Western Railroad Discussion > UP in San Bernardino

I dont understand why UP uses the BNSF lines in San Bernardino for Salt Lake City destined freights. I know they send intermodels up to Utah from the West Colton yard, so why the need for the additional track rights?

Pretty sure UP's Utah-bound intermodals do use BNSF through San Bernardino. As a matter of fact all of UP's Overland Route/Utah bound trains use BNSF through San Bernardino, because it is the only way to get to UP's LA&SL line to Utah and the Overland Route from southern California. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/15 00:00 by wesleygreer.

Interesting because I've tracked a train that had left BNSF's San Bernardino station up to Salt Lake City and I have also tracked a train that left Salt Lake City and never entered the BNSF San Bernardino yard, but went straight to Colton.
As far I know Northbound intermodels from Colton head towards Mojave.
 

Union Pacific trains routed via the original UP line through Riverside get onto BNSF tracks at West Riverside and continue on through San Bernardino to Cajon Pass.  Trains routed via the original Southern Pacific line through Colton have the option of being routed up the Palmdale Cutoff or into Colton where they join the BNSF and, again, pass through San Bernardino.  If routed up the Palmdale Cutoff, trains may be routed onto the BNSF via connectors at Keenbrook (lower in Cajon Pass) or on the conncetor just west of Summit.  One assumes that when routed up the Palmdale cutoff the decision on where to join the BNSF is based on traffic on the Cutoff.  

Does this explain why I never see any UP trains in the bridge crossing the 210 fwy?

Posted from iPhone

I see trains crossing that bridge everyday. Anything that comes down from Mojave will go over that bridge. Also any train from SLC that crosses over at West Summit onto the cutoff will cross it too.

Dave Toussaint
Riverside, CA
SoCalRailFan.com

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Thanks Dave. It must be timing, always timing....

A lot of the UP intermodals running on the LA&SL are too long for the sidings on the Palmdale Cutoff, so they use BNSF to/from Colton instead. 

I see as many intermodals as I do mixed frieghts on the cut-off nowadays, before it was really rare to see an intermodal on the line. A good time to trains crossing the bridge would be 8am to noon for sure.

Dave Toussaint
Riverside, CA
SoCalRailFan.com

UP trains never enter the BNSF yard in San Bernardino. Any train coming out of Colton northbound/eastbound can take the Mojave Sub or the BNSF. Trains going to the LASL can cut over to the BNSF at Keenbrook or Silverwood. All the Intermodel trains that use the LASL (except for the ZLAAH & ZCIG1) have work in Salt Lake City SLCIT. The two daily manifest trains MWCNP/MWCRO have work in Las Vegas, NV. UP trains southbound/westbound can go all the way down the BNSF to colton or cut over to the Mojave Sub at Silverwood or Keenbrook. The deciding factor is weather a train coming from Yermo stays on the BNSF is alot of I-5 traffic on the Mojave side or if there is alot of congestion in San Bernardino of the BNSF a train will generally cut over at Keenbrook to bypass San Bernardino in order to get to Colton.

CS

I see UP trains passing by the San Bernardino Depot all of the time. True, they don't enter the yard, they don't need to. That's why they stay on the Main Line.

PHall Wrote:
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> I see UP trains passing by the San Bernardino
> Depot all of the time. True, they don't enter the
> yard, they don't need to. That's why they stay on
> the Main Line.

Speaking the station, can one hang out there and watch trains, or do you get busted?

Posted from iPhone

CPRR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I see UP trains passing by the San Bernardino
> > Depot all of the time. True, they don't enter
> the
> > yard, they don't need to. That's why they stay
> on
> > the Main Line.
>
> Speaking the station, can one hang out there and
> watch trains, or do you get busted?
>
> Posted from iPhone

The Metrolink Security Guards seem to think that the entire platform is a restricted area.

CPRR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I see UP trains passing by the San Bernardino
> > Depot all of the time. True, they don't enter
> the
> > yard, they don't need to. That's why they stay
> on
> > the Main Line.
>
> Speaking the station, can one hang out there and
> watch trains, or do you get busted?
>
> Posted from iPhone

You can watch trains at the San Bernardino station, at least the last time I was there. That was about 4 years ago.

SantaFeRuss

I know people who go there often and never have a problem. I've never had a problem either.

Dave Toussaint
Riverside, CA
SoCalRailFan.com

There's a restaurant in the depot, so I've eaten on the San Bernardino Station platform.  Or you can eat inside if the weather's hot.

mapboy

mapboy Wrote:
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> There's a restaurant in the depot, so I've eaten
> on the San Bernardino Station platform.  Or you
> can eat inside if the weather's hot.

Or rainy...(snicker, snicker)

> mapboy

 

Jim Montague
IRVINE, CA
Train and Nature photo Art

Just jump on the Rialto or Mt Vernon bridge and you get a perfect view of the yard. Ive never had a problem.