Several years ago I legally acquired a target signal and installed it at our lake house. I wired it up and could display all three colors with the flip of a switch in the garage. Even installed a legally obtained highway crossing bell on top of the mast which also worked. I was surprised how large the target was-5 feet in diameter. It did not look that big 20 feet up on the mast. Think it had a chemical reaction with the ballast when it was laid down and swelled. Unfortunately when we sold the lake house and moved to a larger one the signal stayed behind. Big mistake on my part. I did manage to move the PRR cast iron keystone whistle sign to the new house. The "W" on the sign is used to designate our place as our last name is Watkins. Very few people know its history.
Money, the Calendar, and an Onsite Visit
According to the TRAINS Newswire of June 4, 2013 in “Tehachapi improvement project scaled back,” the Tehachapi two-tracking effort must have begun construction by the end of 2013 to satisfy funding requirements. Did it?
K.P. believes so! This is what was found on a visit to Tehachapi Pass Monday, December 30, 2013, at Tunnel 10 where a big cut will be dug for the second track.
So, things should start getting exciting for Tehachapi two-tracking followers and observers.
But, the whole area is exciting too! Really exciting! New, un-activated signals are everywhere, and a massive convergence of track equipment is now at the town of Tehachapi itself and a few other nearby places as well!
Mid-December 2013, K.P. traveled to Arizona, and in two days took 536 photos in behalf of the “Sunset Route Two-Tracking Updates” thread. For THIS thread, K.P. took 520 photos in just one day, from sunup to sundown!
It will probably take one to two weeks for a posting presentation to be put together, and will cover Bakersfield to Tehachapi to Mojave. But, that is now what is in the works!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
“The Tehachapi Pass Visit” Posting Schedule
Part I: Bakersfield to Quantico: Monday, January 13, 2014
Part II: Beyond Quantico to Sandcut: Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Part III: The Bena, Ilmon, and Caliente Areas: Friday, January 17, 2014
Part IV: The Loop Vicinity plus the Cable Crossover: Sunday, January 19, 2014
Part V: The Town of Tehachapi: Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Part VI: The Mojave Area and South: Thursday, January 23, 2014
All posts should be posted by (“by”) 8:00 A.M. (Pacific Time) on the scheduled date, but may be posted up to 11 hours earlier.
The Tehachapi Pass Visit
Part I (of I-VI) , Section “A” (A-G)
Bakersfield to Quantico
On Monday, December 30, 2013 K.P. took advantage of an unexpected opportunity to visit Tehachapi Pass from sunup to sundown, and saw the early two-tracking cut-work between Walong and Marcel sidings. This report will be on a railroad north to south basis, and will start in Bakersfield by the old Southern Pacific depot on Baker Street.
Looking northbound:
All the above switches are of the manual, hand throw type. The right signal (just above) has no number plate, hence, is an automatic absolute.
The new, not activated yet two-bulb signal appears to be a tall, future “entrance signal.”
Continued in Section B
Part I, Section “B” (A-G)
A few years ago on the west side of Casa Grande, AZ on UP’s Sunset Route a tall two-bulb “entrance signal” was erected. It did not conform to the norm height-wise for entrance signals.
It soon was traded out to a shorter two-bulb signal typical of entrance signals.
If the last photo in Part I is an entrance signal, undoubtedly it will be traded out also to a more conforming height.
Back in Bakersfield, CA, a southbound view from Baker Street:
Continued in Section C
Part I, Section “C” (A-G)
Some yard engines and a railroad police white caboose.
More yard trackage:
The old Bakersfield depot and a remote control operations warning sign:
Continued in Section D
Part I, Section “D” (A-G)
This is Kern Jct., where the BNSF curve-cuts into the UP. Views are BNSF eastbound / UP southbound, and from the northwest side of the CP
A westbound look at the branching off BNSF tracks to Fresno.
Continued in Section E
Part I, Section “E” (A-G)
A few more north side southbound views:
From the southeast side of the CP, looking northbound:
Just above, the left signal is for an industrial track that wyes off; the three headed color light signal is for the present northbound Main 2, with a third, lower green lit head for a BNSF routing. Left of it, for Main 1, almost in the same visual alignment, is a mainline pot signal.
Continued in Section F
Part I, Section “F” (A-G)
At Quantico (pronounced quan-TEE-coh as in cola, M.P. 315.0) at the south side of the UP yard, is a signal bridge. The view looks northbound.
Northbound from up on the Oswell Street overpass:
That Oswell Street overpass is a nice, safe place passing vehicle-wise to photograph from, as the sidewalk has a protective concrete barricade walling.
A southbound view:
Continued in Section G
Part I, Section “G” (A-G)
A final thought for this area …
Looking back northbound, the new, right color light signal is in the switching track alignment.
One use to hear on the scanners mainline trains all the time picking up or setting out cars and much yard movement use to take place. The lack of that now has caused the track with the signal in it not to be used anymore.
So much setout and pickup traffic is now contracted out that the future of the Bakersfield Yard seems in question.
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Continued in Part II: “Beyond Quantico to Sandcut” to be posted by 8:00 A.M. (Pacific Time) on January 15, 2014, but may be posted up to 11 hours earlier.
