Nostalgia & History > San Timeteo Canyon before double track

Dupe slide from Tom Gildersleeve showing two GP9's shoving on an eastbound at Redlands.

Adam



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/20 12:39 by Mr-Beechcroft.

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Wow, my early years of life just flashed before me—thank you.
—Mac

That is a fantastic photo!
JB

Excellent shot, both in color and composition. Last GP9s I can remember in helper service on San Tim was an emergency rescue push on an eastbound
with a dead GP30. Power was called extra out of West Colton and was the normal power on the All Cities local.

Out

Beautiful historic photo.
Bob

Gorgeous!

Posted from iPhone

So, this begs the question: what year did they double track this area?

Railbaron Wrote:
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> So, this begs the question: what year did they
> double track this area?

I'll have to double check but my memory banks are telling me 1974...

Allen

Posted from Android

Complete with one of the neat concrete phone booths!

Andy

Train indicator boards appear to be empty.
Love the black widow scheme.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

What a great photo!!

Larry

"Tail end Charlie" says fantastic photo.  Thanks for sharing.

Kent in CArmel Valley

Thanks to Tom for Sharing.
I lived about 1 mile beyond the train, up on the terrace in suburban Redlands for 5 years.
IIRC the second main track was completed just before I was transferred from San Antonio to Los Angeles in 1975 so '74 is highly plausible.

railstiesballast Wrote:
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> Thanks to Tom for Sharing.
> I lived about 1 mile beyond the train, up on the
> terrace in suburban Redlands for 5 years.
> IIRC the second main track was completed just
> before I was transferred from San Antonio to Los
> Angeles in 1975 so '74 is highly plausible.
Yes. When we moved to Loma Linda in 1977, it was already done.

Adam

Railbaron Wrote:
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> So, this begs the question: what year did they
> double track this area?

The timetable page shows that the second track was in place and no mention of Redlands in the "Stations" column by
April 27, 1975.

The language of the timetable bulletin, (see first entry at top of page) which was issued 4 days earlier and contains a resume
of bulletins still in effect when the new timetable became effective, suggests that something was going on within those 8.15 miles
between Loma Linda and Ordway prior to the issuance of the new timetable. I have to believe the "new track construction" referred
to was, at least in part, that second main track.

The last applicable ETT issued prior to 1975 that shows Redlands and its 6034 foot siding that I've seen is
the San Joaquin And Los Angeles Division timetable dated June 6, 1972. 

Charlie



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/20 07:18 by cewherry.

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My Trainmasters district in 1972-1973 just prior to construction and opening of the West Colton hump yard.  I, too lived just over that ridge on Crown Street in Redlands.  Just five minutes from here via Alahandro Rd. (I've timed it)

great picture!

Edit: I got a PM from RTB pointing out that 1974 is the correct construction date.  I looked at an older 2002 track chart.  Although it says, “2nd ML constructed- 1978", below that on the No. 1 Track in places there's 1974 rail, and on the older No. 2 Track there's 1960 rail.

UP track chart says second main in question built 1978 [not so, see above]. Maybe RTB can comment on where these dates on the track chart come from, and are they updated well after the fact. These chart pages say “Last Updated: 11/28/17” except for the yard maps. From the UP Yuma Sub track chart, first the construction years, then the year the second main line was added.

Old Colton on west- “constructed 1875”.
Old Colton to Indio- 1876.
Indio to Colorado River- 1877. Salton Sea line change- 1906.
Colorado River- on east 1878.

Colton Tower to Loma Linda Xover “2nd ML constructed- 1943”, which was about when my late uncle T. J. (Tom) Gill railroaded over Beaumont Hill. So congested from WWII, sometimes you got on a train in a siding and never moved a wheel all day.
Loma Linda Xover to Ordway- 1978  [incorrect, see above- 1974].
Ordway to El Casco- 1963.
El Casco to MP 559 between Hinda and Beaumont- 1957.
MP 559 to Apex- 1956.
Apex to MP 570 between Banning and Owl- 2001.
MP 570 to Owl- 2000.
Owl to Fingal- 1956.
Fingal to MP 585 between Hugo and West Palm Springs- 2004.
MP 585 to Amtrak Palm Springs Platform- 2009.
Amtrak Platform to MP 609.6 between Myoma and Indio.
MP 609.6 to Whitewater River between Coachella and Thermal- 1956.
Whitewater River on east- 2009.

Trivia- at the east switch Mecca, MP 626.15, it says, “Elevation- 204.45’ below sea level lowest surface railroad point in North America.”

mapboy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/20 12:55 by mapboy.

mapboy Wrote:
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> UP track chart says second main in question built
> 1978. Maybe RTB can comment on where these dates
> on the track chart come from, and are they updated
> well after the fact. These chart pages say “Last
> Updated: 11/28/17...."

Another UP track chart, from 2002 provided by Tim Zukas and posted on the wx4.org website, 
shows the same 1978 date for the second main track from Ordway to Loma Linda

Author John Signor in his Beaumont Hill repeats what your 2017 and Tim Zukas' 2002 charts say; 1978 as the
year the second track was put into service.

I don't know how to respond other than what I've posted. Two later SP Los Angeles Division
timetables in my files, No 5--effective October 26, 1975 and No. 8--effective October 30, 1977 both show
the same information as what No. 4 shows; a two main track railroad between Santa Fe Interlocking and Beaumont.
There is definitely a conflict in this area. 

> "....Colton Tower to Loma Linda Xover “2nd ML
> constructed- 1943”, which was about when my late
> uncle T. J. (Tom) Gill railroaded over Beaumont
> Hill. So congested from WWII, sometimes you got on
> a train in a siding and never moved a wheel all
> day..."

Was T.J. Gill related to Billy Gill?

I never knew the former but certainly remember the latter.

Thanks, mapboy!

Charlie

 

cewherry Wrote:
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> mapboy Wrote:
> > "....Colton Tower to Loma Linda Xover “2nd ML
> > constructed- 1943”, which was about when my
> late
> > uncle T. J. (Tom) Gill railroaded over Beaumont
> > Hill. So congested from WWII, sometimes you got
> on
> > a train in a siding and never moved a wheel all
> > day..."
>
> Was T.J. Gill related to Billy Gill?
>
> I never knew the former but certainly remember the
> latter.
>
> Thanks, mapboy!
>
> Charlie

No, never heard of a Billy Gill in the family tree.  Like a lot of Irish, when my forebearers came to America, they anglicized "McGill" into "Gill". 

mapboy

I finally got out my 12/87 Los Angeles Division
> track chart, '74 it is.
> That is based on the 1974 date of the rail
> installed in that area on the No. 1 track.  The
> No. 2 track rail dates from 1962..
> The SP track charts don't indicate the date of
> track construction.
> My July 2003 UP track chart shows the '74 rail in
> place on the tangents with newer rail on the
> curves by then.
> The date for the track construction does not
> indicate anything other than the 1876 construction
> by the SP and the UP acquisition in 1996, plus a
> note about the dates for building and later
> abandoning the Redlands branch.
I was on the Los Angeles Division in 1978 and I don't recall any double tracking here, it was all done.