Western Railroad Discussion > mud geyser and UP Yuma Sub trains 2021 vs. 2020

The wife and I returned for a week of camping by the Salton Sea, with another look at the mud geyser. The geyser has continued to migrate southwest towards the Salton Sea.

1) The mud geyser is past the gravel pile on the right, by the two road barricades. I’m looking straight down the tracks in the distance, with the shoofly bending to the left. The current Hwy. 111 is a shoofly beyond the white K-rails.

2) The mud geyser bubbles up here and flows in a drain beneath Hwy. 111 towards Salton Sea.

Mud geyser before it migrated across the tracks- https://goo.gl/maps/Sa5x5t42P559EhwX8 A similar looking Google Street View is dated November, 2018.

Other TO threads with photos from 3/20- https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4987387,4987387#msg-4987387
and from 5/19- https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4798871,4798871#msg-4798871>

 

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With PSR a continuing modus operandi, the daily train count should be down, right? Better read on.
Trains on UP Yuma Sub near Mortmar MP 635, from Saturday 3/13 to Saturday 3/20/21, thanks to much anonymous help! Trains are daily unless noted.
EBD
A trains 1/day= 7/week; I 5.1/day= 36/wk; M 3/day= 21/wk; P 3/wk; Z 3.7/day= 26/wk; total 93/week= 13.3/day scheduled trains
This week there were 3 auto repos AMLEGR, AMLLDR, AMNGR; 2 extra MWCBSX; 1 detour MWCNP; AFAIK 5 scheduled trains were annulled= total 94 trains for the week.
Amtrak #2 Sunset Limited SuWeFr
AMLEP (was AMLEPR); 20-50 autos seen often on manifests and intermodals
ILAG1 (was on the LA&SL)
ILAMQB We
ILBDI
ILBG4
ILBNS
ILBSP
MWCBS (+2 extra MWCBSX)
MWCEW
MWCSA (used to be MWCLI)
+1 detour MWCNP
ZCIG4
ZLAME Th-Su
ZLAME2 Tu
ZLAMN3 We
ZLAMQ Fr-Su
ZLAMQ2 Tu
ZLAMQ4 Th
ZLCAI
ZLCMQ2 Tu

unit trains- none ebd this week
baretables- none this week, reduced or eliminated by PSR
CxxRI9 coal to Rillito, AZ, cement plant, monthly
OCLGD/OGDCL Clifton, AZ- Garfield,UT copper ore, eliminated by PSR?
SxxYR/SYRxx military to/from Yermo 2-4 per month?
WMUxx ebd Murdock, UT, ballast, WxxMU wbd empties, depends on where the MofW is located

other nearby trains that run on the Yuma Sub-
grain 4/week? to/from Calipatria to Niland, then towards Tucson (5 this week plus one to Mexicali)
LOE53 Mo Indio Switcher
RWCWCC Mo-Fr, plus weekend round trips as needed, West Colton-Cabazon (Robertson)
YWC54 MoTh ebd, TuFr wbd Lowe’s Local WC-Beaumont

WBD
I 5.1/day= 36/wk; M 3/day= 21/wk; P 3/wk; Z 3.7/day= 26/wk; total 86/week= 12.3/day scheduled trains.
This week there were 3 wbd unit trains, 2 extra IG2LAX; 4 2nd sections 2MxxWC; 4 extra MxxWCX; 3 detour MNPML; AFAIK 1 scheduled train was annulled= total 101 trains for the week.
Amtrak #1 Sunset Limited MoWeFr
ICALB Th (see below)
IG1LA (+2 extra IG2LAX) (was on LA&SL; IG4LB gone)
ISILB1
ISILB2
ISILB3
ISILB4
MFWWC (+3 2MFWWC)
MLFWC (+1 2MLFWC)
MTUWC
+4 extra MAFWCX, MEGWCX, MEPWCX (2)
+3 detour MNPML- mostly or all autos
ZAILC
ZG4CI
ZMNLA We-Sa
ZMNLA2 Tu
ZMQLC

unit trains- 3 wbd this week
see baretables, ore and military above under EBD
CRIxx9 coal from Rillito, AZ, cement plant, monthly (CRIWE ran)
RF1VVC Rock Ft. Worth-Victorville Cement, 80 empties, monthly?
WCFBKS Work Council Bluffs-Bakersfield. the Georgetown conveyor belt train

ICALB-18 went by during the night while we slept. I saw marine containers being loaded on the Calipatria inside loop on Tuesday, 3/16 and a grain train on the outside loop, quite an operation! Monday night a train dropped 50 empty well cars at Mortmar Siding for Calipatria (from Long Beach, or maybe from points east). Previously the empties arrived on an IDICA that originated on Mondays.

