Western Railroad Discussion > Beaumont or Bust ?

My son and I are going from NJ to shaky side for a several days warm days in LA. Planing to stay  in Beaumont for several days. What time off day is best to see action on the hill?  What side of the hill would be best?

Thanks 

It can be busy sometimes. We get Heritage units, NS, CSX, KCS, etc for foreign power, There are many places in San Timoteo Canyon for great shots.  One spot W of El Casco you can shoot one train with 3 different mountains in the background. There are some stop signs that back up during commute hours, so plan accordingly. Freights are not very fast throgh the canyon and you can get ahead of them for more than one shot.  Haugen-Lehmann road east of Beaumont past Cabazon has a nice curve that is in good light most of the day. Railroad Avenue follow the tracks from Morongo to H-L road where tthe 111 splits from I-10.  Many photogs don't like the windmills, but it doesn't bother me.  I also like Palm Springs station to get WB's with a going away shot of Mt. San Gorgonio and EB's coming through the signal bridge. I am a Beaumont resident and appreciate the interest in my hometown RR. Tom Olsen

And, I forgot to say I'm a NJ guy that has extensive ties to the CNJ. Dad and I both worked for them, he was a Trainman, me as a 130 pound Gandy Dancer for a summer.  Enjoy, Tom Olsen

Best times of day are just after 9am for EB's and after 2pm for WB's. I live in Beaumont and spend a lot of time on the Yuma Sub. Traffic levels are up from this time last year with several symbols returning after being abloished from PSR. New bypass manifest freights from Englewood, El Paso and Tucson run directly to Roseville and bypass West Colton. Also a new Ft. Worth to Long Beach freight.

A typical morning will start with an eastbound manifest and stack just after sunrise. After 9am the ZCIG4 in the canyon, with the ZLAMQ and ZLAAI within a hour or two. Usually get a auto train AMLEP or AMLNG somewhere in that mix.

Around 2pm the WB's will hit, usually with the ZG4CI, then ZMQLA, and ZMNLA if not running late. Cabazon rock train RWCWCC going west, you can almost set your watch to, 3pm in the canyon. After this it can stay busy till dark. Stay in San Timoteo Canyon, this time of year you can shoot both directions around El Casco and have nose light on WB's from 11am on.

Don't bother with San Tim West of Redlands Blvd during rush hour. Everybody uses it to cut between the 10 and the 60 now, and traffic between Redlands Blvd and Live Oak Canyon rd can be quite horrendous. Throw a train into the mix and it's quite the shitshow.

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