Western Railroad Discussion > Dispatching SoCal

This thread https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4274881 got me wondering who controls which bits of the greater Los Angeles area. I know there's a Metrolink dispatching center in Pomona that does... how much exactly? UP apparently have (had?) a dispatching center in San Bernadino. BNSF also have a one somewhere too, separate from Fort Worth's NOC.

Is there a map or something showing who dispatches each sub? Pomona is Metrolink but dispatches for the bits of the host railroads it controls - is that correct?

Thanks.

BNSF and UP share the BNSF Dispatch Office in San Bernardino.
Metrolink dispatches only on the trackage they actually own.

Here's what I can think of offhand:

Metrolink
Orange Sub Dispatcher=Olive, Orange, & Perris Valley Subs
River Sub Dispatcher=River Sub
San Gabriel Sub Dispatcher=Pasadena, San Gabriel, & Short Way Subs
Valley-Ventura Dispatcher=Montalvo, Valley, & Ventura Subs

On weekends and 3rd shift, I believe the Valley-Ventura controls the west bank of the River Sub and San Gabriel controls the east bank.

BNSF (I don't know the desk numbers offhand)
San Bernardino Dispatcher=San Bernardino Sub to Riverside
Cajon Dispatcher=SBD Sub north of Riverside, Cajon Sub to Lenwood(?)
Mojave Dispatcher=Barstow area (parts of Needles/Cajon Subs), Mojave Sub to Mojave, & maybe Bakersfield itself(?)


UP is pretty complicated, I believe there's variance on who controls what based on time of day and day of week. But in short, at the moment everything below San Luis Obispo and Bakersfield is controlled by one of the San Bernardino-based desks with the exception of DS244 (Omaha) which controls the Yuma Sub east of El Casco and DS7 (Omaha) which controls the Cima Sub east of Daggett or Yermo.

Coaster has their own DS which controls from the San Onofre to San Diego. I think other than PHL and more specific info on the UP side, that covers every line that has a Dispatcher in the region?

PHall Wrote:
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> BNSF and UP share the BNSF Dispatch Office in San
> Bernardino.
> Metrolink dispatches only on the trackage they
> actually own.

Ah ok, thanks. I'll try to work out what Metrolink own then.

rbmn5022 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here's what I can think of offhand:

Excellent, many thanks.

Do Metrolink and Coaster dispatch out of the same facility as BNSF/UP or from a different location?

Thanks...

-j

jofegan Wrote:
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> Do Metrolink and Coaster dispatch out of the same
> facility as BNSF/UP or from a different location?
>
> Thanks...
>
> -j

Metrolink Dispatch center is in Pomona, CA. I am not sure where San Diego RR dispacth center is.

If the Coaster dispatcher covers the area from San Onofre south to San Diego, who covers San Onofre north? MetroLink and JPA own the track from San Diego north to Fullerton. There seems to be a gap in your answer. Also, who dispatches the area south and east of San Diego? BNSF runs trains to National City and SDAE runs freight trains from San Diego east.

Cliffs619 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If the Coaster dispatcher covers the area from San
> Onofre south to San Diego, who covers San Onofre
> north? MetroLink and JPA own the track from San
> Diego north to Fullerton. There seems to be a gap
> in your answer. Also, who dispatches the area
> south and east of San Diego? BNSF runs trains to
> National City and SDAE runs freight trains from
> San Diego east.

The BNSF in San Bernardino dispatches the BNSF track from San Diego and National City.

As a retired U.P. Dispatcher who worked out of the joint BNSF/U.P. dispatchers office, maybe I can be of help here. You accually did a pretty good job discribing these districts.  The dispatching district for the BNSF out of L.A. runs to, but does not include West Riverside (The Jct. with the U.P.'s 1st Sub to L.A.).  The Cajon Sub. starts with the control of West Riverside, and then runs to, and includes, the Lugo crossovers. East of Lugo the districts run from  Lugo to Barstow, including Barstow Yard, Barstow to Mojave, and Barstow to Needles. Depending on the day of the week, and the time of day of the tricks, they could, and did, combine two of these districts into one larger district. The districts were usually split on 1st and 2nd tricks weekdays when MofW was out working. It would be on 3rd trick and weekends when districts were combined. But over the years, who dispatched these three districts would, and did, change from time to time.
-
As for U.P., like you said, they are always changing things. But here's how I remember it. There are times when they will split the old S.P. Alhambra Sub. (West Colton to L.A. via Alhambra) from the U.P.s 1st Sub (West Riverside to East L.A.) This will usually happen weekdays on 1st and 2nd tricks. On 3rd trick, and possibly on weekends, one dispatcher will handle all of it.  Other tracks that are also handled by one of these dispatchers are the mainline tracks through West Colton, and continuing to and including the Loma Linda Crossovers, the South Branches from, and including, Los Nietos and Studeback to where L.A, Harbor Belt takes over, the U.P. San Pedro Sub from Hobart down to the Harbor, and what we called, "The PE Route", from old J-Yard down to the Harbor.  As for the "Ditch" from Old Redondo Jct to the Harbor, originally BNSF dispached two of the tricks, and the U.P. handled one trick, plus the relief trick. But a few years ago. U.P. handed it all over to the BNSF so BNSF now dispatch all tricks.  On the Coast and the territory from West Colton to Bakersfield, a year or two after I retired from dispatching the Coast from Moorpark to San Luis Obispo, the dispatching for this territory was return back to Omaha.  Also about the same time, Slover to Bakersfield was also returned to Omaha, and the tracks from east of the Loma Linda Crossovers to Indio where also returned to Omaha. The joint BNSF/UP dispatchers office is on Carnagie Ave, a couple of blocks northeast of the Waterman/I-10 offramp.
-
The Metrolink dispatching office is next to the San Bernardino Line in Pomona, just across the street from the east end of the Pomona platform.
-
I hope this helps.

Cliffs619 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If the Coaster dispatcher covers the area from San
> Onofre south to San Diego, who covers San Onofre
> north? MetroLink and JPA own the track from San
> Diego north to Fullerton. There seems to be a gap
> in your answer. Also, who dispatches the area
> south and east of San Diego? BNSF runs trains to
> National City and SDAE runs freight trains from
> San Diego east.

Metrolink's Orange Dispatcher dispatches the ML Orange Sub from Fullerton Jct to County Line and Coaster from County Line to San Onofre. Metrolink/Coaster ownership changes at the County Line. BNSF trains south of San Diego Depot don't really have a dispatcher, its all Restricted Limits. The San Diego and Imperival Valley runs on trackage controlled by MTS, the operator of the San Diego Trolley...thus the trolley dispatch/control center runs those tracks.

jst3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jofegan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Do Metrolink and Coaster dispatch out of the
> same
> > facility as BNSF/UP or from a different
> location?
> >
> > Thanks...
> >
> > -j
>
> Metrolink Dispatch center is in Pomona, CA. I am
> not sure where San Diego RR dispacth center is.


The North County Transit Rail Operations center is located on the top floor of the Sprinter maintenance facility in Escondido, California. One desk dispatches the NCTC San Diego Subdivision from County Line/CP SONGS to CP Ash/Broadway in Downtown San Diego. A second desk dispatches the NCTC Escondido Subdivision and all Sprinter traffic. The 3rd shift dispatches the entire railroad. I hope this helps!

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cliffs619 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If the Coaster dispatcher covers the area from
> San
> > Onofre south to San Diego, who covers San
> Onofre
> > north? MetroLink and JPA own the track from
> San
> > Diego north to Fullerton. There seems to be a
> gap
> > in your answer. Also, who dispatches the area
> > south and east of San Diego? BNSF runs trains
> to
> > National City and SDAE runs freight trains from
> > San Diego east.
>
> The BNSF in San Bernardino dispatches the BNSF
> track from San Diego and National City.

It's restricted limits between San Diego and National City. Trains are under the direction of the train master.

virgil Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As a retired U.P. Dispatcher who worked out of the
> joint BNSF/U.P. dispatchers office, maybe I can be
> of help here. You accually did a pretty good job
> discribing these districts.  The dispatching
> district for the BNSF out of L.A. runs to, but
> does not include West Riverside (The Jct. with the
> U.P.'s 1st Sub to L.A.).  The Cajon Sub. starts
> with the control of West Riverside, and then runs
> to, and includes, the Lugo crossovers. East of
> Lugo the districts run from  Lugo to Barstow,
> including Barstow Yard, Barstow to Mojave, and
> Barstow to Needles. Depending on the day of the
> week, and the time of day of the tricks, they
> could, and did, combine two of these districts
> into one larger district. The districts were
> usually split on 1st and 2nd tricks weekdays when
> MofW was out working. It would be on 3rd trick
> and weekends when districts were combined. But
> over the years, who dispatched these
> three districts would, and did, change from time
> to time.
> -
> As for U.P., like you said, they are always
> changing things. But here's how I remember
> it. There are times when they will split the old
> S.P. Alhambra Sub. (West Colton to L.A. via
> Alhambra) from the U.P.s 1st Sub (West Riverside
> to East L.A.) This will usually happen
> weekdays on 1st and 2nd tricks. On 3rd trick, and
> possibly on weekends, one dispatcher will handle
> all of it.  Other tracks that are also handled
> by one of these dispatchers are the mainline
> tracks through West Colton, and continuing to and
> including the Loma Linda Crossovers, the South
> Branches from, and including, Los Nietos and
> Studeback to where L.A, Harbor Belt takes over,
> the U.P. San Pedro Sub from Hobart down to the
> Harbor, and what we called, "The PE Route", from
> old J-Yard down to the Harbor.  As for the
> "Ditch" from Old Redondo Jct to the Harbor,
> originally BNSF dispached two of the tricks, and
> the U.P. handled one trick, plus the relief trick.
> But a few years ago. U.P. handed it all over to
> the BNSF so BNSF now dispatch all tricks.  On the
> Coast and the territory from West Colton to
> Bakersfield, a year or two after I retired from
> dispatching the Coast from Moorpark to San Luis
> Obispo, the dispatching for this territory was
> return back to Omaha.  Also about the same time,
> Slover to Bakersfield was also returned to Omaha,
> and the tracks from east of the Loma Linda
> Crossovers to Indio where also returned to
> Omaha. The joint BNSF/UP dispatchers office is on
> Carnagie Ave, a couple of blocks northeast of the
> Waterman/I-10 offramp.
> -
> The Metrolink dispatching office is next to the
> San Bernardino Line in Pomona, just across the
> street from the east end of the Pomona platform.
> -
> I hope this helps.

The Alameda Corridor is 100 percent dispatched by UP (US&S CAD) and was tied into position 248 (West Thenard to Riverside Jct). PHL cut over to US&S CAD from TMDS in 2014. The knuckleheads in Omaha can't leave anything alone and continuously are realigning territories.

Many thanks, everybody!

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BNSF and UP share the BNSF Dispatch Office in San
> Bernardino.
> Metrolink dispatches only on the trackage they
> actually own.

Metrolink does not own any track. They are the operating agency for the various county agencies that actually own the track.