Western Railroad Discussion > UP Mococo Line Clean Out Underway

Union Pacific is now well advanced on clearing its Mococo Line(Tracy Subdivision) in Northern California of stored freight cars in advance of returning the route to active status. The very long string of old boxcars and covered hoppers that extended west from approx. m.p. 80(just west of Tracy) to m.p. 77 has been completely cleared out. Between Byron and Tracy the only remaining stored cars is a cut about 4000' long between m.p. 73 and 72(Railboxes and old coal hoppers). On Saturday UP car department personnel were on site inspecting this cut in preparation for its movement off the line. With a derail in place, that activity is pictured in the attached photo. Don't know if UP is dragging these dead freights into Tracy Yard with the Tracy Local or if an extra job is being called. In the recent past UP has stored baretables and autoracks in the Brentwood/Antioch area--can anyone confirm that this stretch is now also clear?

Driving along the Byron Highway there is little evidence that this is not an active line. There is no vegetation growth and the track structure appears to be in good shape(but typical of a lighter density line). Crossing arms are intact at all grade crossings. However, I saw no trackwork being performed or signal maintainers at any of the crossings.

The Tracy Sub runs between Martinez, CA and Tracy and was closed as a through route at least 15 years ago by SP. When reactivated it will provide a shortcut for trains between Oakland and the Fresno Sub south of Lathrop avoiding the long-way-round via Elvas. There is a write up on this proposal in the November issue of Trains Magazine on page 10 with map.

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Will UP be making some improvements such as new rail and CTC? Does this line even have signals on it?

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Are they going to run it as dark territory since most (or at least many) of the searchlight signals have been removed?

Map of line from 1960 SP employees timetable.

Ed

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Edwardjb Wrote:
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> Map of line from 1960 SP employees timetable.
>
> Ed
Sorry to be off topic. What was "Ulmar" just West of the Altamont on that map? Never heard of that or "Eliot" further down the line.

Jointed rail on one side, CWR on the other. I wonder if a steel gang will make a pass through there before it opens....

sphogger

Was there a derailment there?

sphogger Wrote:
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> Jointed rail on one side, CWR on the other. I
> wonder if a steel gang will make a pass through
> there before it opens....
>
> sphogger

shed47 Wrote:
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> The Tracy Sub runs between Martinez, CA and Tracy
> and was closed as a through route at least 15
> years ago by SP. When reactivated it will provide
> a shortcut for trains between Oakland and the
> Fresno Sub south of Lathrop avoiding the
> long-way-round via Elvas. There is a write up on
> this proposal in the November issue of Trains
> Magazine on page 10 with map.

Pardon my ignorance on the subject, but the map posted above and shed47's information quoted here beg the question: If SP closed the Tracy Sub 15 or so years ago and the SP route over Altamont Pass was abandoned before that (correct me if I'm wrong) then how did SP access Lathrop/Stockton from Oakland? The long way around via Elvas or trackage rights via WP/UP over Altamont?

Hoping it's not a stupid question,

JP

RV170 Wrote:
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> shed47 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The Tracy Sub runs between Martinez, CA and
> Tracy
> > and was closed as a through route at least 15
> > years ago by SP. When reactivated it will
> provide
> > a shortcut for trains between Oakland and the
> > Fresno Sub south of Lathrop avoiding the
> > long-way-round via Elvas. There is a write up
> on
> > this proposal in the November issue of Trains
> > Magazine on page 10 with map.
>
> Pardon my ignorance on the subject, but the map
> posted above and shed47's information quoted here
> beg the question: If SP closed the Tracy Sub 15
> or so years ago and the SP route over Altamont
> Pass was abandoned before that (correct me if I'm
> wrong) then how did SP access Lathrop/Stockton
> from Oakland? The long way around via Elvas or
> trackage rights via WP/UP over Altamont?
>
> Hoping it's not a stupid question,
>
> JP

Trackage rights on UP (former WP) between Niles Jct and Lathrop (Lyoth).

Axy

"Ulmar" is listed in the timetable with a siding (capacity-72 cars....guess all cars were equal in those days), but Eliot gets no mention. Just shows on the map.

Ed

shed47 Wrote:

> In the recent past UP
> has stored baretables and autoracks in the
> Brentwood/Antioch area--can anyone confirm that
> this stretch is now also clear?

I drove over the line on Hwy 4 between Antioch and Oakley last Saturday and observed a long string of empty centerbeams, so there's more to be cleared.

Are they not able to use the Altamont route for additional trains, or is that route simply too congested?

F40PHR231 Wrote:
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> Are they not able to use the Altamont route for
> additional trains, or is that route simply too
> congested?

The Altamont route is not all that congested but it does host a hand full of ACE commuter trains each day, I think that they are up to 4 round trips these days.

Also an investor in Stanislaus County has been given lot$$$ of the governators new transportation bond money to develop the former Crows Landing Air Base into an inland port that will link Western Stanislaus County with the Port Of Oakland. These "short haul" intermodal trains would travel a rebuilt ex SP west side line to Tracy and then into the Bay Area over Altamont Pass on the current UP line.

The BNSF is sure interested in the section between Martinez and Port Chicago though.

Brian

webmaster Wrote:
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> Will UP be making some improvements such as new
> rail and CTC? Does this line even have signals on
> it?

The line was fully signaled in the past. UP took the signals out of service and donated them in place to the PLA in Niles Canyon. The deal was for the PLA crews to come remove the ones we wanted. So PLA crews went through and removed all the signals and bases that we were authorized to take. We now have enough signals to fully signal the Canyon.

If the UP is going to resignal the line they will probably redesign the whole system and put up tri-light signals. Yuck, the searchlights look so much better.

Joe Mann

> If the UP is going to resignal the line they will
> probably redesign the whole system and put up
> tri-light signals. Yuck, the searchlights look so
> much better.

I beg to disagree. IMHO, "much better" is tri-light signals, 136 lb. rail and deep ballast, long passing sidings, and 20+ trains a day.

djansson Wrote:
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> I beg to disagree. IMHO, "much better" is
> tri-light signals, 136 lb. rail and deep ballast,
> long passing sidings, and 20+ trains a day.

Sounds a lot like Cajon Pass. Well, not really—we see more than 20 trains a day.

— espee4ever

UP has been using laborer's to clear along the tracks for several months now. I wonder if it has anything to do with trying to make it look like it's not an abandoned line?
I think the reason the article came out in the local newspaper a couple months ago was to give people a "heads up" that the line is going to be re-opened.

If the cars have been sitting a while, are there any problems with rusty wheels not shunting the track properly? Or hot/dry bearings?

How many Oakland trains to/from the south does UP currently send via Elvas besides the IOALB/ILBOA?

Will the BNSF OIG stack trains run here too?