Day Three: West of Cajon Pass

After a motel stop in Azusa, we ventured toward Fullerton to see the action at the depot and to stop at a nearby camera shop. It was Saturday so the passenger rail was a bit different, but not bad. Plenty of Amtrak California and Metrolink. Freight was plentiful as well.

Fullerton is one of many stations with an overhead bridge for patrons to get to the other platform. There are three tracks here and passengers waiting for trains were everywhere. It was a very clean operation and the palm trees were a nice touch for people from away. Plenty of shelters, benches and shade for those who needed it. The old Santa Fe depot was all spruced up and had ticket offices and a cafe. The old UP depot was at the end of the site an had been beautifully restored into a Spaghetti Factory. Mixed in with the rail patrons were a few railfans of all stripes. Some gentlemen simply sat and watched. Some of the younger set were buzzing around with scanners and cameras. I think we were in-between.

We managed to see a few of everything. Amtrak California was obliging on both sides. Metrolink was subdued but showed up several times. The freight ran hot and cold but there was plenty of it. The action is constant but there were pauses. We ate at the cafe. The Wheelman and I had a burrito of course. It was good but I imagine that it was about normal or common for the area, about how general store pizza is so common, and fairly similar in this area. A train or two passed while we ate.

After Fullerton we took a spin around the area. Anaheim wasn't too far off so we took a spin around Disneyland to get one "normal" tourist site into the trip. No time to visit though. Off to the old Sunset Route out of Colton Yard.

We followed the line east out of the yard and encountered a few trains without much wait. We followed one and got others by chance. This part of the line has been double tracked for a while and UP is trying to add tracks farther east. The line runs to such places as San Antonio and New Orleans. It's the reason for the Gadsden Purchase along the border. If the south had had their way before the Civil War, this would have been the "Transcontinental Railroad". California history would have been somewhat different. The arguing prevented construction but the war ended the argument since Lincoln got things rolling during the war. The Southern Pacific Railroad was built eventually and it even took over the Central Pacific Railroad of transcontinental fame. Interestingly, the Union Pacific, also of transcontinental fame, has taken over all of the above.

On the way back to Cajon Pass we stopped into San Bernardino to look around at the old Santa Fe Railroad facilities. This was a key town in the history of the line. Shops and yards were built here. The large passenger station is still quite busy with Amtrak and Metrolink but the old steam era shops are gone. Apparently newer facilities exist but we missed them. Intermodal pads cover most of the old shops area and probably take up some of the yards. This is the first stop after Cajon Pass on a line that stretches all the way to Chicago. BNSF and fans call the line the "Transcon" line for this reason and it is an important spine in the new system. You can read the history of the line at the link above. Here was yet another transcontinental railroad and a busy one at that. It was famous for the many colorful passenger trains in the diesel age, especially the "Super Chief" with the red and silver "warbonnet" paint. We did manage to see many leftover "warbonnet" paint jobs from the last of the ATSF age - on Dash 9 locomotives rather than "covered wagons". Quite a few trains had one mixed in with the new orange.

We stopped just outside the pass next to a Cargill plant to take a picture of the plant switcher. Naturally, a couple of trains prevented us from leaving the spot. It was a neat location with the mountains rising in the distance and the city down in the valley. I guess the video people will enjoy that.

Nearer Cajon Pass past Blue Cut we got ahead of one UP eastbound that we followed from San Bernardino. A few turns onto a side road and we caught it in long shadows at the Swarthout Canyon Rd. crossing. The light was failing fast. We soon checked into the Best Western and got dinner at the Del Taco next door. It was now too dark for stills but light enough to see. We pulled chairs out of the room and sat on the porch to watch the action. It was awesome. Believe it or not (desert veterans know this) it got cold in the breeze up there. Of course it didn't help to be wearing light clothes. We all conked out fairly soon anyway. It had been a long and busy day.


The next day was the full tour of Cajon Pass. A few paved roads got us to the dirt ones...

BC