SUMMARY 3/21-
94 EBD trains= 13.4/day
101 WBD trains= 14.4/day
195 trains= 27.8/day= 10 A, 1 C, 71 I, 56 M, 6 P, 1 R, 0 S, 1 W, 49 Z. If you exclude the 4 LA&SL detour trains, the count is 191 trains, the same as 2020.

SUMMARY 3/20-
191 trains ÷ 7= 27.2/day= 17 A, 2 C, 61 I, 50 M, 6 P, 0 R, 4 S, 3 W, 48 Z.
For more detail, see A complete week of UP trains on the Yuma Sub from 3/29/20-
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4986715,4986715#msg-4986715

With another year into PSR, how could there be about the same number of trains in 3/21 as 3/20? The ILAG1/IG1LA came over to the Sunset Route off the LA&SL, but the IG4LB disappeared from the Sunset Route. In 3/21, the trains were much longer, look at the big differences below! Yet the train count was not down, it was about the same. Therefore much more tonnage traversing the Yuma Sub.
Averages for Thursday, 3/18/21-
7 Z trains averaging 145 cars/train, between 110 and 177 cars except a ZMNLA2 of 63 cars and a ZCIG4 of 221 cars (5x2x0 power).
6 Is averaging 201 cars/train, from 193 to 230 cars except a 139-car ISILB (most ISILBs are much longer).
5 Ms (no detours counted) averaging 138 cars/train, ranging from 109 to 173 cars. On Friday, 3/19/21, the average was 155 cars for 4 trains.

Averages for Wednesday, 3/20/20-
7 Zs averaging 95 cars/train, ranging from 71 cars (ZLCAI) to 112 cars(ZMQLC).
7 Is averaging 144 cars/train, ranging from 140 cars (ILBKC) to 227 cars (ISILB1).
8 Ms averaging 115 cars/train, ranging from 70 cars (MEWWC) to 139 cars (MWCBS).

mapboy



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/21 11:15 by mapboy.

Impressive work with the stats there - well done!

outstanding info, as usual.

thanks mapboy for your efforts to post this info..............

66

Great stuff! Just a few comments on the intermodal symbols you mention that ultimately run via Golden State route...

From what I understand there isn't a ZCIG4 as that train is now the ZCIG2. Unless something recently changed, I also believe the ILBG4 now terminates in Santa Teresa as the ILBSI. This is why the IG4LB no longer exists as UP runs trains between Santa Teresa and G4 via the the ISIG4, ISIG4B, and IG4SI (also the ISIKC to Kansas City). While I don't have any specific info on the ILAG1/IG1LA pair you mention, something tells me they also terminate/originate at Santa Teresa but maybe UP has temporarily run these past Santa Teresa in order to move more traffic to/from Chicago.

Does MFWWC still run or no?

AaronJ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ... From what I understand there isn't a ZCIG4 as that
> train is now the ZCIG2.
ZCIG2 started after 4/11/20 and before 5/2/20.  It was back to ZCIG4 by 12/2/20.

> Unless something recently
> changed, I also believe the ILBG4 now terminates
> in Santa Teresa as the ILBSI. This is why the
> IG4LB no longer exists as UP runs trains between
> Santa Teresa and G4 via the the ISIG4, ISIG4B, and
> IG4SI (also the ISIKC to Kansas City).
All your changes above must have happened since 3/21/21.  There were ILBG4s on March line ups, no ILBSI.  The ILBSI is one of many symbols that come and go, I first noticed one 4/4/15.  It had a run from 5/20 to 7 or 8/20.  You've got wb and eb mixed above, I highlighted in bold.  Did you mean IG4SI and IG4SIB?  
Edit: I mixed up the directions.

> While I
> don't have any specific info on the ILAG1/IG1LA
> pair you mention, something tells me they also
> terminate/originate at Santa Teresa but maybe UP
> has temporarily run these past Santa Teresa in
> order to move more traffic to/from Chicago.
This I don't know about.  Thjey ran at least 7 ILAG1s and IG1LAs in March.

mapboy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/21 13:23 by mapboy.

jayman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does MFWWC still run or no?

As noted above, it ran daily when I was there in late March, and they ran three 2MFWWC second sections.  I don't know if tt has changed since then.

mapboy

mapboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jayman Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Does MFWWC still run or no?
>
> As noted above, it ran daily when I was there in
> late March, and they ran three 2MFWWC second
> sections.  I don't know if tt has changed since
> then.
>
> mapboy

Whoops I didnt see that my bad lol.

