Status of the San Gabriel Trench …
… as of Monday, December 12, 2016
Part “M” (of J-Q. Overall A-Q)
Some views from Del Mar Ave.
Here is a good down on view of that drain flooring.
The northeast walling’s fence is surprisingly incomplete.
Del Mar Ave. is a mix between businesses and residences. It is wondered if the trench will make passing trains quieter for the adjacent residences.
Continued in Part N
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 “N” (of J-Q. Overall A-Q)
Off Earle Road
Back between San Gabriel Blvd. and Walnut Grove. Ave., on Earle Ave., there was plenty of parking spaces now.
An eastward view:
That teaser view announcing the series:
A westward view:
Continued in Part O
Part “O” (of J-Q. Overall A-Q)
A close-up of the Rubio Wash shoofly bridging:
The shoofly necessitated dirt in the trench:
Plastic tarp and sandbags keep any rain from washing out the shoofly.
Continued in Part P
Part “P” (of J-Q. Overall A-Q)
Back to Walnut Grove Ave.
With workers having gone home for the day, unobstructed views could be had. Below, that drainage system near photo center.
A wider westward view:
Eastward view centered, with CWL rails on both sides of the track.
Continued in Part Q
Part “Q” (of J-Q. Overall A-Q)
Looking southward at the Walnut Grove Ave. grade crossing, with the ROADWAY sloping upward to go over the tracks. :
That sloping rise is maybe three feet in elevation. If that estimate is correct, the tracks need to be lowered only a foot. Hardly a drop in the bucket, as the saying goes!
One thing K.P. noticed was that the advertising signs are angled and not exactly parallel to Walnut Grove Ave., but parallel to the track. A westbound view:
Eastbound:
So, there we have it, an overview of the trench construction.
This will end the series.
K.P.:
Regarding your focusing issue: not sure which Nikon camera you have (I'm assuming an SLR, which would have interchangeable lenses). The Nikon SLR lenses with which I am familiar have 2 manual override switches on their sides: "M/A" and "M". As you probably know, depressing the shutter button down half-way activates autofocus. M/A allows you to override autofocus, after depressing and holding the shutter button down half-way, but before you fully depress the button to take the shot. I've never really trusted myself with this, since there is always the possibility that I would, "in heat of battle" release and then re-press the shutter button, thus re-activating autofocus. As a result, I always use the "M" setting, which completely cuts out autofocus, to manually choose a focal point. The only problem with this is remembering to set it back to the normal M/A setting afterward. I've messed up at least a few pictures by forgetting this. The "M" setting is also good for action shots in low light, since there is more shutter lag under those conditions. Just pre-select your focus point and then fire when the subject reaches that point. Not that I've ever gotten any really good action shots in low light, but I did record the occasion, the subject was in the center of the frame and the shots were mostly in focus.
Pete
9th Street ‘Street Running’ …
… Track Removal Status
Colton, CA
Part I (of I-VII)
This 9th Street track removal status posting and photos taken Sunday, December 18, 2016 will be on a physically north to south basis, and starts at “K” and 9th Streets. The street running track is all now basically gone, with a crude hot top having been put in as its replacement.
Continued in Part II
Part II (of I-VII)
About a block south, near “L” and 9th Streets, looking northeast, with the now three years old Colton Flyover in the background:
Back at “K” and 9th Streets looking basically east:
Continued in Part III
Part III (of I-VII)
Equipment is parked for the weekend.
A new, uninstalled turnout is in the area of the northern part of the west leg of the old wye.
Concrete tied panel track is still at “K” and 9th Streets.
Continued in Part IV
Part IV (of I-VII)
Now by the now gone old wigwagged grade crossing on “M” Street (at 9th Street) a view looking west. The wigwag used to be on the center pole nearest the curb (and camera).
That crude black top again:
As a reminder of how it was, a November 11, 2016 view with the wigwag:
Continued in Part V
Part V (of I-VII)
For fun, here are three 9th and “M” Street wigwag views from three years ago, on November 30, 2013:
Continued in Part VI
Part VI (of I-VII)
Now, from the south end of the street running, at “O” and 9th Streets, looking south with that new hot top on the lower left of the first below photo.
An Omnitrans bus on “O” Street crosses the ex-Riverside Industrial Lead track.
There are all-way stop signs at that intersection. Now that there is no more street running on 9th Street, in theory, the stop signs on the east-west “O” Street could be taken down.
That Omnitrans bus has “40” decaled on it, for 40 years. The old San Bernardino city municipal bus system merged with others of the Inland Empire. A year or two after that merger, a Flexible bus northbound on Waterman Ave. in San Bernardino, after going over the Sunset Route and while traverse over the Santa Ana River bridge, the air conditioner clutch froze, blew up, and flamingly came through the floor and hit the roof, and landed on a vinyl seat nearly missing a few passenger on the back seat. Needless to say, the whole bus burned! Interesting early history for Omnitrans! Over the years Omnitrans buses crossed 9th Street’s street running at various places, but no more!
