Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF freight crawling thru San Diego - Nov 4, 2017

This southbound BNSF freight rolled through San Diego last Saturday (11/4) around 5pm. I was not trackside to get pics of the lead power.
This was a super long train with series of different types of cars: stacks, hoppers, autoracks, etc., plus some less common freight:

1. A BN gondola with a switch
2. A transformer
3. The two engines pushing; don't see red and silver units that often these days.

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The transformer was unloaded on Tuesday at the loading dock on 19th St. in National City
and trucked from there.

The gondola with the switch sections is also in National City for a project to expand the
balloon track that feeds into the auto loading facility on the 24th St. Terminal! The
small yard south of the historic National City Depot has been removed to facilitate this project!

There is a second gondola with a switch in it that was previously delivered last week sitting on
the lead left from the removal of the yard! Big Doings!

Mike

Almost sounds like San Diego is ripe for an open trench project like Reno, NV.

Jim
Hatboro, PA

Chooch Wrote:
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> Almost sounds like San Diego is ripe for an open
> trench project like Reno, NV.
>
> Jim
> Hatboro, PA

Good idea but I would think that being at sea level might be a problem. How low is the water table, even sea water?

Posted from iPhone

the Santa Fe is 2 blocks from the waterfront.. the elevation is about 8 feet above sea level...

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
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> the Santa Fe is 2 blocks from the waterfront..
> the elevation is about 8 feet above sea level...
About 1000 ft inland for many streets. They would have to put a lot of lead on top of it to keep it from popping out of the ground. It can be done for a $bil or so.

BobP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > the Santa Fe is 2 blocks from the waterfront..
> > the elevation is about 8 feet above sea
> level...
> About 1000 ft inland for many streets. They would
> have to put a lot of lead on top of it to keep it
> from popping out of the ground. It can be done for
> a $bil or so.

And when the seawater leaks in, we can install pumps, with maintenance people standing by.  That's if the little Dutch boy is unavailable to put his finger in the dike.  What a job creator- this should be a high-priority project!

mapboy

.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/17 09:35 by darkcloud.

The Netherlands is mostly below sea level, yet they have tunnels to pass under the Rhine(Rhin) and Meuse(Maas) rivers, they don't flood.

2720 Wrote:
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> The transformer was unloaded on Tuesday at the
> loading dock on 19th St. in National City
> and trucked from there.
>
> The gondola with the switch sections is also in
> National City for a project to expand the
> balloon track that feeds into the auto loading
> facility on the 24th St. Terminal! The
> small yard south of the historic National City
> Depot has been removed to facilitate this
> project!
>
> There is a second gondola with a switch in it that
> was previously delivered last week sitting on
> the lead left from the removal of the yard! Big
> Doings!
>
> Mike

Hello. I visited the area yesterday (Nov 13) and saw what BNSf has cleared and leveled. Eventually, it looks like about four or five tracks will connect with the original line toward the terminal. Have you heard what they would use this siding & track for? Will they start unloading vehicles at this siding instead of trucking them to the main yard downtown or is htis just a relieve point for vehicle unloading? I see the work is being completing by BNSF crews and not Herzog or other contractors.

Cliffs619 Wrote:

> Hello. I visited the area yesterday (Nov 13) and
> saw what BNSf has cleared and leveled.
> Eventually, it looks like about four or five
> tracks will connect with the original line toward
> the terminal. Have you heard what they would use
> this siding & track for? Will they start
> unloading vehicles at this siding instead of
> trucking them to the main yard downtown or is htis
> just a relieve point for vehicle unloading? I see
> the work is being completing by BNSF crews and not
> Herzog or other contractors.

The 24th St. Terminal area is pretty much for the loading of imports
and the facility at the 22nd St. yard in San Diego both offloads inbound
cars and loads outbound Toyota trucks trucked over the border from the
Toyota plant west of Tecate, Mexico!

The additional tracks in the 24th St. yard will probably support the
general freight traffic into National City.

BNSF track crews replaced a switch and some track alongside the depot property
and replaced the crossings at 8th St. and 19th St.

A contractor is doing the earthwork and cleanup, not sure if a contractor
or BNSF will install the new track!

Mike

mapboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BobP Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > the Santa Fe is 2 blocks from the
> waterfront..
> > > the elevation is about 8 feet above sea
> > level...
> > About 1000 ft inland for many streets. They
> would
> > have to put a lot of lead on top of it to keep
> it
> > from popping out of the ground. It can be done
> for
> > a $bil or so.
>
> And when the seawater leaks in, we can install
> pumps, with maintenance people standing by.
>  That's if the little Dutch boy is unavailable to
> put his finger in the dike.  What a job creator-
> this should be a high-priority project!
>
> mapboy

When the San Diego Convention Center was built in San Diego on what was
then known as Navy Field, which was all fill work, there was a temporary
pump system installed as well as a permanent system to be built as part of the
parking structure under the convention center.

While the hole was being dug, old pier pilings were dug up on the east side of
the jobsite, along the Harbor Drive side of the site!

I was responsible for maintaining and servicing the 3 gensets that powered the
temporary pump system which was made up of 12"x20' PVC pipes driven into the
bottom of the hole, and spaced on a grid about 30 feet apart. Each pipe contained
a submersible pump and hose connected to a series of pipelines to move the water
and send it back out into the harbor!

I would shutdown 1 genset and have about 30 minutes to change oil and filters
and restart it. If it took longer than that, the water would be filling up the pipes
and overflowing into the floor of the jobsite!

SO, in answer to this comment, a pump system along about 3 miles of track +/- would be
a major project in itself!

Mike