Passenger Trains > Downed power lines in LA causing service disruptions

I'm more or less wondering if anyone has an update on the downed power lines that came down yesterday between LA-Fullerton. Normally downed lines are cleared in a matter of hours but its been over 24 hours and there is still pretty big service disruptions as a result.

Metrolink has cancelled all trains on the Orange County Line and 91/Perris Valley Line
Amtrak has cancelled all trains between LA-Fullerton. Trains are originating/terminating at Fullerton with a bus connection.

Amtrak Southwest Chief #4 (26) took rare trackage over the Metrolink San Gabriel Sub to get to San Bernardino and train #3 (25) due into Los Angeles 01/27 (this morning) may also take the San Gabriel Sub inbound.

From what I've heard, the downed lines are actually near the Amtrak 8th St yard and are blocking some access/train movements near the yard. I had also heard they came down near Commerce so can't 100% confirm exactly where they're down at. It was reported they are hoping to have the lines cleared by the afternoon so trains can at least run for the evening commute but no idea if that's still in the cards. Anyone have any updates to the situation? 

My granddaughter just called from #3, she is ticketed to Fullerton.  They are not stopping at Riverside or Fullerton, so I'm picking her up at L.A.  Looks like they are detouring again via Metrolink.  When she phoned, she said it was snowing.  There's snow on Hesperia railcam at Lugo, east of Cajon Summit.

mapboy

The power line story has effected the Coast Starlight as well, apparently the SB was turned at SLO.

Looking at #14 Noon arrival into Dunsmuir.

https://asm.transitdocs.com/

Amtrak's website says the southbound Coast Starlight #11 terminated in Oakland today.  LA bound passengers were going to be transferred to a San Joaquin train at Martinez.

Gerry

westcoastrails Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm more or less wondering if anyone has an update
> on the downed power lines that came down yesterday
> between LA-Fullerton. Normally downed lines are
> cleared in a matter of hours but its been over 24
> hours and there is still pretty big service
> disruptions as a result.
>

It all depends on what caused the lines to come down. Car verses pole is one thing. A landslide or a ruptured water main or some other caused would have to be resolved before putting lines back up.

So far there has been amazingly little info as to whats actually going on.  I read that the power lines are down at 22nd st, which would be well south of the 8th st yard.
Metrolink and surflines from LA up the coastr line are operating, so dont know why 11 and 14 cant get to LA>  If servicing is an issue, how come 3 and 4 and make in in/out of LA OK. ?

Things not adding up...
 

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So far there has been amazingly little info as to
> whats actually going on.  I read that the power
> lines are down at 22nd st, which would be well
> south of the 8th st yard.
> Metrolink and surflines from LA up the coastr line
> are operating, so dont know why 11 and 14 cant get
> to LA>  If servicing is an issue, how come 3 and
> 4 and make in in/out of LA OK. ?
>
> Things not adding up...
>  

As I said in my original post, trains 3 and 4 detoured via the Metrolink San Gabriel Sub.

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So far there has been amazingly little info as to
> whats actually going on.  I read that the power
> lines are down at 22nd st, which would be well
> south of the 8th st yard.
> Metrolink and surflines from LA up the coastr line
> are operating, so dont know why 11 and 14 cant get
> to LA>  If servicing is an issue, how come 3 and
> 4 and make in in/out of LA OK. ?
>
> Things not adding up...
>  

Well the question is which power lines are down?  Your neighborhood 3300 volt high voltage lines or a 66,000 volt high tension line. It does make a difference.

If the poles and pylons came down with the wires, that could take a while to fix.

