Western Railroad Discussion > Sandcut To Bakersfield

Anyone know if UPRR has (or in the process of) CTC-ed (2-MT) from Sandcut to Bakersfield? It has been Double Track (DT) since Grant took Richmond.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/20 11:13 by HardYellow.

According to UP Los Angeles Area Timetable #6 effective 5/10/2019 (and unless they have changed it in a General Order) the territory between North Bakersfield and Sandcut is 9.14.2 Controlled Block System/ABS which basically is Bi-Directional double track.  It is signalled in both directions and does not need any special instructions besides signal indication or verbal authority from the Dispatcher.

Top Cat

As I recall in my old age, I think that's what they did with Bena-Bfl and Mojave-Tehachapi when they installed CTC back before most of you were born!

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

Tehachapi to Mojave has only been CTC in the last eight years or so.

HardYellow Wrote:
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> Tehachapi to Mojave has only been CTC in the last
> eight years or so.

Not entirely accurate.  Track #1 was actually CTC controlled from Cameron to Mojave while Track #2 was Automatic Block Signal-Double Track (ABS-DT) signalled for westbound (northbound to UP) movements.  This was added by the Southern Pacific in the early 1980's I believe (my 1983 SP timetable shows this) to allow faster westbounds to runaround slower ones.  A single crossover was constructed at Cameron (still the only crossover there) to get westbounds back onto the Track #2.  If was then ABS-DT on both main tracks from Cameron to Tehachapi.  This setup was originally controlled by the interlocking operator at Mojave, according to the timetable.

SP should've CTC'd the whole line!

Posted from Android

ProAmtrak Wrote:
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> SP should've CTC'd the whole line!
>
> Posted from Android

That requires money, a lot of it. Something SP didn't have a lot of towards the end.

North Bakersfield to Sandcut was converted to 2MT-CTC on October 28, 2019. The entire Mojave Sub is now CTC.

BNSF6400 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> HardYellow Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Tehachapi to Mojave has only been CTC in the
> last
> > eight years or so.
>
> Not entirely accurate.  Track #1 was actually CTC
> controlled from Cameron to Mojave while Track #2
> was Automatic Block Signal-Double Track (ABS-DT)
> signalled for westbound (northbound to UP)
> movements.  This was added by the Southern
> Pacific in the early 1980's I believe (my 1983 SP
> timetable shows this) to allow faster westbounds
> to runaround slower ones.  A single crossover was
> constructed at Cameron (still the only crossover
> there) to get westbounds back onto the Track #2. 
> If was then ABS-DT on both main tracks from
> Cameron to Tehachapi.  This setup was originally
> controlled by the interlocking operator at Mojave,
> according to the timetable.

Again..."Not entirely accurate."  The Mojave Operator had the ability ( I believe at the dispatcher's request) to run a west bound up the east bound track. They were ABS signals past Mojave, and Cameron had a signal controled by Mojave Operator but no power switch there. It was a spring switch cross over. I worked the Palmdale Cutoff from 1978 to early 1990's. So, it's been a lot of years. The LA Division Timetable 12, April 26, 1981 listed the track as DT-ABS. I remember, the east bound track was called "poor man's CTC."

HardYellow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BNSF6400 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > HardYellow Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Tehachapi to Mojave has only been CTC in the
> > last
> > > eight years or so.
> >
> > Not entirely accurate.  Track #1 was actually
> CTC
> > controlled from Cameron to Mojave while Track
> #2
> > was Automatic Block Signal-Double Track
> (ABS-DT)
> > signalled for westbound (northbound to UP)
> > movements.  This was added by the Southern
> > Pacific in the early 1980's I believe (my 1983
> SP
> > timetable shows this) to allow faster
> westbounds
> > to runaround slower ones.  A single crossover
> was
> > constructed at Cameron (still the only
> crossover
> > there) to get westbounds back onto the Track
> #2. 
> > If was then ABS-DT on both main tracks from
> > Cameron to Tehachapi.  This setup was
> originally
> > controlled by the interlocking operator at
> Mojave,
> > according to the timetable.
>
> Again..."Not entirely accurate."  The Mojave
> Operator had the ability ( I believe at the
> dispatcher's request) to run a west bound up the
> east bound track. They were ABS signals past
> Mojave, and Cameron had a signal controled by
> Mojave Operator but no power switch there. It was
> a spring switch cross over. I worked the Palmdale
> Cutoff from 1978 to early 1990's. So, it's been a
> lot of years. The LA Division Timetable 12, April
> 26, 1981 listed the track as DT-ABS. I remember,
> the east bound track was called "poor man's CTC."

I thought I responded last night, but I don't see it. Yes, Mojave-Cameron on the eastward track was interlocking limits, not CTC. It was controlled by the Mojave operator under the direction of the train dispatcher. It doesn't date from the 80s but rather the late 50s or early 60s. It had been that way for quite a while when I started in Bakersfield in 1972. The purpose was specifically passenger trains, not just faster trains overtaking.

TAW

Yep...many times leaving West Colton we could make the Cajon Grade to Hiland with no issues... but slowly. Leaving Mojave, with the wind blowing 40mph plus sometimes, we would stall on the Big Curve below Warren. I've had many Santa Fe Hotshots and empty Oil Cans run around me on the east bound track. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/20 15:04 by HardYellow.

HardYellow Wrote:
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> Yep...many times leaving West Colton we could make
> the Cajon Grade to Hiland with no issues... but
> slowly. Leaving Mojave, with the wind blowing
> 40mph plus sometimes, we would stall on the Big
> Curve below Warren. I've had many Santa Fe
> hotshtos and empty Oil Cans run around me on the
> east bound track. 

Soon after I hired out in Bakersfield, I had an SP west man crawling by Mojave and a Santa Fe, nowhere nearby when the SP started by, standing at Mojave. I reversed the Santa Fe to Cameron. It was long gone by the time the SP got to Cameron. The Chief saw what I did and told me I shouldn't do that. It makes the SP crews feel bad. I did the same thing in the opposite direction at Bealville and got the same response from the Chief.

TAW

According to employee timetables, #1 track between Mojave and Cameron was made bi-directional and the crossover installed at Cameron sometime between Sept. 25, 1960 and April 30, 1961

Posted from iPhone

johnsweetser Wrote:
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> According to employee timetables, #1 track between
> Mojave and Cameron was made bi-directional and the
> crossover installed at Cameron sometime between
> Sept. 25, 1960 and April 30, 1961
>

Thaks. Dim memory from talking to folks in the Bakersfield office made me think that was about it, but I didn't have references to back it up.

TAW