowing through the area wiped out most of the east bank in the area, removing a large amount of vegetation and large amount of soil. The ground beneath the concrete bridge section (which is no longer there) used to be about 10 ft beneath the bridge deck and about 30 ft above the river's height.
I made a trip over there and got some pictures of the repair work on June 11th, showing the extent of the bridge's sag as well as the sheer amount of trees and bank that are now gone (just click the left and right arrows to see the other pictures):
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=601594180003295&set=pcb.803209006482567&type=3&theater
Also, a recent update from UP stated the speed of the repair process is mostly at the mercy of how fast the water receeds (which recent rains haven't helped), but won't be completed until at least the end of June. This means at least another two weeks of widespread freight reroutes (that stretch of track saw 40-50 trains a day) as well as detours for the Sunset Limited.
-Chris
If you find yourself railfanning on Pepper avenue in West Colton, you might notice machines moving near the cement plant buildings with their headlights on. These are agricultural-type tractors pulling multiple land leveling scrapers (a opposed to earthmovers) hauling spoil from the SW part of the property back into where the pit on the east side. Their cut is visible from Rancho avenue.
A10
The Alternate Sunset Route and the PVL
Some Sunset Route trains Colton (CA) to Pomona (and on to Los Angeles too) traverse the alternate Sunset Route via Riverside, and between Colton and Riverside that alternate Sunset Route is over the BNSF. In the north part of Rivrside (just south of Highgrove) Metrolink’s Perris Valley Line (PVL) branches off.
Below is a Wednesday, June 15, 2016 photo sequence shot from the Iowa Ave. overpass in northern Riverside.
The PVL trains between Riverside and northern Riverside have been so speedy that BNSF Main 3 only is proving to be interfered with about 5 minutes at a time.
Sometime in the future, when the third BNSF truss bridge just to the north finally has a track laid through it, it is believed the track alignments will be redone in the Highgrove-Grand Terrace area, so conflicts by Iowa Ave. will be reduced greatly, which will make alternate Sunset Route trains more fluid in their passing over the BNSF.
That above physically northeast traveling Metrolink traversed a rather sharp curve and headed south, crossing Citrus Street and photographed from the same overpass as the above photos were shot from.
As far as the actual Sunset Route is concerned, there presently doesn’t appear to be any two-tracking taking place. A future exception will be with finishing the Diversion in Pomona and possibly to the City of Industry, but that has probably already been funded years ago at the start of the Diversion project, so likely is unaffected by the present economic downturn.
Some very recent photos above the San Gabriel trench construction have been posted on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/walstib373/27707545672/in/album-72157669949450116/
Flickr is a very flaky and obnoxiously designed web site, so you may have to turn off pop-up blocking or even use an alternate browser. I was successful with Opera and Chrome.
The San Gabriel Trench
San Gabriel, CA
Inspired by a recent post by MikeF90, a Saturday, June 25, 2016 visit was made to the San Gabriel Trench construction area. The first stop was at San Gabriel Blvd. An eastward advance view is shown below, of the now very series digging out the dirt from under and by this high trafficked traffic artery.
But, what inspired the visit in the first place was the tenth photo down in Mike’s linked reference, of both narrow north AND south WALLINGS for a single-track at the western end of the construction. That may be the plan, but it was NOT that way this visit. Apparently, it was not a photo but an artist’s conception-like view.
The visit mainly focused on the San Gabriel Blvd. and Alhambra Wash areas. A report on the findings will be posted in the next several days.
For those that follow other ‘updates’ threads, the ‘Foothill Extension,’ the ‘Expo Line,’ and ‘Crenshaw’ ones have material in preparation. Getting back to the Sunset Route, the PHIMF was visited too, and while uninspiring, there are a few (“few”) things to report there.
Expect a limited post series in the future …
Update as of Saturday, June 25, 2016
Part I (of I-V)
Looking east from San Gabriel Blvd., two levels of cross-supports are present:
Trucks are moving BOTH directions through the trench by San Gabriel Blvd. As seen just above, dirt is being dumped into the right truck (photo lower center) heading away from the camera.
Significant view: Alignments don’t match, trench vs. the present main … How are they going to handle that? Note the walling and fence on the lower right, where Rubio Wash is at.
A closer view and a truck about to go under San Gabriel Blvd.:
Part II (of I-V)
Looking westbound at San Gabriel Blvd.:
At Ramona Street, looking northwest on the west side of the street:
That west side access is very poor, and the sidewalk now blocked. Presently, any desirous of taking westward photos at Ramona Street, it is recommended the east sidewalk be used.
Above, on that artist’s conception that MikeF90 posted, there was a one track walled trench here heading west, but that trenching hasn’t been put in yet. But, because of MikeF90’s excellent find, we now have an idea how the track can be put in the trench with the north walling incomplete WEST of Ramona Street.
