Western Railroad Discussion > Colton Question

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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/18 14:04 by phthithu.

phthithu Wrote:
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> Miralomarail's post on the end of the end of an
> era in Colton, an area I'm unfamiliar with,
> inspired to google earth surf the area. Lots of
> interesting rail in the area, and it looks like
> some of it has been abandoned and torn out very
> recently (the aerial view shows the rail in cases
> and in street view you can see its been torn
> out). 

The street running coming down from the SP mainline had to remain until the new connection track was tied in with the BNSF San Bernardino Sub.


> There's one line that serves the Cascase
> Warehouse, which is chockful of cars in the aerial
> view. South of this customer the line appears to
> have been long abandoned. Was it at one point a
> mainline or something? Because there is a huge
> bridge over the Santa Ana River just to the south.

It was the SP Branch to Riverside.

> It's impressive to see four tracks next to the
> Cascade Warehouse customer. What were all these
> tracks for?

I believe they're new tracks and may be intended for car storage or perhaps a bulk loading transfer operation.

> I am curious when the line was still
> in use south of the Santa Ana river and when the
> line was severed by the Riverside Freeway?

Not sure when the abandonment date happened but the line used to cross the 215 Freeway on a bridge.  When the freeway was widened they did not build a new bridge.  I believe the few remaining customers on the line were handed over to BNSF when a connection track was built at the location where the SP Riverside Branch crossed the BNSF's SanJac Branch (now Metrolink's Perris Valley Line).


 

The Riverside Industrial Park in Riverside is still owned by the U.P.  But U.P. contracts with the BNSF to do all the switching for them at the two remaining industries that use rail service in the Industrial Park.  All maintenance is still performed by U.P. gangs. As to Colton, the new U.P. track work connecting the BNSF main tracks at the Santa Ana River Bridge crossovers and the little yard on the old Riverside Branch by the Santa Ana River was completed last Friday. This included new signals as well as all track work.  I would guess the abandonment of the street running in Colton is not far away..