Western Railroad Discussion > Overdoing the Chino vol.4: Low Light edition

Remembering the late Don Winslow and the "low light" duel he had with santafe199 made me remember and dig up a few low light shots of my own.  I took these in 2019 and 2020, back when Union Pacific worked the branch serving the eastern LA suburb of Chino, CA with two jobs: the LOB29 that switched industries in Chino, CA proper in the morning hours, and LOB48 that left Chino in the evening and ran up the five mile branch to the main line at Pomona and the yard at Montclair to interchange cars.  In June 2020, the night job was eliminated and the daylight LOB29 was given the whole works.  It now goes on duty at Montclair in the morning, arrives in Chino around 7:30-8:30 a.m., and is usually back in Montclair by the early afternoon.

About the dear departed LOB48, in the last couple of years before it was abolished, it left Chino around 7:30 - 8:00 p.m., meaning its journey was entirely in darkness for about half the year.  During the long days of summer, though, it could be caught leaving town just before the sun did.  On either side of high summer, it left in twilight, or as we know it around these parts, "low light."  

1) I'm not sure if artificial illumination violates the spirit of "low light" or not.  What's lighting up UP GP40-2 1464 here are car headlights and crossing flashers as the LOB48 rolls across Schaefer Ave. departing the industrial park in Chino where LOB29 spends its days.

2) The industrial park spur joins the "main line" of the Chino branch just before the Central Ave. crossing along Chino Ave.  That's where UP 1464 is now as it slinks through the shadows approaching the not-yet-activated crossing flashers and interlocked traffic lights.

3) LOB48 would pull ahead onto the branch, then shove the five miles up to the junction with the "real" main line in Pomona.  As a result, all the rest of the photos in this thread are "fake action" of trains backing up.  LOB48 shoves across Fifth St. with the split-point derail for the spur into Trinidad Benham in the foreground.

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4) There's a run-around track on the branch just west of the Monte Vista Ave. crossing as the train passes the former Chino Walnut Growers' Association packing house.

5) From a few photo angles, the grade crossing at Roswell Ave. can be made to look almost rural (except for the streetlight that's lighting up 1464's nose, of course).  Unfortunately, that palm tree on the left isn't there anymore.

6) Ducking under the California Highway 60 overpass (a.k.a. "The 60") just north of the Walnut Ave. grade crossing.  The date is June 10, 2020, and this is LOB48's second-to-last run before being cut off.  The job left Chino late on its last day, so even though it was mid-June, the local ran in the full darkness of night all the way to Montclair and back.

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7) The reason LOB48 ran backwards up the branch out of Chino was so it could pick up fly-ash empties out of the south-facing spur to the Boral Resources plant at Philadelphia St. just over the city limits into Pomona.  Yes, I'm cheating again with car headlights and crossing flashers.

8) A low green beckons as LOB48 approaches the main line junction at CP C033, whose signal bungalow still carries the station name of the long-gone WO Tower.

9) The LOB48 shoves across First St. and onto the main.  This day it was headed further west to do some work at Manke Trucking in Pomona (hence the green), but on days when there was nothing to do at Manke, the job would shove clear of the plant and wait for a signal to run forward again on the main to Montclair Yard.  

At the time I took these photos, "low light" or "no light" were the only options for shots of the local on the branch, and I yearned to be able to get shots of these scenes in full daylight.  Today, LOB29 does indeed traverse this territory Monday through Friday in nice morning light.   I'm glad it does...but I'm also glad I got to see LOB48 in "low light."  Thanks for looking!

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Love this stuff Evan!

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA

VERY GOOD low light pictures!

Fantastic shots!

Excellent low light series!!

Larry

Very  nice shots!

RC Lundgren

Elgin, TX


 

Very nice! Happy Thanksgiving.
Regards, Jim Evans

Great bunch. Happy Thanksgiving.
JB

What a great job Evan. Knowing the area, I know how much thought and effort was required. I am very impressed!

Bob

Great shots, Evan.  Well done!
GK

Amazing series Evan. Todd will play hell picking an IOTD from that set.
—Mac

Such a burst of Low Light gems like this would surely have jolted Don into nervous motion! He would have immediately commenced to scratching & digging around for "rebuttal" images. And the duel* would have become a trilogy... trifecta? triple-play?? tripartite??? 

Lance 

*Added: KUDOS!! And the potential duel would have entered the the ranks of IOTD winners.
(Don would have been proud... :^)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/22 04:24 by santafe199.

Wow, some of the best low light photos I have ever seen.

Robert Morris
Dunsmuir, CA
Robert Morris Photography

Well deserved IOTD!

PCBill

What a great low light series !
Gary