Western Railroad Discussion > Ontario CA SP main doings (UP alhambra sub)

We are at the Ontario, CA convention center for the weekend. If you are ever here, get a room at the red roof inn,
and ask for 3rd floor, center, RR side (even room #'s). The ex-SP main from W colton to LA is about 500 feet from your
window.

Friday was very busy, with 3-4 trains an hour thru the afternoon, and then a ton of westbounds between 10pm and 1am.
Traffic is predominantly westbound, as the UP operates generally WB on the ex-SP, and EB on the orig UP main.
Lots of stack trains, with solid trains of Int'l (40' and 45') containers, or domestic 53' containers. The domestic containers trains also have had some TOFC mixed in. Mostly big GE's on the stacks, with 3 or 4 units up front, and 1 DPU on some trains.
Some SD-60m's mixed in with the GE's on stack trains. A number of light engine moves between 4pm and 7pm, too.

3 WB haulers on fri night (Gemco, Dolores?, and Santa Ana?). Mostly SD-60m/SD-59MX's on the haulers.
Haulers also come east on the SP main, as there is no direct way to get into W colton from the UP main, eastbound.
The Gemco came east about 6am sat morning. Also a baretable train EB sat am.

Sat eve much quieter, with about 1-2 trains/hr. 12 mid the parade started again..this time mostly sd70's



Sorry no pix.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/12 01:02 by pdt.

Years ago the Ontario Radisson was our contract hotel located about 100 feet from the same tracks. Our contract stipulated that we were to be put street side facing the courtyard because of train noise. I had to sign a request to be put trackside in order to keep the hotel staff out of trouble. They were always glad to put me there because most guests loathed trackside. The only thing that could make it better would be a Balcony!

In town for Cal Stewart, eh? We rolled out the good weather for ya.

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> 3 WB haulers on fri night (Gemco, Dolores?, and
> Santa Ana?). Mostly SD-60m/SD-59MX's on the
> haulers.
> Haulers also come east on the SP main, as there is
> no direct way to get into W colton from the UP
> main, eastbound.
> The Gemco came east about 6am sat morning. Also a
> baretable train EB sat am.
>
> Sat eve much quieter, with about 1-2 trains/hr.
> 12 mid the parade started again..this time mostly
> sd70's
>
>
>
> Sorry no pix.

The Gemco hauler would be correct but there is no more Dolores hauler, it is the Long Beach hauler (MWCLB) and goes to Mead yard in Long Beach. The other hauler would have probably been the Anaheim hauler LOQ25 or even the Basin hauler (LOQ47) which runs from West Colton to Mira Loma. There is also the "J" yard hauler (MWCJY) that runs at night (usually around 8 PM out of West Colton).-BMT

The Eastbound Gemco Hauler (LOF74-02) was very late account Metrolink this past
weekend had overnight windows in place on the Ventura Sub. PTC Testing!
(PTC - Positive Train Control)
No Trains could run on the Ventura Sub. between 9:00pm Friday Night till 6:00am
Saturday morning and also again on Saturday and Sunday night. Oh the story's I
could tell. Maybe sometime in the future! LOL!!!

UPNW2-1083 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> The Gemco hauler would be correct but there is no
> more Dolores hauler, it is the Long Beach hauler
> (MWCLB) and goes to Mead yard in Long Beach. The
> other hauler would have probably been the Anaheim
> hauler LOQ25 or even the Basin hauler (LOQ47)
> which runs from West Colton to Mira Loma. There is
> also the "J" yard hauler (MWCJY) that runs at
> night (usually around 8 PM out of West
> Colton).-BMT


Thx for the info. I should have known that the Harbor carload freight went to Mead now. I'm still used to pre-merger days,
when dolores handled carload switching, and the UP san pedro br. traffic was handled out of east yard. How does the Basin Hauler get to Mira Loma???...back up to Colton crossing, and around the SE connector?

I'm surprised that there is still a hauler to J yard. Thought that would have been a setout by some other job..
What works out of J yard now...the Torrance, El Segundo, the job that works the upper end of what used to be the SP alameda st line...anything else? It's a small yard by any standards...and I WOULD be caught dead there...

Other Q's......Is any carload traffic handled out of East yard, or is it intermodal only now

Does anything work out of the SP city of industry yard anymore? I seem to remember hearing that it was converted to a bulk transfer terminal or something. Used to be that CI and DO were the Crud capitals of the world, IIRC.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/12 14:04 by pdt.

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Thx for the info. I should have known that the
> Harbor carload freight went to Mead now. I'm still
> used to pre-merger days,
> when dolores handled carload switching, and the UP
> san pedro br. traffic was handled out of east
> yard. How does the Basin Hauler get to Mira
> Loma???...back up to Colton crossing, and around
> the SE connector?
>
> I'm surprised that there is still a hauler to J
> yard. Thought that would have been a setout by
> some other job..
> What works out of J yard now...the Torrance, El
> Segundo, the job that works the upper end of what
> used to be the SP alameda st line...anything else?
> It's a small yard by any standards...and I WOULD
> be caught dead there...
>
> Other Q's......Is any carload traffic handled out
> of East yard, or is it intermodal only now
>
> Does anything work out of the SP city of industry
> yard anymore? I seem to remember hearing that it
> was converted to a bulk transfer terminal or
> something. Used to be that CI and DO were the
> Crud capitals of the world, IIRC.

You're welcome.

The "J" yard hauler runs up the Alhambra sub. all the way to Yuma Junction and sets out most of the train at the Fourth Street yard. They takes the J yard cars across the Alameda Corridor to J yard.

The Basin hauler (LOQ47) runs west to Pomona on the Alhambra sub. then runs around their train and
heads east on the L.A. sub to Mira Loma.

All the manifest traffic out of East Yard is handled at the Weeds yard on the north side of the mainlines at East L.A. Both east and west bound Gemco haulers pick up or set out cars there (you can ask Starship Conductor what kind of freight they set out as he works the Gemco hauler).

SP City of Industry is mostly intermodal now and is about to become all intermodal. They are in the process of expanding the UP Montclair yard for manifest freight which will move there from City of Industry. Right noe the Baldwin Park local, the Chino local, the LZB42 (north side L.A. sub. industry switcher) and a couple of others work out of CofI right now. I don't know which ones will stay or move.-BMT