Western Railroad Discussion > Indio to Whitewater (SoCal)

I was loitering around Palm Springs one Sunday morning few weeks ago. I followed an offroad trail from the crossing at MP 582.6 to scout, and a westbound Long Beach stacker showed up. (photos)

The 2x1x0 stacker was crawling up the grade, so I easily caught up to it before Cabazon, and documented the train some more (next post).

I headed east to Indio next, to see what might happen next. ZLAAI-ish (Los Angeles to Atlanta) eastbound showed up next, short 4x0. With all the through stackers BNSF is running to/from San Bernardino, I can't help wonder if the UP/NS "merger" is a joke.

First video is of the ZLAAI-ish stacker near track speed at Indio.

(more next)

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There was a 5 car set of "Twin Stacks" on the Long Beach-bound stacker.

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Westbound manifest showed up next at Indio. Video of entire 3x2x0 train is shown, symbol unknown - not long, unPSR-ish.

I knew I had plenty of time to get ahead of it, so I returned to MP 582.6 area, and finished my scouting uninterrupted by a train this time. Video and photos should be self-explanatory (Whitewater).

(more next)

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I stuck around Whitewater to enjoy the sights and sounds. A westbound autorack followed, then an eastbound 2x2x0 stacker out of Long Beach met the autorack (empties?)

I chased the autorack to document the SP car. Unit autorack trains used to be more common pre-PSR.

That's it for the report.

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Great series!

Great photos and videos, Charles.  I never realized the Sunset route came that close to actual white water out there, though the intensity of the water may vary by season.

Rich

Those Whitewater videos are the coolest, you never disappoint!

cchan006 Wrote:
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> I headed east to Indio next, to see what might
> happen next. ZLAAI-ish (Los Angeles to Atlanta)
> eastbound showed up next, short 4x0. With all the
> through stackers BNSF is running to/from San
> Bernardino, I can't help wonder if the UP/NS
> "merger" is a joke.

Yep, that is the ZLAAI, got a lot of the tells- no CSX or UMAX containers, no marine containers, no trailers, 1 out of 3 will have an NS unit.  Thanks for the photos and videos!

mapboy

PasadenaSub Wrote:
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> I never realized the Sunset route came that close to
> actual white water out there, though the intensity
> of the water may vary by season.

I didn't realize it either until I got there. I usually look at the runoff upstream, visible from I-10 whenever I drive by. As you said, water intensity does vary by season.

There was a washout in the area in 2023:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5729345
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,5730463

The water in the Whitewater River flowing beneath I-10 and the UP tracks is actually Colorado River Water from the aquaduct to LA.  Water for Coachella Valley is diverted where the aquaduct runs across Whitewater Canyon, flows down the river into basins down the hill where it goes into the ground water table.  The cities down in the valley pump what they need out of wells.  Water storage without evaporation in the dry desert heat thereabouts.  You see it flowing whenever they want to replenish the ground water reservoir.
 

Kit Courter
Evergreen, CO
LunarLight Photography