Passenger Trains > Amtrak Between Mojave and Barstow??

Howdy... did Amtrak ever run between Mojave and Barstow? Did any other passenger trains run there? No I am not referring to a very rare thing, like officer specials. I am referring to regular scheduled passenger trains.

Thanks,

6088

ATSF San Francisco Chief.

F40PHR231 Wrote:
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> ATSF San Francisco Chief.


Last service: just before Amtrak started service in May, 1971.

Currently, Amtrak serves this segment via its bus service.

To answer your question, no schedule service operated by Amtrak.

detours LAX-Barstow, when normal route via San Bernardino/Victorville was closed for storms/derailments.

mundo Wrote:
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> To answer your question, no schedule service
> operated by Amtrak.


Ah, I missed the A-word. I was thinking passenger service in general, oops.

I'm one step ahead of you.

Michael Barron would have to build a new leg of a wye at Mojave before he could start running his X Train.

That would be one of the easiest issues he'd have to surmount.

Seems to me that building a connector between the ex SP Cajon Pass line at Hiland to the BNSF at Summit might be a better solution than via Mojave. After all, travel time to/from Vegas is critical to success, and the Mojave route would be much longer, therefore less patronized.

Better utilizing the less heavily traveled Palmdale Cutoff would seem to make sense and help ease any bottleneck on Cajon.

Detours in early 1978 when Cajon was o/s. Routed SP Soledad Cyn and then onto the ATSF to Barstow

calzephyr48 Wrote:
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> Seems to me that building a connector between the
> ex SP Cajon Pass line at Hiland to the BNSF at
> Summit might be a better solution than via Mojave.
> After all, travel time to/from Vegas is critical
> to success, and the Mojave route would be much
> longer, therefore less patronized.
>
> Better utilizing the less heavily traveled
> Palmdale Cutoff would seem to make sense and help
> ease any bottleneck on Cajon.

In 1959 the westbound San Francisco Chief was carded for 65 minutes from Barstow to Mojave (a conditional stop). The westbound San Joaquin Daylight was scheduled for 180 minutes from LAUPT to Mojave. The combined time is only ten nine minutes more than Amtrak currently allots for the eastbound Southwest Chief from LA to Barstow. Of course that doesn't mean that time could be achieved today, although for what it's worth Metrolink is 15-25 minutes faster up to Lancaster than the SP was (with more stops).

Dave

Of course, the chances of any conventional Amtrak service operating here is quite a bit less than CA HSR opening its new line.

calzephyr48 Wrote:
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> Seems to me that building a connector between the
> ex SP Cajon Pass line at Hiland to the BNSF at
> Summit might be a better solution than via Mojave.
> After all, travel time to/from Vegas is critical
> to success, and the Mojave route would be much
> longer, therefore less patronized.
>
> Better utilizing the less heavily traveled
> Palmdale Cutoff would seem to make sense and help
> ease any bottleneck on Cajon.

The connector already exists just (geographic) west of Hiland. Whether that route would alleviate any problems is questionable, however.

IMHO the Mojave route is a non-starter. Much longer and probably congestion on the single track between Barstow and Mojave.

jmonier Wrote:
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> calzephyr48 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Seems to me that building a connector between
> the
> > ex SP Cajon Pass line at Hiland to the BNSF at
> > Summit might be a better solution than via
> Mojave.
> > After all, travel time to/from Vegas is
> critical
> > to success, and the Mojave route would be much
> > longer, therefore less patronized.
> >
> > Better utilizing the less heavily traveled
> > Palmdale Cutoff would seem to make sense and
> help
> > ease any bottleneck on Cajon.
>
> The connector already exists just (geographic)
> west of Hiland. Whether that route would alleviate
> any problems is questionable, however.
>
> IMHO the Mojave route is a non-starter. Much
> longer and probably congestion on the single track
> between Barstow and Mojave.

Well BNSF and UP have already told them that Cajon is a non-starter. So it's either Mojave or build your own!

The route via Mojave taps a very large growth of population present and future. Granted not as much as south and east of LA
but if BNSF said no to Cajon the route should be penciled out.

Folks in the Hesperia and Victorville area asking for Metrolink service, so adds to mix on Cajon, down the road.

Pre-AMTRAK, in addition to the San Francisco Chief, Santa Fe also ran a north section of their mail train. Unlike the LA section of the mail train, the north section carried passengers in a rider coach.

Even with FOUR mainlines (BNSF 3 - UP 1) Cajon is a pretty busy place.
They have enough fun just running two passenger trains a day there already!

The Saint & The Angel "of fond memory." LA, Barstow, Mojave, Oakland.

Double tracking from Mojave to Barstow wouldn't be that hard to do, just takes money!

At one time Amtrak was going to split 3&4 at Barstow with an OAK section.
The 703&704 numbers were introduced to accommodate this.
Never happened.
Later the numbers came to mean BFD-SAC trains, and
Later still 701&702 filled the void.
SR

BoilingMan Wrote:
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> At one time Amtrak was going to split 3&4 at
> Barstow with an OAK section.
> The 703&704 numbers were introduced to accommodate
> this.
> Never happened.
> Later the numbers came to mean BFD-SAC trains,
> and
> Later still 701&702 filled the void.
> SR


That was never a real plan, and Amtrak certainly had nothing to do with it. Likely a Caltrans fantasy moment! It's been very clear that UP will not allow a train over the Tehachapi line.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/14 09:23 by reindeerflame.

Once or twice in recent years Amtrak LA-CHI trains have detoured through here and been turned on the existing wye...They went along I St. a block west of where I live when they do that...
I am not holding my breath about any of this.
As a reporter I have ridden in ATSF cabs between here and Barstow and it's a quick trip.
Also, when the SJ Daylight ran the special orange speed board for them between Mojave and Rosamond was "70" and they were listed in the old Railroad Magazine's annual lists of the fastest trains in America.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA