Update as of Friday, October 3, 2015
Progress on the Activities on and off the Hill
Part IX (of IX-XV, Overall I-XV)
Next to come is a lone switched CP, its name designation unknown at this time, the south leg of a branch that goes to Buttonwillow. The San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SJVR) operates that track, terming it the Buttonwillow Subdivision.
Just above, the cantilever signal bridge (future signal activation) for the south side of Kern Jct. is seen.
The wye to Buttonwillow, with signals going into dark territory, with just single heads for off, red, or flashing red.
Continued in Part X
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 X (of IX-XV, Overall I-XV)
A signaled wye:
The north leg:
Continued in Part XI
Part XI (of IX-XV, Overall I-XV)
The north leg of the Buttonwillow branch to Mains 1 and 2 at the not activated yet CP SP314 KERN JCT … Because the CP is so long, the south side (that the BNSF traverses) may have a modified designation. K.P. remembers an uninstalled box last visit with the designation of CP SP914 KERN JCT on it. So, the north side box may be placard CP SP314 KERN JCT while the south side is placarded CP SP914 KERN JCT.
All these mast signals are to be taken out of service in the cutover, probably some months away.
The above old transition signals to the UP from the BNSF will have replacements positioned before Sumner Road, NOT at the junction itself.
The left signal only (above and below) has a single light lower head, for a red over flashing red for a routing to the Buttonwillow Sub.
Continued in Part XII
Part XII (of IX-XV, Overall I-XV)
Just north of the BNSF, that Bypass track cuts back into Main 2 where a universal crossovers arrangement is located, all within that big CP.
A presently reversed (hence hidden name) placarded CP box is just north of the BNSF junction switches at Kern Jct.
A cantilevered signal bridge is at the CP SP314 KERN JCT’s far north end.
Continued in Part XIII
Part XIII (of IX-XV, Overall I-XV)
That northernmost signal bridge (left) has an interlocked signaled (right) yard track from the north that cuts into the two mains.
A more close-up of the cantilever signal bridge.
Under, or at least almost under, the Beale Ave. overpass are four crates, believed to contain switch motors. Four lesser sized crates are along by them.
Continued in Part XIV
Part XIV (of IX-XV, Overall I-XV)
At Baker Street, looking southbound, at all those new and old signals at Kern Jct.:
On the north side, by that signal department yard, the box from CP SP344 CLIFF is seen.
A bunch of burial bases is also in that fenced yard.
Continued in Part XV
Part XV (of IX-XV, Overall I-XV)
Some last looks in Bakersfield, that Beale Ave. overpass that has NO sidewalks, a situation that inspires locals to trespass on railroad property to get from one side of town to the other side of town.
Since the great game cities play seems to be to get Federal funds into a community, it is a wonder Bakersfield does try to get Federal funds for the purpose of adding sidewalks to a couple of bridges, unless Bakersfield likes a town divided!
Some here at the forum have recommended certain eating establishments in Bakersfield for their good food. But, K.P. refuses to leave his money in a town that inspires trespassing on railroad property! If I’m that hungry, I’ll drive south up the hill to Tehachapi and leave my money there …
This will end the series.
Cameron Floods!
Sometime last week (ending Sunday, October 18, 2015) massive flooding struck the Cameron area (between Tehachapi and Mojave), washing out both the 58 Freeway and UP’s two-track line over Tehachapi Pass!
Reportedly, some train crews did not get home for five days, as they were trapped on the wrong side of the hill.
Eventually, Main 1 was put back in service. UP was fleeting four northbounds, then four southbounds, and on and on it went.
It is not clear yet if any of the new signals were wiped out, or if they escaped the flooding.
Nothing about the railroad but lots about the scary flash flood and maybe mudslide on Highway 58.
http://ktla.com/2015/10/16/big-rigs-cars-trucks-stuck-hood-deep-in-mud-on-highway-58-near-mojave-following-storm/
Having been through that stretch 8 times this year, the video is a bit unnerving, to say the least. As of this post, CHP is still listing 58 as closed in both directions between Tehachapi and Mojave.
Washout Update
A source has approximated the RAILROAD problem in the M.P. 373 area, which is about three miles railroad south of the Cameron crossover (CP SP370 CAMERON at M.P. 370.3), and four miles railroad north of the famed ex-signal bridge location of M.P. 377.0.
The link ChuckCobleigh posted indicated the HIGHWAY 58 problem was north of the Cameron crossover.
Photos from that link suggested, at least to K.P., that the designers of the new center divider of the freeway didn’t account for the flood factor, and the new barricade center wall trapped the water and didn’t allow it to runoff. Auto hoods were under water! I bet that freeway design flaw, if it is a flaw, will soon be changed.
K. P. HarrierThe link ChuckCobleigh posted indicated the HIGHWAY 58 problem was north of the Cameron crossover.
From the video on the KTLA site, it appears that the problem was actually east (RR south) of the Cameron Road interchange. I base this on the large center barrier keeping the water and mud on the westbound lanes of 58, for the most part.
