Western Railroad Discussion > Mecca, CA (Yuma Sub)

After checking out the Jump Frog in Indio, I wandered around and scouted for locations, but found no trains. After a while, I heard DS 44 talk on my scanner again, and he was talking to a UP 2572 East.

I had fun with UP 2572 about 5 years ago when GE Tier 4s were brand new, so I decided to see the unit again. I had some time, so I went to see what Mecca looked like after the cantilever searchlight was taken down in November of 2017, and hoped to meet UP 2572 there.

The siding seemed to have been stretched and moved farther west, closer to the 4th St. crossing. Using the palm trees on the west side of the ROW as reference, the switch and the signals might have moved several hundred feet, maybe even a thousand feet, based on satellite views and looking at photos posted by others before 2017.

There's now a new overpass under construction, to take Lincoln St. over the UP ROW. This is still single track territory, even though the 2nd main is in place just at the crossing.

- 4th St. crossing at Mecca, north (railroad west) of the siding.

- Siding, signals, and the overpass under construction. Looking railroad east.

- UP 2572 pulled a 2x2x0 stacker. Video of the entire train is shown.

---

---

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

Looks like they're getting ready to double track (2-MT) for Thermal to Salton, just east of Mortmar....FINALLY

Here's a look back at Mecca's cantilever searchlights.

Back in August of 2010, I chased the UP 1989 pulling the ILXEWX-13:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,2255755

I didn't post a video of the chase here on TO, so here it is, re-edited the one I posted on YouTube. First clip at Robertson/Cabazon, and second clip with the Mecca cantilever searchlights.

- Cantilever was freshly repainted in 2014.

- Video of UP 1989 through Cabazon and Mecca. Entire train is shown at Mecca.

That's it for the report.

---

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

Nice video Charles. Sure looks a lot different there than say 5 years ago, what with the siding extensions, new signals, and new overpass.

Prior to the changes Mecca was listed as 8,388 feet long. Now after the work, during which they extended Mecca on both ends of the siding, it is listed as 14,280 feet long. As for more double track, that doesn't seem to be on the UP radar. The did/are doing around 40 siding extensions at various locations across the system for these giant PSR monstrosities. On the Yuma Sub it was Clyde and Mecca that received the extensions.

Thanks for posting, Charles. I haven't been to Mecca since 2016, took me a few moments when looking at your photos to recognize the Mecca I remember. Enjoyed the videos, new and especially the old.

Ryan

Good show.   Still not used to seeing Schneider containers on UP...

Union Pacific Engineering Department is hard to figure out sometimes. Why extent Mecca Siding over a road crossing at the west end? DT Thermal is only 5 miles (or less) west of Mecca. IMO...they would gain more by extending  West Mecca to DT Thermal. 

Yes long sidings with a crossing are on the UP Baird sub too.

The lowest railroad point in North America is at Mecca.   Is it just east of that road crossing?

-Tom

zchcsse Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The lowest railroad point in North America is at
> Mecca.   Is it just east of that road crossing?
>
> -Tom

NO IT'S NOT!...that was a miss-print in some publication. It's just east of Mortmar at MP635.5. As a matter of fact, many years ago, there was a large sign there stating the fact.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/21 13:15 by HardYellow.

HardYellow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Union Pacific Engineering Department is hard to
> figure out sometimes. Why extent Mecca Siding over
> a road crossing at the west end? DT Thermal is
> only 5 miles (or less) west of Mecca. IMO...they
> would gain more by extending  West Mecca to DT
> Thermal. 

Mecca siding was extended to fill all the available space between the 4th St crossing on the west end and Thobe Rd/Hammond Rd crossing on the east end and has no crossings in it. Likely they would have extended it out to 15,000 feet or longer had one of those crossings not been there. Maybe after the overpass is in the 4th St crossing is going away?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/21 16:00 by ble692.