Another view on the west side of Ramona Street:
An overview looking west, on the south side:
Part III (of I-V)
Farther west, a location accessed by a narrow road north of a golf course, a view looking east that hardly looks at this time like a narrow trench for one track.
A broader view with the Alhambra Wash being modified:
A close-up:
Just above, note how narrow the new cement-work is. Likely, Main 2’s alignment (in a hypothetical sense) will rest through here. Once the new track is laid and operational, the arch-like old concrete will be broken apart, and cement-work lowered and the arching with be a thing of the past. Hypothetically, Main 1 will be where the arching is now.
Forms are staged at the increasingly tight staging area. View looks westbound.
We now go over to the PHIMF area.
Continued in Part IV
Part IV (of I-V)
The PHIMF Area by Workman Mill Road
City of Industry, CA
Workman Mill Road is presently a nightmare for motorists, with part of it closed and the other half open.
From Workman Mill Road, a Puente Hills Intermodal Facility (PHIMF) track still has not been laid eastbound and under the 60 Freeway (background).
A pathway seems now ready for track laying under the 60 Freeway.
Continued in Part V
Part V (of I-V)
In a strange development, a modest amount of ties have been laid alongside the NEW alignment of Main 2. Looking westbound:
Eastbound:
The presently closed in one direction grade crossing:
Looking the other way, Workman Mill Road is closed all the way to the background “T” intersection, where Working Mill Road continues to the right.
So, while the San Gabriel Trench construction is steadily marching along, the PHIMF project is super snail paced.
This will conclude the series.
How indeed ? In your image we can see where the mainline bends to the left of the pick-up with the headlights illuminated onto the shoefly and the trench is exactly where the mainline was before the project started. The only reason for the narrowness at the west end is the temporary bracing holding up the shoefly.
K.P. and all, there are three grade separations of note which appear to be finished:
I'm curious about the "pit" track at PHIMF - appears to be built the same as the engine service inspection tracks at UP East LA but very short and only on the track closest to the mianline.
Laurel Street in Colton, CA and Replies
K.P. was going to be in Nevada, but opted at the last minute for Colton instead, and visited mvs’ reported Laurel Street underpass. What a new underpass! And open now too!
For those familiar with the very popular train watching spot at Pepper Ave. in the Colton area, that spot is now changing forever! At least north of there …
And, at the Colton Signal Dept. another small electrical box is now on site, but nothing seems to have been transported elsewhere yet.
A backlog of threads has to be reported in, but the above will be addressed as soon as possible. And, the replies are hoped to be gotten to soon also.
A Hodge-Podge of Things Found …
… on Saturday, July 2, 2016
Part “A” (of A-E)
The Colton Signal Dept.
An additional small electrical box is now on site at the Colton Signal Dept. (photo center).
Comparing previous views and the above one, a CP box may (“may”) have come and gone, but if so, K.P. has no idea where such would be needed at.
A strange phenomenon seems to be taking place, and it is unknown if it is railroad inspired or would-be thieves. Weed-grass has sprung up in alarming amounts, making sort of an increasingly hidden path by UP’s fence.
Part “B” (of A-E)
From Pepper Ave.
This may be super good news or a super bad omen!
The Pepper Ave. overpass at the I-10 Freeway is now being widened. The below west side view looks north.
The two-lane Pepper Ave. Bridge over the Sunset Route may or may not be affected, but K.P. perceived a residual effect, like putting fences up. Railfans have kind of had the present unfenced bridge basically to themselves. Time will tell if this fence situation will change.
Cement-like powder is now WEST of Slover Mountain (also known to locals as Cement Mountain).
A closer view: Ties and other parts seem to be staged on the south side (far side) of the tracks. Sunset Route Main 2 is the photo lowest track. Main 1 is out of view on the photo bottom.
An overview: K.P. has heard nothing still about two-tracking the Fontana to North Ontario area, and the new switches and signals remain at the Colton Signal Dept., so things are lingering for laying a “Sunset Route” second track between downtown Pomona and the Spadra area.
The New Laurel Street Underpass
It is finally finished and open! Trains traversing over the underpass on the six tracks are mainly BNSF on the Transcon, but LA&SL has trackage rights too. Many LA&SL trains transition to or from the Sunset Route by the Colton Flyover in downtown Colton, only about a mile south of the new two-lane Laurel Street underpass.
Just east of the underpass there is an arrangement for another bridge.
Above, it could be for an ally-way, but the looks of the cement-work has a distinct railroad single-track bridge look. Maybe a track from the Metrolink commuter train facility to the north will be extended southward over Laurel Street someday.
There is a vehicle bridge (upper right) to the six-track bridge’s west, primary for accessing a south side business.
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