Continued in Part VII
Part VII (of I-VII)
A few blocks south, at Congress Street now, the track has been partially removed.
Looking south, with workers involved in some activity.
A southward telephoto, with the new reroute track in the distance swing off to the right in the distance.
In the far background, upper right, the now abandoned Riverside Industrial Lead right-of-way can be seen.
After nearly three and a half years since the Sunset Route’s Colton Flyover was built, as per the flyover agreement, the 9th Street street running track is finally gone.
The antique wig wag signal is gone. This is something that will not be used anywhere. Does anyone know what happened to it? Sometimes the dismanteling crew will give it to a bystander if he asked for it. I got a searchlight signal by just asking back in the dark ages.
ccltrains The antique wig wag signal is gone. This is something that will not be used anywhere. Does anyone know what happened to it? Sometimes the dismanteling crew will give it to a bystander if he asked for it. I got a searchlight signal by just asking back in the dark ages.
The San Bernardino County museum out in Redlands got it. Nice to see that Congress Street yard is still in place.
A10
A Quick Saturday Visit to the …
… San Gabriel Trench
The San Gabriel Area, CA
Part “A” (of A-E)
Before sunup Saturday, December 31, the last day of 2016, K.P. took care of a dispatch assignment in the El Segundo area. That area is where the LAX airport is at, the east side of which the Crenshaw-LAX light rail line is being built (on the ex-Santa Fe Harbor line), involving future underground running and multiple flyovers construction, and bridges. Below are two photos, the lower one a blown-up view of the top photo, the lower one showing a bridge just below photo center
As seen above, that project has severe situations, with an elevated track (left) nose diving to go under a jet flight path and immediately elevating (right) to bride over a main roadway artery. Such steep areas are common with catenary wire strung light rail.
On the way back to base, K.P. dropped by another government funded project, the San Gabriel Trench construction area to check its status, this one actually on the Sunset Route. A previously shown December 12, 2016 photo of that trench:
It is amazing what can be constructed at various places when government money is used!
From here on (Parts B-E) a brief current update status of the San Gabriel Trench construction will be shown in photos.
Continued in Part B
Part “B” (of A-E)
The Alhambra Wash area on the western side of the San Gabriel Trench is started at, an area that was neglected last visit. Looking west:
East:
This phase of the trench construction apparently is over, as NO equipment was seen in the trench anywhere.
Final fencing seemed to be almost everywhere now, except on the west and east ends, where the shoofly track needs to be removed and trench thereafter finished.
Continued in Part C
Part “C” (of A-E)
At Ramona Street, on the west side, the WEST overpass fencing is complete but the sidewalk is still closed. In a never shown to the forum December 12 view, the sidewalk is probably closed still because too many things are in the way (right).
Unfortunately, NO present (“present”) K.P. picture exists of the stoplight and north crossing gate that are in the way of pedestrians. Once those items and the shoofly are gone, however, likely the sidewalk will be finished and opened for pedestrians.
Another partial switch half was now in the Trench.
Continued in Part D
Part “D” (of A-E)
Passed over photographing last time, one of many stair top areas now in place was focus on:
Now, farther east, at Earle Road (between San Gabriel Blvd. and Walnut Grove Ave.): The show (easy photography) is over, as high fencing has been erected here too.
It would seem such fencing very, very close to the col-de-sac road may have survival problems …
Continued in Part E
Part “E” (of A-E)
East of Walnut Grove Ave. ALL the long CWR rails are gone now, but the trench doesn’t seem to have much of such rails in the trench. Strange happening! Did those rails just disappear?
Those now gone rails as photographed and posted about a few weeks ago:
The utility pole in the way on the west side of Walnut Grove Ave. that has an electric usage meter on it (posted a few weeks ago too) …
… that meter was checked this visit and it was found to be actually in use, with displays changing every few seconds!
K.P.’s guess is that pole and meter will be removed in a future weekend pow-wow that will see the grade crossing lowered and the trench’s east connection put in place with trains starting to use the trench thereafter.
So that is the status of things with the San Gabriel Trench. This will conclude the series.
-----------
The next posting from K.P. should be belated replies.
From the Horse’s Mouth
The Diversion
Pomona, CA
A colleague in the office here made contact with someone he knows at the Alameda Corridor East Construction Authority (ACE), and a from the “horse’s mouth” status on the Diversion can now be posted.
Don’t expect anything real, real soon about the Diversion. A six month construction project has to be completed first involving the four-track wide right-of-way alignment just west of Humane Way in Pomona.
