Day 4: Desert Action at Cajon Pass

We started off our Sunday morning with about 5 trains going by in the time we were puttering around with bags and loading the car. No problem. This gave us a chance to shoot a few morning light shots from the motel just to show off the view. Once packed, we ventured up to a perch known as CP Silverwood. This is a point at which the south track diverges from the other two for the short but steep way down the pass. There is also a connection to the UP line as well - apparently built when the ATSF and SP wanted to merge in the 1980's. Silverwood is where my long lens met the ground suddenly, rendering it useless. But I still had the other zoom, though with less reach. After deciding that we might roast on this open spot, we moved on to the now daylighted Tunnels One and Two. The roads are apparently public lands and include some close brushes with the track ballast where the cuts merge with the road. We were on the way back to town when we saw an eastbound coming up the hill. Back to the former tunnels for some shots.

After this train passed we ventured west down through the canyons on the old Route 66. This was fun in places. We'd make two stops to drop off video cameras in two places and I'd join one of them. We headed back toward the local park with the unfortunate moniker of "Pickle Park" to catch two westbounds. The scenery there was great and no one bothered us, though one local apologized for the activities that go on there. We caught our trains and headed to lunch.

Lunch at the McDonalds at Cajon Pass gave us yet another view of the funnel into which Rt. 66, I-15 and the 4 sets of rails must fit. I managed to get a shot of a passing train from the dining room. It was a crowded place but a welcome bit of a/c and something to recharge us.

From McDonald's we ventured up to Summit. Trains magazine has had articles by the guy (Chard Walker?) who was a station operator there in the 1950's and kept a camp trailer nearby. This is the point where the pass meets the high desert. This is also the point at which BNSF tolerance of the roads ends. On the other side of the Summit station area the fencing topped with razor wire begins. We even had a friendly visit from a security guard warning us to stay back from the tracks. No harm done. We were off to the overlook above that spot anyway. The overlook was spectacular to say the least. It was a pull-off from the road to Lake Arrowhead, so the Sunday traffic was steady. Some people stopped to take a look and asked us if something special was coming.



Before long we met up with a genuine "West Colton Tower Thug" by the name of Alan. The Wheelman had chased trains with him before and we were now treated to his expertise in the area. From Summit we went through the maze of roads to Hill 582 because it offered shade and a place to sit. We watched about 5 trains go by there on all but the south track and decided to seek out Sullivan's Curve.






Sullivan's Curve is apparently named after a photographer who took many nationally published photos of this area. The "Mormon Rocks" and of course the huge curve figure prominently in the pictures. Even some scenes from Blazing Saddles come from this general area. It's quite scenic to put it mildly. We sat on an a large bump that overlooked the end of the UP's Canyon siding and all four tracks on Sullivan's curve. We got meets on both lines and of course meets between lines. The upper tracks are the old SP and the lower are the old ATSF.

Here the Wheelman realized he was missing his camera bag (lenses, not camera). They were not found after a search. Tough day for camera lenses!

Eventually the shadows got long and the scanner got quieter. We said goodbye to Alan and headed to Bakersfield via Boron. Dinner at Denny's outside of Victorville and old time radio shows on the satellite radio. It was pitch black when we went by Tehachapi this time.



BC