Day Two on Cajon Pass

With new UP GEVO’s and another NS heritage unit visiting north Texas out of the way, let’s get back to my visit to California’s Cajon Pass at the end of January.  At sunrise a westbound BNSF bare table train is only a few hundred yards away from starting down grade towards San Bernadino.

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A few minutes later an eastbound UP train has just crested the summit and is starting downhill towards Victorville.

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Later in the morning an eastbound BNSF intermodal slows before passing the welded rail gang while the snow-capped San Gabriel mountains loom in the background.  I really liked this shot and wish this train would have been led by a locomotive in the current paint scheme.

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A few minutes later an eastbound UP train followed along.

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Looking east a BNSF grain train passes by the rail gang as everyone waits in the clear.  Above the lead unit and the Speed Swing you can see the ex-Southern Pacific’s Palmdale Cutoff.

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From a closer prospective another eastbound BNSF passes on Main 3 while the gang stands by on Main 2.

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From a hilltop south of CP Walker a westbound UP autorack train winds down the grade.  The first shot shows the train winding down Main 2 passing under Interstate 15.  The track above is the UP Palmdale Cutoff while Main 3 is out of sight to my right.

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The next three photos show the train winding down the pass towards Mormon Rocks with the San Gabriels once again in the background.

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While making my way along the forest service and railroad maintenance roads  I came across the monument to the railroad employees killed when a runaway BNSF freight crashed here on Main 3 almost exactly 20 years ago.

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Here is a link to a free copy of the LA Times story:  http://articles.latimes.com/1996-02-02/news/mn-31560_1_cajon-pass

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Such is a reminder of the serious side of railroading and the unforgivable physics of the grade here if you do not have complete control of your train for whatever the reason.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Great post, beautiful scenery. Just out of curiosity, what was the second unit behind BNSF 7718? It looks like a blue Geep

    1. Jim,

      It was one of the blue GE Tier 4 demo units.

      1. Ah! Amateur spotting error. I mistook the angled radiator for a dynamic brake enclosure. I should have noticed the other details. Thanks!

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