All photos from May 21, 2016, and all reshown except the last one, which is new to the forum
A contract is in place for the six month project, but the contractor is waiting for the rainy season to pass. Thus, March or April (around springtime) we should see some activity. Six months later, the fourth-track in the Diversion should start to be laid, the reroute completed, and the SP track crossing Temple Ave. and Pomona Blvd. will be taken up and removed.
K.P.’s colleague’s source was very, very confident that this timeline was for real, and everything should be done by this time next year, January 2018. However, the horse’s mouth advised him to contact him in a couple of months, which my colleague will do.
K. P. HarrierPassed over photographing last time, one of many stair top areas now in place was focus on:
K.P. Are thes stairways for emergency responders, emergency evacuation, or maintenance? And how are they secured? Padlocked?
If locked, how would one get out of the trench?
Electroliner 1935K.P. Are thes stairways for emergency responders, emergency evacuation, or maintenance? And how are they secured? Padlocked? If locked, how would one get out of the trench?
Those stairways are likely for all three reasons (first responders, emergency evacuation, and maintenance crews). My guess is that they are secured somehow on the outside, to prevent folks from entering.
K.P.: have you seen the monthly meeting agendas posted to the Alameda Corridor East project website? Each month's agenda includes the minutes from a previous month; on a quarterly basis there are detailed project status updates. It's a good read (www.theaceproject.org/current_bmagendas.php).
Update as of January 7, 2017
Riverside Industrial Lead
Part I (of I-IV)
Since last visit, things have moved fast in doing away with the tracks between the San Ana River and the Sunset Route.
From Congress Street, looking north:
Thereat, a sidewalk has been put in where the tracks once were.
Part II (of I-IV)
Looking south:
Part III (of I-IV)
Was (“was”) that a wye switch or does it only look that way with new track put down?
A few hundred feet EAST looking west a view of the ex-grade crossing with the UP alternate Sunset Route-LA&SL relief point way in the background:
Just for fun, an extreme blowup of that now trackless Santa Ana Bridge and the new curving track on the lower right:
Part IV (of I-IV)
There were quite a few pieces of equipment and workers by the Colton Signal Dept., the workers huddled together as if they were playing football. As soon as I could get the camera out, they disbanded. They must have been planning the next day’s activity and making sure everybody understood the next ‘play.’
That barbed wire fenced signal dept. yard is just to the east of where those workers had been huddled.
Continued in Second Section
Second Section:
Down in Riverside (CA) by the 91 Freeway
The two new bridges over the 91 Freeway were checked out also on Saturday, January 7, 2017, but things were still at a standstill there, probably delayed by the reported lawsuit over the old railroad bridge’s collapse.
From the same place that the above photo was shot at, the old target signals at BNSF’s CP WEST RIVERSIDE linger on, probably delayed by that lawsuit too.
If the problem is in fact a litigation situation, it could linger on for five years, but the Positive Train Control law says PTC installation has to be in place by (“by”) 2019, now just less than two years away. Interestingly, there are still a couple of target signals in San Bernardino on the BNSF used by the LA&SL, but Sunset Route trains don’t pass those signals.
This will completely end the series.
Somehow this article from last July concerning the Amtrak depot in Maricopa escaped my attention: http://www.pinalcentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/area_news/plan-changes-for-maricopa-overpass/article_6d645246-4e96-11e6-b12b-b367d5256798.html
A couple of points of interest. First, the depot will remain at the current site due to revised cost estimates. Secondly, UP wants room under the SR 347 viaduct to accommodate four tracks. Not sure why. Could be additional main track or storage track--much new industry is coming to the area. Or, possibly, staging for the Red Rock Yard to the east, should it ever become reality. It will be interesting to see what eventually happens.
John Timm
Breathing Fire
In recent times the photo service K.P. uses to post photos in this thread and others had dramatically degraded and was severely troublesome. Even the Internet was abuzz about that company! In the last few days, through emails, K.P. breathed fire on the photo service in absolute no uncertain terms. Such must have terrified their corporate management, as they could see the writing on the wall. One of the most effective threats anyone could ever use struck a chord! Just a little while ago, the “Cajon Pass Triple-Tracking Updates” thread was posted in, just after new photos were uploaded to the photo service. That uploading was trouble free. All the maddening popups that would take over the computer and make it useless were gone. (K.P.’s computer is protected by DeepFreeze that protects the computer from permanent damage.)
In case any are wonder what was posted, a crane was a key item in rebuilding a winding road. Also, a cantilever signal structure was in the last photo. Numerous LA&SL trains get off the BNSF tracks there and take the Palmdale Cutofff to the Sunset Route.
So, hopefully, that photo posting problem was permanently fixed.
The replies preparation is coming along nicely. Expect something in a week to as little as a few days.
Best,
K.P.
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