Nostalgia & History > A trio of meets

1)At what used to be the end of double track on Santa Fe's Third District between Los Angeles and San Bernardino before the single track stretch through Santa Ana Canyon, Santa Fe SD45-2 5804 East holds for Santa Fe SD40-2 5201 West in December of 1987. This location was called Esperanza and today I believe it is now triple-track!

2)On May 1, 1991 Montana Rail Link's Eastbound manifest SM (Sandpoint, ID-Missoula, MT) behind GP35 #401 and SD40 213 heads down the mainline as LMX 8584 on Burlington Northern's Westbound train #195 holds the siding at Tuscor, Montana.

3)Out on Beaumont Hill East of West Colton in Southern California, a pair of Southern Pacific trains pass each other heading toward their respective destinations on SP's Sunset Route. SD40R 7368 is on the closest track heading East while SSW (Cotton Belt) SD45T-2 9287 is proceeding Westbound in October of 1985.

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Nice shots and the top one really brings back memories, looks like the westbound "Harbor" train. Esperanza in '09 when I retired was the west end of a seven mile stretch of three track main line east to Prado Dam and two tracks westbound with a ten thousand foot siding just west of Esperanza that eventually would (will?) become three tracks to the west. East of Esperanza in the three track stretch main one is used almost exclusively for "staging" of outbound and inbound trains both loaded and empty.
JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/12 15:36 by 3rdswitch.

I really like all three! Thanks for sharing!

I know where you get it from, like father like son.

Bob

Cool stuff! Those SP double stack cars must have been quite new.