Irvine, the Cajon area, some Colton Yard and with real Surf(liner) at San Clemente

[Ozexpatriate]

The new station is right across the tracks from the old El Toro MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station). Back in the 1980s El Toro hosted a squadron of F18s and at times even flew C5-A Starlifters into El Toro. They were a pretty amazing sight flying into the valley.

Some of the old timers were telling me the same thing. The site is now derelict sadly.

I remember planes at the base in Irvine but its been derelict for a few years now including when we were at Irvine in December 2011.

MCAS El Toro used to host the Blue Angels at their annual airshow in the late 1980s. They would pass right above my home while making their turn. Standing on the patio you would hear the deafening noise of an F18 at low altitude and the bright blue flash as they passed directly overhead so closely you could see the pilot. I was a spectator during the

.

 

Int terms of weather I cant remember the last time we had the murk in LA as its always been sunny. Santa Barbara though has often been in low cloud and it took some years to get the backscene shots for the layout.

Murk in the morning is a normal summer weather pattern for the area. Locally it is called June gloom. It is a marine layer that sits in the basin and usually gets burned off in the early afternoon, but can stick around. It is particularly strong in San Diego. Back in the 1980s, summer afternoons were still fairly smoggy. (It is much better now.)

 

One of my colleagues used to jest that "They say Southern California doesn't have four seasons. It does, they are smog, fire, fog, and flood".

[Adrian Wintle]

 Back in the 1980s, summer afternoons were still fairly smoggy. (It is much better now.)

 

In the '90s it was still difficult to see downtown LA from the Mulholland overlook. The buildings in Hollywood (closer) were hazy.

 

Adrian

[Ozexpatriate]

In the '90s it was still difficult to see downtown LA from the Mulholland overlook. The buildings in Hollywood (closer) were hazy.

While LA routinely has the most polluted air relative to the rest of the US, the measured air quality improvements since the 1940s are remarkable, particularly given the growth in population and automobile density in the basin.

 

I would guess that 200 years ago looking down from Mt. Wilson, there would be summer days where you couldn't see the valley for haze - even in the total absence of any petrochemical smog. The particular geography of the basin, surrounded by high mountains* on three sides and the ocean on the other creates a temperature inversion which is a fog machine.

 

After initial reductions in industrial emissions, the move to catalytic converters and unleaded gasoline made the biggest difference, which improved air quality not just in LA but across the whole US.

 

* San Jacinto peak is 3,302 m (10,834'), San Gorgonio is 3,506 m (11,503') and San Antonio (Mt. Baldy) is 3,068 m (10.064').

 

But we're going a long way off topic due to the clouds in Beast's pictures.

[JWB]

This is a shot of Bull Ring Yard just north of downtown Los Angeles the day after Christmas 1980 (the rail facilities here are now gone). You can see the San Gabriel Mountains fairly clearly in the distance. Visibility is usually much better in Los Angeles in the winter, as this is the rainy season, and the rain tends to clear the atmosphere of dust and haze. The cooler weather also makes a difference. (There are in fact four seasons in southern California; the trees change color in the fall, and every 20 years or so, it freezes or snows.)

[trisonic]

You wanna stick some more up, Dave? If you've got the time, that is....Personally I'd like  to see some more container oriented photos if poss.....

 

Best, Pete.

[New Haven Neil]

'Like' some more please!

[beast66606]

Continuing from my previous post we overtook the train again as it chugged it's way up the hill. My colleague stopped for us to take another shot but got the wrong parking area (his words)  and so our shot was too tight - no worries.

 

(Not sure if either of these locations are Sullivans curve ? as referred to by Dr G.F)

 

 

 

 

After yet another chase we got to ? Cajon Junction ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next installment - the Cajon pass itself

[trisonic]

Dave, I think that is the famous "Hill 582" but as I haven't actually been to that site i'm going from older photos.....take a look at this:

 

http://www.trainmaster.ch/XC-02.htm

 

Failing which Ian will know for sure.

 

 

Best, Pete.

[JWB]

The first two shots are Blue Cut. The rest are at Cajon; the final two are leading into the lower part of Sullivan's Curve. I'm not sure what your guide meant by "wrong parking area", but the grove of trees just north of Blue Cut is, shall we say, a trysting place for guys. The area around the stone fence is OK for railfans.

[trisonic]

Even better JWB. Can you explain the Hill 582 thing?

 

Best, Pete.

[beast66606]

The first two shots are Blue Cut. The rest are at Cajon; the final two are leading into the lower part of Sullivan's Curve. I'm not sure what your guide meant by "wrong parking area", but the grove of trees just north of Blue Cut is, shall we say, a trysting place for guys. The area around the stone fence is OK for railfans.