See comments below...

mapboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AaronJ Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ... From what I understand there isn't a ZCIG4
> as that
> > train is now the ZCIG2.
> ZCIG2 started after 4/11/20 and before 5/2/20.
>  It was back to ZCIG4 by 12/2/20.


As of a few months back it was still the ZCIG2 but who knows as UP might have switched it back to terminating at G4...


https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5147034,5147223#msg-5147223

>
> > Unless something recently
> > changed, I also believe the ILBG4 now
> terminates
> > in Santa Teresa as the ILBSI. This is why the
> > IG4LB no longer exists as UP runs trains
> between
> > Santa Teresa and G4 via the the ISIG4, ISIG4B,
> and
> > IG4SI (also the ISIKC to Kansas City).
> All your changes above must have happened since
> 3/21/21.  There were ILBG4s on March line ups, no
> ILBSI.  The ILBSI is one of many symbols that
> come and go, I first noticed one 4/4/15.  It had
> a run from 5/20 to 7 or 8/20.  You've got wb and
> eb mixed above, I highlighted in bold.  Did you
> mean IG4SI and IG4SIB?

Nope, I meant ISIG4 and ISIG4B. Never say never but fairly confident UP doesn't run any "I" trains between Long Beach and G4 anymore without originating/terminating out of Santa Teresa. Here is a listing of what runs on the Kansas sub portion of the Golden State route...


https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5031477,5031477#msg-5031477

>
> > While I
> > don't have any specific info on the ILAG1/IG1LA
> > pair you mention, something tells me they also
> > terminate/originate at Santa Teresa but maybe
> UP
> > has temporarily run these past Santa Teresa in
> > order to move more traffic to/from Chicago.
> This I don't know about.  Thjey ran at least 7
> ILAG1s and IG1LAs in March.
>
> mapboy

AaronJ, those links are from 5/20 and 11/20.  My info is from 3/13/21 to 3/20/21 (typo had 3/30/21), much of it from UP line ups.  Is any of your info later than 3/20/21, or from 2021?

mapboy

UP might have very well reinstated the ILBG4 as I'll take your word on that symbol existing again. Could be UP has subsequently eliminated the ISIG4/ISIG4B trains in favor of just bypassing Santa Teresa as I did find a slightly newer post on the ILBG4 being extremely long as it traversed St. Louis on it's way to G4...

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5130742,5130935#msg-5130935

Also found a post from late last summer mentioning Golden State route traffic and it indeed mentions ILBG4...

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5058631,5059059#msg-5059059


Rather than continuing to use old info, I'll just start a new post asking what is running on the Golden State route currently.

mapboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AaronJ, those links are from 5/20 and 11/20.  My
> info is from 3/13/21 to 3/20/21 (typo had
> 3/30/21), much of it from UP line ups.  Is any of
> your info later than 3/20/21, or from 2021?
>
> mapboy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/21 11:47 by AaronJ.

Once again, impressive and valuable info from mapboy. I'm trying to remember where things were at a year ago (right before Covid hit hard) relative to OTR trucking. My recollection at that time was that there was capacity starting to ease up in trucking, so less incentive to move via intermodal. I think now the capacity in OTR is highly constrained, which might add to the amount of intermodal moving = more traffic in same # of trains ("thanks" FWIW to Jim Vena....). But that is not a "scientific" comment: just curious if my thoughts there are accurate or not. That might explain the greater loadings. 

I would also be interested in learning if the schedules now are longer (it appears they are from UP's website) and how performance has been. 

Finally, the stretch from Thermal to Niland used to be one heck of a racetrack: I've paced many a UP freight along at 65 and 70 before PSR. Is that still the case or are they running the monsters slower?

Thanks again to mapboy. 

Bruce

mapboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> With PSR a continuing modus operandi, the daily
> train count should be down, right? Better read
> on.

These are impressive stats, thanks for posting. Not sure why you would make the assumption that train counts should automatically be down with PSR having been implemented on the railroad for awhile now. Maybe it's even fully implemented? I'm sure it's being tweaked all the time too, and the tonnage spike, apparently added to current trains, is just the uptick from the economy returning more to normal, and perhaps other factors that have been mentioned. Of course, there's only so much extra tonnage current trains can haul and adding trains may be the trend moving forward.

One thing's for sure, train counts ain't what they used to be out there!

JG



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/21 15:45 by jgilmore.