Western Railroad Discussion > Restored mural from the last big celebration

Prado Dam west of Corona, CA was built in 1941 for flood control.  

https://maps.app.goo.gl/4RsGwom4XzNorskH7 

The spillway was decorated with a large mural celebrating the Bicentennial in 1976 and left in place, gradually deteriorating in the blistering sun until it was restored in 2023. 

https://onewaypainting.com/history-of-prado-dam-mural/

Santa Fe's LA Division Third District main line had to be relocated to the south when the dam was built, and what is now the BNSF San Bernardino Subdivison  and still passes within sight of the spillway.  The lighting works best in late fall and early winter, so here are some drone views from November of last year.

1-2) Eastbound stacks and westbound baretables meet below the spillway, with the interchange between state routes 91 and 71 (a.k.a The 91 and The 71) in the left background.

3) Eastbound Inland Empire/Orange County line Metrolink train 1858 heads toward Corona.

Happy 250th 4th, everyone!

---

---

---

Nice drone work to capture the mural including the nearby rail action. The new EB 91 transition to NB 71 must have been recently opened at the time of the images.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The spillway was decorated with a large mural
> celebrating the Bicentennial in 1976 and left in
> place, gradually deteriorating in the blistering
> sun until it was restored in 2023. 

It has been repainted at least one other time before 2023, and maybe at least twice.  Fortunately the graffiti vandal a-holes have largely left it alone.

Prado Dam was built as a result of the devastating floods that hit So. California in late winter of 1938. Lots of railroad infrastructure was damaged. I believe part of the Third District further down in Santa Ana Canyon was washed out. Much of Northern Orange County was under water. John Signor’s fine book, “The Los Angeles Division” covers the floods with some amazing photos.

Very nice.
JB

The story and history of the Prado Dam Mural is interesting.

The original mural was conceived, created, and executed entirely in 1976 by Corona High School students.

It was almost removed in 2014, with resulting community meetings with the US Army Corps of Engineers and subsequent legal battles.

Over the years, it suffered from both federal legal threats of removal and vandalism and defamation. 

In September of 2022, the US Army Corps of Engineers finally approved the restoration.

That was done in April-May 2023.

https://onewaypainting.com/history-of-prado-dam-mural/

 

Topfuel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Evan_Werkema Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The spillway was decorated with a large mural
> > celebrating the Bicentennial in 1976 and left
> in
> > place, gradually deteriorating in the
> blistering
> > sun until it was restored in 2023. 
>
> It has been repainted at least one other time
> before 2023, and maybe at least twice. 
> Fortunately the graffiti vandal a-holes have
> largely left it alone.

Not it was not.

Great views!!

> > It has been repainted at least one other time
> > before 2023, and maybe at least twice. 
> > Fortunately the graffiti vandal a-holes have
> > largely left it alone.
>
> Not it was not.

Since I have been driving by that mural from time to time since it was created, I do not agree with your assessment.  It is obvious that is has been touched up several times over the years, whether "authorized" or not.  But believe what you want to believe.

Topfuel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > > It has been repainted at least one other time
> > > before 2023, and maybe at least twice. 
> > > Fortunately the graffiti vandal a-holes have
> > > largely left it alone.
> >
> > Not it was not.
>
> Since I have been driving by that mural from time
> to time since it was created, I do not agree with
> your assessment.  It is obvious that is has been
> touched up several times over the years, whether
> "authorized" or not.  But believe what you want
> to believe.

You might be referring to the vandalism and defacement that have occurred over the years.

That flood control dam, and the open space / park behind it, is really cool, being in the middle of so much humanity.  When it rains hard, that dam earns it keep, but also prevents sand from reaching the many LA beaches.  All that sand kept the beaches replenished.  Now, they have to truck the sand in.

Where was the old ATSF main line relative to the dam / holding basin??

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Where was the old ATSF main line relative to the dam / holding basin??

This should help with the track relocation question.
—Michael

---

A SoCal refugee here, wondering if the bridge piers from the pre - 1938 Santa Ana riverbed alignment are still there. I recall several times seeing flood waters backed up behind the dam during my years in Orange County. As an aside, a replacement racetrack for the Riverside Raceway was proposed for some of the property behind the dam; however the local NIMBY's shot it down.

Aprefugee Wrote:

> A SoCal refugee here, wondering if the bridge
> piers from the pre - 1938 Santa Ana riverbed
> alignment are still there.

Before the dam, the railroad ran diagonally northeast-to-southwest where it crossed the river.  The westernmost piers and abutment were lost when the Santa Ana was channelized and re-routed below the dam, but two piers and one abutment from the eastern end of the old bridge can still be seen in aerial photos:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xnXEEs5CqDujXuD97