Passenger Trains > Question about Union Pacific’s Alhambra Subdivision

South of the San Gabriel Valley Airport in El Monte a track branches off the Alhambra line and heads down the median of Interstate 10 to connect with the Sunset Route near Union Station. There are some Metrolink stations along this line.

What is this line called? Is it a former PE line? Is it owned by Metrolink now?

This was originally the Southern Pacific State Street Line.  In the early 1990's, it along with the western half of the Baldwin Park Branch became the Metrolink San Gabriel Subdivision.  A new Metrolink track, with a flyover to get from the south side to the north side, was built from El Monte east to Bassett.  Originally there was a single crossover allowing trains to switch from the Alhambra Sub to the San Gabriel Sub at the east end of the Metrolink siding in El Monte.  It was relocated to Bassett (where a opposite direction crossover was built) when a grade seperation occurred in El Monte.  So today, there is no connection between the two tracks in El Monte.  There is one Metrolink station on the old State Street Line at Cal State LA.

It do believe it was orginally a PE Line but I don't remember off the top of my head which line it was.  Unless I am mistaken, the east end of the State Street Line final configuation came about due to the El Monte Bus Way project of the late 1970's or early 1980's.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/22 10:48 by BNSF6400.

It is part of Metrolink's San Bernardino Line (San Gabreil Subdivision on track charts).  It was SP's State Street Branch and was sold to the LACTC (now LACMTA) as part of the larger SP ROW sale in 1990.  SP abandoned freights on the branch in 1994.

Yes, part of the San Bernardino Line of the PE, to SP, then Metrolink.
—Mac

Sp1110 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is it a former PE line?
> Is it owned by Metrolink now?

Why did Southern Pacific abandon the eastern half of the Baldwin Park Branch?

Sp1110 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why did Southern Pacific abandon the eastern half
> of the Baldwin Park Branch?

Absolutely no on-line business whatsoever.  The very far eastern end, between the western part of Rialto and the connection with the Mojave Sub remains to serve a single lumberyard.  West of there, the route had no remaining customers.  The trackwork was 60 pound jointed rail so it was of no real use if future plans were to reuse the ROW for train use.  I don't believe the tracks were actually pulled up until after the UP merger.

The former State Street line was the Pacific Electric line from downtown Los Angeles to San Bernardino.
It used street running from 6th and Main Street, crossed the L.A. River at Aliso Street and went about 1/3 mile to where the Pasadena Short line branched off to the north, and  in about another 3/4 mile the line to Santa Anita, Sierra Madre and east a ways branched off to the north.  You can see the traces of their lines on Googlearth.
It was then went around a couple of hills to Marengo then a straight shot through El Monte, Baldwin Park, and Covina.  From Marengo to the Rio Hondo it was in the center median of Ramona Blvd.  Then it continued past Lone Hill, Pomona, Ontario, Upland, Rialto, and San Berdoo.
Electric passenger service was eliminated in the 1940s and the PE got trackage rights on the SP Pomona line and abandoned street running in Covina.
The Calif. Dept. of Highways helped expedite the demise of passenger service out of Los Angeles by taking over the Aliso St. river crossing and making it the beginning of what is now the I-10 eastward, and built the freeway on the two sides of Ramona, boxing in the PE track.
In the 1970s they wanted to add bus lanes so they took all but the 20-foot slot you see now and compensated the SP (who owned the track) by upgrading the line to welded rail and CTC and making better connections to the UP East Bank line and built the flyover to connect with the Alhambra line and eliminate street running in El Monte.
Metrolink bought that version of the line and later added the siding at Marengo/Jordan and the concrete ties.
More than you asked for I'll bet!
 

BNSF6400 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sp1110 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Why did Southern Pacific abandon the eastern
> half
> > of the Baldwin Park Branch?
>
> Absolutely no on-line business whatsoever.  The
> very far eastern end, between the western part of
> Rialto and the connection with the Mojave Sub
> remains to serve a single lumberyard.  West of
> there, the route had no remaining customers.  The
> trackwork was 60 pound jointed rail so it was of
> no real use if future plans were to reuse the ROW
> for train use.  I don't believe the tracks were
> actually pulled up until after the UP merger.

Do GP15-1s work with 60 lb jointed rail?

Sp1110 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BNSF6400 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Sp1110 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Why did Southern Pacific abandon the eastern
> > half
> > > of the Baldwin Park Branch?
> >
> > Absolutely no on-line business whatsoever. 
> The
> > very far eastern end, between the western part
> of
> > Rialto and the connection with the Mojave Sub
> > remains to serve a single lumberyard.  West of
> > there, the route had no remaining customers. 
> The
> > trackwork was 60 pound jointed rail so it was
> of
> > no real use if future plans were to reuse the
> ROW
> > for train use.  I don't believe the tracks
> were
> > actually pulled up until after the UP merger.
>
> Do GP15-1s work with 60 lb jointed rail?........if it goes slow eñough even a DDA40X can work on 60lb. Rail.

Proud Foamer
OAKLEY, CA