Posted from Android

There always seems to be mixed reports but the most accurate one I've seen reported a few times is they were/are high voltage lines and it has cut power in the area, affecting the railroad, but also posing the safety threat of the downed lines. So high power lines could take a bit longer to replace. Not sure they're hope of running trains by this afternoon is in the cards anymore.

westcoastrails Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amtrak Southwest Chief #4 (26) took rare trackage
> over the Metrolink San Gabriel Sub to get to San
> Bernardino and train #3 (25) due into Los Angeles
> 01/27 (this morning) may also take the San Gabriel
> Sub inbound.
>

Thanks for posting this info.  I was wondering how they were bypassing Fullerton and Riverside and still running SanB-LA.  BSB   

From Metrolink's Facebook's page. Photos of the downed power lines.
In the third photo, some damage can be seen


https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/475150184_1068736761960970_8241294591930159678_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=LlRFZ15AJKsQ7kNvgHwA3Bo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.xx&_nc_gid=AY3TG133x9S7C0hr71TvsM9&oh=00_AYDr46TCDV3oZEqtGQKkZrKzfOh_QNgk8eUcQP1Q3kV42w&oe=679E1FE1https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/475278513_1068736765294303_8280158724962530124_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=xgCrkseKWxoQ7kNvgEzV2wD&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.xx&_nc_gid=AyY54Pr4obSSHk_wya-_OrO&oh=00_AYCwvWZwVYcBSptKKNCCyHsxv0gY7iyRB13cIIII1_A8sw&oe=679DFB11https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/475233577_1068736828627630_3761080992112861305_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=jb8jtR3j8zYQ7kNvgGIfYgp&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&_nc_gid=APT-Vg-YFhMFi6b1LcbDOgB&oh=00_AYC78eloiYSEoMVfWAyx7mPp2DR0VtzmHu7Ik5w60meHzQ&oe=679DFD85

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival

GP25 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From Metrolink's Facebook's page. Photos of the
> downed power lines.
> In the third photo, some damage can be seen

Sadly, some people just refuse to utilize the excelent feature TO has, post preview, to see if what they are posting actually make sense and is usable.

Here is an actual presentable screen shot of the Metrolink Facebook page.

 

---

Definitely high power lines to be able to literally melt the rail head like that! Easier to understand why now it's taking a few days to get this cleaned up. They now estimate train service should resume by Wednesday morning (01/29).

Judging from the insulators seen in one photo, the downed wires are in an LADWP 34.5 kV subtransmission circuit, going to a distrubution station or an industrial transformer bank. No clues are given for the cause of this failure.  Car hit pole?  Old hardware breaking?  Sabotage?  Note that one line stayed energized long enough for the fault current to burn a chunk out of a railhead--this will have to be repaired before that track can be used.  Referring to an earlier comment--LADWP has no 66kV lines, that voltage is used by Edison.

These lines came down in the overnight hours of a rain storm that finally hit Southern California after nearly 7 months of no rain. However the winds associated with the storm were nothing near the 90-100mph gusts being recorded earlier in the month at the start of all the destructive wild fires. It's being reported those winds likely caused at least one of the major fires when they brought down power lines, something not new to SoCal and their wildfires unfortunately. Given the winds were no where near as strong during this rainstorm that brought down these lines disrupting rail service for going on 4 days now, it's anyone's guess what actually brought the lines down. May have been the storm but may have been something else.

You should see what that does to signal equipment. When I worked on the valley sub, a line came down near Burbank Jct and litteraly blew sub panels off the backboards for several miles on the valley and coastline. The arrestors stood no chance and neither did the signal equipment.

westcoastrails Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Definitely high power lines to be able to
> literally melt the rail head like that! Easier to
> understand why now it's taking a few days to get
> this cleaned up. They now estimate train service
> should resume by Wednesday morning (01/29).

"Hey Joe, would you go lift that cable off the rails, please?  Thanks."

YIKES.

You gotta wonder how far down the line (in either direction) that rail remained energized, if it melted at the point of contact?????

coach Wrote:
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> You gotta wonder how far down the line (in either
> direction) that rail remained energized, if it
> melted at the point of contact?????

Hopefully the first insulated joints from where the wires came in contact.

thats huge, the power line hopefully shut down quite quickly automatically, maybe not?

8.5 hours late for #4,     this may have contributed a little of that