KP- Great pictures of Bakersfield. Brings back fond memories of when I lived in Bakersfield (1970-72). Did you have lunch at the Wool Growers Cafe? As I remember it was a great place to get great Basque food.
I wonder what the reason was behind the installation of a tall entrance signal in the first place, and then its replacement with a shorter mast. Other than standardization for its own sake, is there some chance that the signal on the taller mast could be confusing to a train crew?
John Timm
Part II (of I-VI), Section “A” (of A-J)
Beyond Quantico to Sandcut
At Morning Drive, M.P. 317.57, looking southbound with new color lights erected by the grade crossing:
Just above, in the background, is a left track Automatic Block Signal (ABS) for “Double Track” which will soon give way to the new signals of “Two-Tracks.”
A southbound telephoto: Note the spacing of the current, old intermediate signals.
Years and years ago the ABS signal spacing was much different, and one could look and see back then the signals a half a mile apart alternating between sides all the way into the distance.
Part II (of I-VI), Section “B” (of A-J)
We now move southward to the community of Edison, CA.
A southbound view from the private Giumarra Vineyard Rd. at M.P. 319.58:
The new, left signal above sometime previously had a strange encounter with an unknown something.
Part II, Section “C” (of A-J)
A northbound passes the private Giumarra Vineyard Rd.:
Looking northbound, a manual crossover … with a strange twist (a missing rail-frog section):
Part II, Section “D” (of A-J)
Heading south, we observe track maintenance equipment.
At a private road a bit to the southeast, northbound views:
From that private road still, looking southbound:
Part II, Section “E” (of A-J)
Looking southbound from Comanche Rd. are new intermediate signals:
The Comanche Rd. grade crossing and a long deleted old signal’s base that apparently was relocated here, for aerials do not show it.
Part II, Section “F” (of A-J)
Looking northbound at Comanche Rd.:
Looking southbound: The new number plated (turned inward presently) signals.
Part II, Section “G” (of A-J)
We continue moving southeastward on Edison Highway, and pass a spot of non-grade crossing intermediates.
Continued in Section H
Part II, Section “H” (of A-J)
We now reach CP SP325 SANDCUT (M.P. 325.0) where a universal crosser is location, the present transition point between “Double Track” and “Two-Tracks.” A southward view:
One of the crossovers was being worked on.
Continued in Section I
Part II, Section “I” (of A-J)
More southbound views from Neumarkle Rd., (M.P. 324.85):
Continued in Section J
Part II, Section “J” (of A-J)
The south side signals, old and new:
A final view:
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Continued in Part III: “The Bena, Ilmon, and Caliente Areas” to be posted by 8:00 A.M. (Pacific Time) on Friday, January 17, 2014, but may be posted up to 11 hours earlier.
Part III, Section “A” (of A-F)
Bena, Ilmon, and Caliente Areas
We now go a few miles southbound to a set of intermediate mast signals …
… at the bottom of a brief lowering in this hilly area …
… with a straightaway thereafter.
Part III, Section “B” (of A-F)
Forty years ago the signals here were on a signal bridge, and helpers were staged at the site. Then a gigantic flood came, and washed the signal bridge away and much track. Target mast signals replaced the signal bridge, and something must have happened to the left mast as what is erected there now is a color light signal.
The highest display that left Main 2 signal can display is yellow over yellow, for turning into the Main ahead in the transition from two-tracks to single-track.
The right signal only governs straight track ahead, hence, the replacement color light does not have a lower head for southbound movements, but such for northbound movements (towards the camera).
Part III, Section “C” (of A-F)
A couple of more miles south is CP SP328 BENA (M.P. 328.1). A northward view:
Main 2’s signal is of the red over type.
The switch at Bena in SP days was a wye type, but UP has a certain abhorrence to wye switches and traded it out for a traditional right hand turnout. Because of that, northbound trains normally now take the turnout route with a red over green (of less).
Just above, in an odd twist, UP installed the switch here with THREE switch motors, two for the points area, and one for the frog.
Part III, Section “D” (of A-F)
We now arrive at a view of CP SP331 ILMON (M.P. 330.6), where two-tracks begin again southward to Caliente.
Color lights are invading here too.
Part III, Section “E” (of A-F)
From Ilmon south to Caliente there are a few intermediate sets.
At Caliente, two-tracks become one-track at CP SP335 CALIENTE (M.P. 335.4). Since Caliente received color lights a year or two ago, K.P. only arrived on site this time for a single purpose! To see if the burnt out diode light was still burnt out or if it had been replaced. (Two photos previously shown)
Well, it had been fixed!
Part III, Section “F” (of A-F)
There was some activity at Caliente.
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Continued in Part IV: “The Loop Vicinity plus the Cable Crossover” to be posted by 8:00 A.M. (Pacific Time) on Sunday, January 19, 2014, but may be posted up to 11 hours earlier.
Part IV (of I-VI), Section “A” (of A-G)
The Loop Vicinity plus the Cable Crossover
We now go to the long Woodford, 8960-feet siding. An engineless CWR train was on the MAIN, not the siding! (That is unless they were reversed.) Looking southbound:
The big rocks and hillside is picturesque to say the least!
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