 

Hi JWB,

 

 

He meant there was a better shot if we'd parked a 100 yards or so further back, we couldn't get there before the train so had to "suffer" with the ones posted. 

 

Thanks for the info.

[JWB]

Hill 582 is farther to the north, and as the web site says is harder to get to, as well as being questionable for trespass and fire service access. I've gotten stuck in the sand often enough in my younger days that I've tended to stay on paved roads in more recent years, as well as recognizing that trespassing is less and less advisable as time has gone on. It is the case, though, that those willing to hike and climb, or go off road, can get spectacular shots on Cajon.

[beast66606]

Did someone mention Hill 582 ?

 

 

Guess where I took the "mountain" photos from ...

[trisonic]

I'm glad you didn't take photos of the "grove of trees area" JWB mentioned........

 

Some guy planted all that natural desert vegetation around the site where the Hill 582 signs are. He ought to own it!

 

Many thanks for the photos, Dave. I for one really appreciate it. Besides you're a natural for getting good shots of railways wherever they are.

 

Pete.

[PaulRhB]

Great stuff, Route 66 and BNSF perfect

[jamie92208]

Some great shots there Dave, brought back many happy memories of my trip up Cajon in January 2010.  That line of locos at Colton. looks exactly the same as it did then.  Keep up the good work.   I was lucky on Cajon.  I got to a place witha  grade crossing about half way up just after sunrise and shot 5 freights in half an hour, including one on the high level ex SP line.   Some of them are on my facebook photo albums here.

 

Jamie

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

This map should help with locating shots.  The first shots are indeed Blue Cut, and the later ones at Cajon Station just as the BNSF line turns hard right to climb towards Sullivans Curve. Cajon Junction, oddly, refers to the intersection of CA138 and I15.

 

Its taken me several years to do Cajon properly - always preferred the peace and quiet of Tehachapi.  I15 is a real pain in Cajon, you can't get away from it.

 

That said, Sullivans Curve and the Mormon Rocks are terrific locations.

 

I tried to access Hill 582 last year, but I only had a compact rental car and the road looked atrocious,.  

[beast66606]

 

I tried to access Hill 582 last year, but I only had a compact rental car and the road looked atrocious,.  

 

We went in my colleagues 4x4 - looking at the route on the link posted by Pete we took one of the roads with the XXX on it - we turned off the dirt track onto another one - and it was about a 60deg climb ! - fortunately I wasn't driving but it was a bit of a buttock clenching time. We came down the easy way !

[beast66606]

Time to add some of the train photos, my wagons ( ) thread has caught up to the bottom of the hill so - onwards, upwards and turning the heat up  here we go

 

As we were trying to find the location this passed, dropping down the hill, notice there is also another train on the UP line heading up the hill.

 

 

 

 

[steve fay]

Brilliant, these give me plenty of inspiration for my project.

[beast66606]

Finally we get to the "hill" shots

 

Another shot of the one dropping down as we got there - here's the back

 

 

Someone put 50p in the meter, the signals have gone out.

In these area all the signals are approach lit and each line is bi-directionally signalled.

 

 

It's just possible to make out that the signals have lit as the train runs into the block, the left hand head is the easiest to see, green over red. (this is a simple junction, the top head is for along the straight route, the bottom to cross over to the other line)

 

The train drops down the grade, for UK viewers, this is one big flippin train.

 

 

 

 

No helpers on the back

 

 

Another makes it's way down the old route.

 

 

 

 

Again - no assisters

 

 

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

The first train is an old Santa Fe 'Z' (zee) train - maximum priority and maximum speed, and solid trailers.  Nice catch!

[beast66606]

The next train down the hill was even more interesting

 

A very late running passenger, approx 4 hours late, which probably explains the freight loco on the head.

 

 

[dave1905]

 

 

In these area all the signals are approach lit and each line is bi-directionally signaled.

 

Current of traffic, rule 251/rule 9.14, signaled in one direction is getting to be extremely rare west of the Mississippi.  The track signaled in both direction is CTC and its CTC all the way from LA to Chicago.

 

 

 

It's just possible to make out that the signals have lit as the train runs into the block, the left hand head is the easiest to see, green over red. (this is a simple junction, the top head is for along the straight route, the bottom to cross over to the other line)

 

Approach lit is very common also.  Assigning routes to each head is only really accurate up to about 1910, after then that approximation doesn't always work.

 

 

 

No helpers on the back

 

They are normally called "DP" or "DPU" or "dupe", short for distributed power.  Helpers usually refers to manned units.  Trains without DP are called "conventional".

[roundhouse]

Nice catch with a freight loco at the head. I have been on a Pacific Surfliner up to SLO with a UP Geep on the rear leaving Santa Barbara but they dropped it off enroute to SLO.