Passenger Trains > A tour of San Diego's MTS Light Rail system

Here's a few pics from the San Diego light rail system; all pics dated 11/4/17.

The line to San Ysidro and the line past La Mesa (the original ex-SD&AE routes) still host freight trains "after hours" when the light rail trains don't operate.

1. Southern end of track at San Ysidro. The Greyhound station and border with Mexico are in the near distance.
2. A light rail train passing the San Ysidro yard. The yard had a perimeter fence; no easily accessible public location to get a pic.
3. A train approaches maintenance workers cleaning up the right of way. Their supervisor had a portable air horn to warn them.

Continued...

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4. CORP engine in the San Ysidro yard. No easy way to get a decent picture (maybe a drone would work)
5. Street trackage on Commercial Street, unchanged from the SD&AE days except for the additional track
6. East end of the system at Santee at a mall. The Barnes & Noble there has rail magazines.

Continued...

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7. Low-cost crossing solution for a mall access road at Santee. Traffic signal + crossbuck/bells/flashers; no gates. Would this work on other low-traffic-volume streets with grade crossings? People may be less likely to run a traffic light than other kinds of signals.
8. Grossmont Transit Center transfer point. Several housing units built right next to station.

end of series; thanks for looking

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Yeah, trying to use a drone to get pictures of the San Ysidro yard would probably not be a good idea.
It's right next to the border and the Border Patrol would probably not be amused.

Did you note that only some trolleys go all the way to Santee? Others stop at the El Cajon Transit Center; it isn't just because the Orange line stops there. When I transferred and rode the Green line to Santee I noticed there is a lengthy stretch of track approaching Santee without overhead electric wires. Those trolleys that make the route apparently run on battery power to cross those sections.

I stand corrected. See my response to John below.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/17 19:34 by Cumbresfan.

What is the status of the north line to UC San Diego? Is it under construction or just planned. If under construction, do they have a completion date?

CumbresFan,

My son attends UCSD, and so I visit on frequent occasions. I am amazed at how quickly the overhead work has progressed in the UTC area. I don't know the 'official' term for the overpasses and bridges, but at the north end of the line there is much obvious progress. As an aside, my son is rather annoyed that he will not get to ride the new line while a student - he graduates this spring.

Sorry no pictures.

SCC

Cumbresfan Wrote:
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> Did you note that only some trolleys go all the
> way to Santee? Others stop at the El Cajon Transit
> Center; it isn't just because the Orange line
> stops there. When I transferred and rode the Green
> line to Santee I noticed there is a lengthy
> stretch of track approaching Santee without
> overhead electric wires. Those trolleys that make
> the route apparently run on battery power to cross
> those sections.

The Orange Line operates over the original SD&AE line via La Mesa and terminates at El Cajon. The newer Green Line operates via Mission Valley and El Cajon and continues on to Santee. The entire line to Santee is electrified. There is freight only trackage between El Cajon and Santee which is not electrified. The new north line, now under construction branches off the Green Line just north of the Old Town station.

John Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cumbresfan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Did you note that only some trolleys go all the
> > way to Santee? Others stop at the El Cajon
> Transit
> > Center; it isn't just because the Orange line
> > stops there. When I transferred and rode the
> Green
> > line to Santee I noticed there is a lengthy
> > stretch of track approaching Santee without
> > overhead electric wires. Those trolleys that
> make
> > the route apparently run on battery power to
> cross
> > those sections.
>
> The Orange Line operates over the original SD&AE
> line via La Mesa and terminates at El Cajon. The
> newer Green Line operates via Mission Valley and
> El Cajon and continues on to Santee. The entire
> line to Santee is electrified. There is freight
> only trackage between El Cajon and Santee which is
> not electrified. The new north line, now under
> construction branches off the Green Line just
> north of the Old Town station.

John,
I stand corrected on my comment about a section of the trolley line not being electrified. I based it on my not seeing any support poles from the trolley when crossing the intersection of Mission Gorge Road and Cuyamaca Street in Santee. Indeed there are no poles as the track curves into the Santee Transit Center but Google Earth Street View shows the overhead line supported only by guy-wires from a number of light poles at the intersection. Very ingenious but likely a method copied from old trolley lines in the now-distant past.

John Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cumbresfan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Did you note that only some trolleys go all the
> > way to Santee? Others stop at the El Cajon
> Transit
> > Center; it isn't just because the Orange line
> > stops there. When I transferred and rode the
> Green
> > line to Santee I noticed there is a lengthy
> > stretch of track approaching Santee without
> > overhead electric wires. Those trolleys that
> make
> > the route apparently run on battery power to
> cross
> > those sections.

> The entire line to Santee is electrified. There is freight
> only trackage between El Cajon and Santee which is
> not electrified.

The freight portion of the Santee line ends at Bradley Ave. in El Cajon.
The last 2 remaining customers on this line are on this section of track.

Toro, at the end of the freight portion of the line, gets covered hopper
loads of plastic pellets and makes irrigation products.

Just north of the next cross street south of Bradley, is the 2nd customer.
They receive boxcar loads of large rolls of paper and manufactures paper
products, ie. cups, plates and the like! Don't remember the name of this company!

Mike

John Wrote:
The new north line, now under
> construction branches off the Green Line just
> north of the Old Town station.

The Surfliner route was closed to rail traffic south of Oceanside a few weeks ago. I don't know if that was to permit some adjacent ground work for the future MTS light rail line north of Old Town. Much grading is evident in the area, but it is not near any existing stations so I did not get any pictures (other than the one in the PRS Special post).

The new grading is west of the Surfliner/Coaster route; I don't know if a flyover bridge is in the plan [Old Town MTS trackage is east of the Surfliner route] or if there will some track relocation in the future.

casco17 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> John Wrote:
> The new north line, now under
> > construction branches off the Green Line just
> > north of the Old Town station.
>
> The Surfliner route was closed to rail traffic
> south of Oceanside a few weeks ago. I don't know
> if that was to permit some adjacent ground work
> for the future MTS light rail line north of Old
> Town. Much grading is evident in the area, but it
> is not near any existing stations so I did not get
> any pictures (other than the one in the PRS
> Special post).
>
> The new grading is west of the Surfliner/Coaster
> route; I don't know if a flyover bridge is in the
> plan or if there will some track relocation in
> the future.

I took some time today to do some of my own research and found a wealth of info at one link. It has construction info (2016-2021), a flyover view of the route, and detailed pdf aerial engineering maps showing stations and track location. To answer the question of track relocation, their is a flyover bridge for the LRT at Rose Creek just south of the SR-52/I-5 interchange where it moves to the west side of the Surfliner route. The LRT crosses I-5 twice as it approaches UCSD and the business area of University Town Center. From the first crossing of I-5 to the end of the line, the road is elevated above the roadway. When complete there will no doubt be wonderful views of the area from the train on this portion of the route.

http://keepsandiegomoving.com/Midcoast/midcoast-intro.aspx

Google earth is not very useful as the most recent update is from November of 2016 and very little work is evident. Stick with the aerial pdf maps to see the exact route.

Cumbresfan Wrote:
> I took some time today to do some of my own
> research and found a wealth of info at one link.
> It has construction info (2016-2021), a flyover
> view of the route, and detailed pdf aerial
> engineering maps showing stations and track
> location. To answer the question of track
> relocation, their is a flyover bridge for the LRT
> at Rose Creek just south of the SR-52/I-5
> interchange where it moves to the west side of the
> Surfliner route. The LRT crosses I-5 twice as it
> approaches UCSD and the business area of
> University Town Center. From the first crossing of
> I-5 to the end of the line, the road is elevated
> above the roadway.

Here are photos of the supports for the fly over at Rose Canyon/CP Elvira area MP 259.0.
This is just south of CP Elvira. Tons of Activity in the area!
Building in the background is part of the Karl Strauss Brewery.
Behind it, is Santa Fe Street and the I-5. To the right is the 52 Freeway.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/17 00:54 by bnsfdevore.

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