Western Railroad Discussion > 1996 and a Setting Sun in Calipatria

After a very exciting day of self Isolating with the family deep in the Algondones Dunes Wilderness area I received word 1996 had arrived in Calipatria on an empty container train. It was cool to see how UP has transformed a single track grain elevator balloon loop into a small intermodal ramp, but it was even cooler to see 1996 up close and personal. It's been in this paint for 15 years now. When it was new red and grey tunnel motors still roamed the system, and seeing multiple SP units in a consist was nothing out of the ordinary. Today people line the tracks to see one of the few red and grey units still around pass by. 

1) Looking East. Over the last year UP has replaced the single track balloon loop with three concrete tie tracks. From my understanding Hay and other ag products are loaded into the containers. 

2&3) 1996 sits tied down as the sun sets.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/20 23:31 by suvart.

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Great to see the views!  There was a recent ILXCAX, and on Wednesdays ICALB is scheduled.  On Google, unless it's changed, it looks like the trackwork is such that the power will detach and hook onto the rear of the train ahead of it in your photo, then push forward around the loop until the power passes the grain tanks, then reverse onto the El Centro Sub with the power now being the head end, and proceed north for Long Beach.

mapboy

mapboy Wrote:
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> it looks like the
> trackwork is such that the power will detach and
> hook onto the rear of the train ahead of it in
> your photo, then push forward around the loop
> until the power passes the grain tanks, then
> reverse onto the El Centro Sub with the power now
> being the head end, and proceed north for Long
> Beach.
>
> mapboy

Thanks! From my understanding of the operation what you described is accurate. 

That's a far cry from the Calipatria of old, jointd main and rusty sticks toward Westmoreland, the North end of the
Holton Interurban gone for some time. Great shots, neat to see some progress.

Out 

great info.  thanks for making the effort to post these images and info...............

66

It's all so tidy I thought these were screenshots from Train Simulator!

TY

Very bizarre scene there!   All photos look like a model railroad.
Had no idea there were any stack loading facilities east of WC.    This is very interesting to say the least.   And a little "SP" there to boot!

 

Me too, the primary colors on the stacked containers had me thinking this was a sim.

Great photos, BTW.

Rich

icancmp193 Wrote:
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> It's all so tidy I thought these were screenshots
> from Train Simulator!
>
> TY