Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Cajon Pass open for traffic!

Cajon Pass has opened for BNSF rail traffic.  The first westbound stopped at Lugo around 1600, then proceeded west.  It's lined down Main 3 from Summit down to Verdemont.  The ATCS reception at Summit just went away, so I won't see it until it's near Cajon.  It was a hot Z with many UPS containers.  I don't see anything lined east that's not Metrolink.

UP has a burned out bridge, so it will be awhile before it's open.  Traffic for Yermo and Salt Lake could use BNSF from Colton or cross over at the Keenbrook Connection.  UP's Mojave/Roseville traffic will have to take Metrolink to Palmdale or UP via the Coast Line.

Now there's an eastbound lined via Main 2 from San Bernardino as far as Verdemont.  The floodgates are open!

Update: the first westbound just entered Cajon Interlocking at 1727.  First eastbound's rear passed Baseline at 1717.

mapboy

 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/16 17:28 by mapboy.

Z-WSPLAC7 Main 3,  Z-LACWSP9 Main 2

The live feed just showed a train moving through area now. I know that they want to run the trains but it's still very active fire and with spot fire everywhere and wind push back towards the tracks..
http://abc7.com/live/23340/



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/16 17:55 by CPR-489.

CPR-489 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The live feed just showed a train moving through
> area now. I know that they want to run the trains
> but it's still very active fire and with spot fire
> everywhere and wind push back towards the
> tracks..
> http://abc7.com/live/23340/

You could say the trains are smokin' thru there!  OK, bad joke.

mapboy

mapboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CPR-489 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The live feed just showed a train moving
> through
> > area now. I know that they want to run the
> trains
> > but it's still very active fire and with spot
> fire
> > everywhere and wind push back towards the
> > tracks..
> > http://abc7.com/live/23340/
>
> You could say the trains are smokin' thru there!
>  OK, bad joke.
>
> mapboy

LOL with as close as it looks i'd say that one will be smoking.  photo screen shot from ABC 7 live feed

---

Apparently everything went well with the first two trains, so more are on the way.  ZWSPLAC7 approaching Verdemont, ZWSPSBD8 on Main 3 approaching Cajon.  ZLACWSP9 passing thru Cajon now.

mapboy

Edit: see above picture.  These are really "hot" Zs!

Update:  The ZLACWSP9 is going via Main 2, (Walker and Silverwood) so that is a different route from the other 2 westbounds via Main 3.  More track to slowly creep over for safety.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/16 18:27 by mapboy.

They may be running a limited amount of trains, looks like only the Z trains that have been trapped. Amtrak #4 is running via Soledad Canyon/Mojave again tonight. The UP has not ran any trains out of Yermo yet. All other Eastbound UP trains are heading to Yuma, AZ tonight. With the fire making a run towards the 15 again in the keenbrook area the freeway may not open tonight as planned.

All the MWCRV manifest trains are scheduled to run up the coast tonight and tomorrow morning for a total of three trains so far.

CS



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/16 18:25 by CaliforniaSteam.

The risk out weighs the reward... Don't forget safety first!  Lol 

I hope thay gave the crews some breathing masks for the smoke. The units are air conditioned but they don't filter anything.-BMT

Trains232 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The risk out weighs the reward... Don't forget
> safety first!  Lol 

​Gotta keep UPS happy, or something like that. And UPS will NOT be happy if one of those hot Zs gets barbecued!

 

CaliforniaSteam Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They may be running a limited amount of trains,
> looks like only the Z trains that have been
> trapped. Amtrak #4 is running via Soledad
> Canyon/Mojave again tonight. The UP has not ran
> any trains out of Yermo yet. All other Eastbound
> UP trains are heading to Yuma, AZ tonight. With
> the fire making a run towards the 15 again in the
> keenbrook area the freeway may not open tonight as
> planned.
>
> All the MWCRV manifest trains are scheduled to run
> up the coast tonight and tomorrow morning for a
> total of three trains so far.
>
> CS

Wish I knew what times for stuff up the coast. Just sitting all need gut next to the tracks gets boring....

Posted from iPhone

Saw on KNBC 4 TV news tonight a train moving on Cajon. The reporter was near the burned out summit restaurant. Looked like a stack train.  Also tonight at Interstate 15 and Highway 138 a hirail truck was spotted with a blue light going down the track at 7:50 PM. Unkown which direction but it was in a three track area. Will talk to my brother later tonight. He's a engineer on a brush truck and will be out all night.

Funny, I was expecting a UPS package tomorrow and an hour ago I got this message from the UPS tracking system:   The status of your package has changed.    Exception Reason:           An emergency situation or severe weather condition has delayed delivery. Hopefully they will get those trains into LA soon.

I-15 Northbound is now open to traffic.

Look at that photo with the fire and proximity to the train.  Would you want to be on a locomotive
with a multi-thousand gallon tank of diesel fuel sitting beneath you passing so close to disaster?  
I would lay off until it appears a little safer than that.  UPS can wait one more day for their boxes.

Seventyfive Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Look at that photo with the fire and proximity to
> the train.  Would you want to be on a locomotive
> with a multi-thousand gallon tank of diesel fuel
> sitting beneath you passing so close to disaster?
>  
> I would lay off until it appears a little safer
> than that.  UPS can wait one more day for their
> boxe...


I dunno... I work with many of these guys almost every day. Honestly, some of them if not most, probably don't really care... And are just as willing and ready to run their train up and over the hill as they would on any old day of the week. If anything having the fire close by adds a little entertainment (sarcastic...) to the otherwise mundane trip to B-town and back... Many of them though are probably more concerned about their homes. Several So Sal railroaders live in the Phelan, Pinion Hills, Hesperia areas just north of the fire.


Mr. MRL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/16 01:49 by MrMRL.

Without a doubt, the train in the photo is allowed to run through the fire area only because the area along the tracks has already burned, so the fire can no longer burn in that direction.

Gary

The TV helicopter was most likely 5 to 10 miles away from the fire with a super telephoto lens.  We all know how much a 500 mm lens can pull distant objects together, just imagine what a TV helicopter can do.  The fire wasn't that close.

I've been waiting for someone to mention the UP train that clipped a firefighting helicopter back around 1979, in the Keenbrook area, I think.  The good old days of Cajon fires.

SN711 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Without a doubt, the train in the photo is allowed
> to run through the fire area only because the area
> along the tracks has already burned, so the fire
> can no longer burn in that direction.
>
> Gary

True on some of the track areas, but that's all unburned fuel in that photo with the head of the fire pushing towards the tracks and unburned fuel. This was just one screen shot that I got while watching the live feed. Couple mintues later they had a better view and you see the unburned fuel in whole area both around and across the tracks and the highway.

 

From the "horse's" mouth:

https://domino.bnsf.com/website/updates.nsf/updates-service-industrial/BE0CE3CB5037E33586258013001F4E27?Open