Passenger Trains > Pepsi Unit on the Pacific Surfliner

Pepsi Unit #507 was on the Surfliner today. She the second unit behind #458

I am not sure what assignment #507 was on. But was nice to see a Pepsi Unit.

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival

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One thing I've often wondered about L.A. Union Station; what is the "middle" track (shown in above picture) used for?

I believe all station tracks have this "middle" track. Were they built for handling mail cars or something like that?

Thanks,
Joe

They were escape tracks for the locomotives on incoming trains. There is a crossover further down for the locomotive to use.

Sharon Evans
Glen Allen, VA

I believe it was made as an "escape" track so the engine could be cut off and backed out independently. At least back in the steam days.

These days, you will frequently see the protect engines parked there waiting for duty.

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ecweaver Wrote:
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> I believe it was made as an "escape" track so the
> engine could be cut off and backed out
> independently. At least back in the steam days.

Before the days of push-pull, trains would arrive "head in" into the depot tracks. In order to facilitate the servicing of the locomotives, they would cut them off from the consist and proceed back out via the escape track to their home loco service area. (Hostlers would operate the power back to the yards.) A switch engine would then tie on to the consist and pull it back to the coach yard. This was done in both steam and diesel eras, well into Amtrak. This was also done with outbound consists. In 1968, I would occasionally work the coach yard job at UP east yard. We would bring the outbound COLA 104 consist into the depot, usually with a GP9, then once detached, proceed out the escape track to pick up the consist of COLA 103, usually on a nearby track. We would drag the consist back to the yard, turn it on the wye (part of the San Pedro branch), pull it through the washer, then move it over to the service tracks. (Occasionally, while at LAUPT, we would tie the engine down behind the outbound consist, and head over to Phillipe's for some pretty amazing French dip sandwiches.)

Thanks, everyone, for the explaination.

Joe

Ahh but don't insult Pepsi any more than you have to. I liked original P32 Pepsi, I thought P32 "diet" Pepsi was classy, but three sheets isn't Pepsi.

So why is the crossover so far back? Seems like that doesn't leave much platform for the cars, unless they were pushed further down toward the bumping post once the locomotive was cut off and on its way out on the escape track.

As noted above the train would come into the terminal engine first, remember LAUPT is stub end. They would stop just far enough away from the bumper post to allow the power to cut off and move forward past the switch, then back down the escape track. There is/was plenty of platform space to park a 20 car train with power.

Sharon Evans
Glen Allen, VA

Not quite true, Sharon. If they pull to the bumper on the longest tracks they can handle perhaps 15 cars with 2 engines.

Also (not Sharon's post) only tracks 8-12 have escape tracks. The lower-numbered tracks never had them. Back in the day, the locomotive component of the train was quite a bit longer (think 3-4 E units, or 5 F units) than they are today.

ColdRainAndSnow Wrote:
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> These days, you will frequently see the protect
> engines parked there waiting for duty.

Nice collection of the protect engines you got there.

When Amtrak borrows freight power for their LD trains to Los Angeles, they often end up on these tracks as well.