Looking at Google Earth imagery and also my dashcam video from May 20th, it looks like the tall New Jersey barrier starts a half mile east of the Cameron Road overcrossing and continues east to just before the Business 58 interchange north of Mojave. That barrier is at least five feet tall, maybe more, and it apparently served as a good chaneling tool for the wall of water and mud coming down from the hills north of the 58 in the area just east of the Cameron crossover.
CalTrans is estimating now that 58 closure will continue through Thursday. That's a big hit for the usual parade of trucks on 58 between Barstow and Bakersfield. I wouldn't like living on Tehachapi-Willow Springs road before 58 is reopened.
ChuckCobleigh (10-19): Location
Your location of the highway washout makes more sense than does the TV station’s location.
Aerials suggest there are non-highway roads in the area with access to near (“near”) the washout site, but I fear a visit to the area might be a waste of resources as one may not be able to get close enough for photos. Also, reportedly the highway will finally open Thursday, but that may not be good enough, for as I recall, one cannot stop along the ‘freeway’ in that area to take photos.
If it was in fact Caltrans’ fault, I wonder if UP will try to recoup the expense of repairing its tracks, or if they will just eat it …
Best,
K.P.
Were any houses lost as a result of this storm? Or was this mudslide at Hwy 58 the only one? The cell phone footage from that truck of the mud sloshing around like the breakers at the Santa Barbara pier was surreal. It is a credit to UP's maintenance crews that they could get the line back in operation so quickly. Then again, this was not of the magnitude of the landslide in Oregon several years back.
That I can remember, there are not any houses near this mud slide. (It has been 4 years since I was out that way). The busy road that is going to take the traffic for the next few days is Ca SR 58 from the interchange of SR 14(the Antelope Valley Freeway) to I-5 near Gorman. Many drivers will remember this from the Loma Prieta earthquake back in the early 90's, and the I-5 closure 10 years ago IIRC.
I do not think UP has complaint against Caltrans as the ROW is on the south side of the canyon.And from memory, and looking at GoogleMaps imagery, it is not the first time large mid slides have happened here.
Well I guess welcome to California, if it's not shaking, it's baking in flames, or sliding in mud. Had any quakes lately?
The good news in Mojave is no one was hurt physically. Financially another story.
KP be safe out there this rainy season.
Best Regards
IGN
Former California resident.
Now a retired OTR driver
Thursday night CalTrans showing 58 open Mohave to Tehachapi.
Washouts and Two-Track Grading
Sometime this past week significant rains drenched Tehachapi Pass, leaving the east slope with tracks gone and Highway 58 a closed mess. Tehachapi Pass was visited Saturday, October 24, 2015. Here are a couple of photos from that date.
Near CP SP370 CAMERON, while trains had been getting through on the two-track line, often under single-track fleeting conditions, this visit both tracks were closed for a while for reworking.
By Tunnel 10, railroad south of the Tehachapi Loop, much grading was in place, but there was still some left to do.
The two-tracking cut next to Tunnel 10 has advanced, but now has a strange appearance, with obvious work still ahead.
A findings report for the forum with photos will be put together, and should be ready for posting in two to three days. Until then, hopefully the above photos will suffice, and wet one’s appetite.
K. P. HarrierNear CP SP370 CAMERON, while trains had been getting through on the two-track line, often under single-track fleeting conditions, this visit both tracks were closed for a while for reworking.
On one of my trips through this spring, there was a lot of track machinery on flats on the siding going east from downtown Tehachapi. Even before the new project got going, there's been a lot of MOW work going on in the pass and down the grade. It might be fortuitous if UP has a lot of the machinery handy for this unplanned event.
K.P., in your October 3 photos from the cut above Tunnel 10, there is an orange construction barrier fence on the hill above Tunnel 10. What do you think the significance of that fence means? Could it be that they might be excavating down to eliminate Tunnel 10 and make the cut two tracks wide? It looks like it would soften the curve in that area by making it more sweeping. But this is just conjecture on my part - I'd like to hear what you think based on your experience! And by the way, thanks for all you do for this forum! For us forum aficionados, K.P. stands for "Keep Posting!". Thanks again for all you do, K.P.!
Update as of Saturday, October 24, 2015
About a Washout, and the Tunnel 10 Area
Part I (of I-VI)
This posting series will generally be on a railroad south to north basis. Well, south to north and a little south again …
K.P. saw scattered places of dried out flood grading here and there on both the rail line as well as Highway 58, but the concentrated activity area seemed to be about a half mile railroad north of CP SP370 CAMERON. View looks south.
Looking northbound, the real track mess was by Cameron Canyon Rd. as it came to the Highway 58 bridge.
Just above, note the heavy ballast on Main 2 (lower right),
Continued in Part II
Part II (of I-VI)
A belted, track-traveling capable machine was digging dirt away from Main 1 (top track).
Looking geographically north, a strange flood flow left its marks (upper right, and center above the truck).
Continued in Part III
Part III (of I-VI)
Water also came down the mountain northward from the south. As seen below on the lower portion of the photo, during times of water runoff, the water flows right to left on the southern far side of the two-tracks.
A small amount of concrete ties were on hand.
Those ties, are they left over remnants?
This heavily blown up small portion of a photo shows that the 25 M.P.H. Cameron single crossover really got the mud treatment during the flooding. And, the dried mud all over the area suggests the area really got drenched from the runoff.
The 25 M.P.H. crossover is a carryover from SP days. UP uses 30 M.P.H. turnouts. It is unknown when or what size crossovers (for a universal crossover arrangement) will eventually be put in here. Until another crossover is put in, the lower heads of two the CP masts are turned aside.
Also, in that above photo, note how close the switch points are to the right mast signal. Original UP track (such as on the LA&SL line to Las Vegas, NV) have switches maybe twenty or thirty feet INTO the CP, and away from the signal. That suggests here, whatever size crossovers, like No. 15 or No. 20, are eventually put in the whole CP will receive new switches whenever UP decides to finish upgrading the CP. Maybe (“maybe”) the several years delay is because of some kind of unresolved BNSF-UP dispute about this particular location.
Continued in Part IV
Part IV (of I-VI)
Now over in the Walong-Marcel area: Upon arrival, a southbound UP could be heard … and then it popped out of Tunnel 10.
Above, the grading (upper right) seems to have been added to what was previously there.
The train snakes around to a good view of the new grading.
Continued in Part V
Part V (of I-VI)
The mid-train helpers get to the north switch of the Marcel siding. It is not clear at this time how the steep dirt landfill will be handled for adding a second track.
A BNSF northbound then comes out of the Marcel siding. Some assumedly grading equipment is at the bottom on the landfill.
A downward look at that power, and the wide grading:
Continued in Part VI
Part VI (of I-VI)
The new grading and the tunnel height compared: It looks like half the tunnels height still needs to be dug out on the cut.
K.P. couldn’t see the “Loop” this time as he could before, which is odd
It was time to head back. A pit stop was made at a facility where the Highway 58 Freeway goes over the UP on the east side of the town of Tehachapi. Again, the timing was irresistible to take a moment for a photo or two, of that same train seen by Tunnel 10.
The Tehachapi siding was a convenient spot to park track equipment used several miles to the railroad south, at Cameron.
Did you notice in the last above photo the train was running against the flow of traffic, on Main 2 (the northern track)? Of course, now that the line is “two-tracks” under CTC and not ABS “double-track” anymore, trains can use either track. But, for old timers, it still is hard to get used to seeing that …
This will end the series, but a Second and Third Sections follow.
Second Section
This will be a slight review, with more details, of the Cameron area.
As K.P. was first arriving in the area and headed up the south slope out of Mojave, he initially followed an old road north of the freeway, but found nothing where he thought the problem was at.
He backtracked, and, getting on the Highway 58 again, went further north (west) and found things pretty disrupted in the Cameron area (as shown in the main postings).
Continued in Third Section
Third Section
The 58 Freeway looking towards Mojave:
The freeway and the north side southbound signals of CP SP370 CAMERON.
There was a lot of Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) equipment in the area too.
That road the Caltrans piece of equipment was on was actually closed, though locals were seen passing the “Road Closed” barricade sign. Any would be visitors should be advised some roads may be still closed, and train traffic is way off still from normal patterns.
I went up and over Tehachapi Pass, round trip, to visit a train show in Bakersfield last weekend. The double tracking of Tehachapi Pass is moving along nicely. Noting the same construction as illustrated by K.P. It was to cold and blustery to stop so we did a drive by and kept rolling.
RickH
BarstowRick.com Model Railroading How To's
Update as of Sunday, May 15, 2016
The Second Track is Now Being Laid …
… Between Walong and Marcel!
Part “A” (of A-D)
K.P. was getting reports (plural) that the second-track was being laid in the Tunnel 10 area, so a group of us went to check it out. Yes, it was found the reports were true!
Above views from Tunnel 10 to the north end of the Marcel siding.
Continued in Part B
Part “B” (of A-D)
At Tunnel 10 itself, the south portal has construction parapet-like construction fencing on top.
On the railroad north side of Tunnel 10 is the loop. Concrete ties are stacked up at the south end (bottom) and the sky-high, braced signals are at the north end of the loop.
Continued in Part C
Part “C” (of A-D)
The days of those ‘sky-high, braced’ signals’ are numbered, as a new set has been erected a few hundred feet to their railroad south (top tracks, about photo center).
About midway between Tunnel 10 and the north switch of the Marcel siding will be two mast signals, one mast of which has already been erected.
At this point in time, theoretically, these signals should NOT have lower heads. Unless something exotic will be put in, expect that right mast signal to be traded out for one with single heads in each direction.
Continued in Part D
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