SECTION V

THE YUMA DISTRICT: THE EAST LINE

03/14/91

The East Line, formerly the Yuma Line, is a nearly-two-hundred mile stretch of mainline, high-speed railroad; Section V breaks this long expanse into five separate manageable segments. Each is a logical part of the whole line; the first is from West Colton to the top of the Beaumont Hill; the next is from the top of Beaumont Hill all the way to the end of the helper district at Indio. The third stretches nearly fifty miles from Indio to Niland, where the Imperial Valley branchlines connect to the Yuma Line; the last two segments are from Niland to Yuma and Yuma to the east end of the East Yard.

SEGMENT 1 - WEST COLTON to APEX, MP 532.4 - 563.3

Introduction

This segment covers the Yuma District's Yuma Line from West Colton and east to the top of the Beaumont Hill near Apex Switch. The elevation at West Colton (MP535.0) is 1080' AMSL; the rails drop more than one hundred feet to the Santa Ana River crossing, then proceed up the reaches of San Timoteo Canyon to a maximum elevation of over 2600' at Beaumont. This is the lowest pass into the continental interior for any of the eight routes that have historically originated on California coast. As is typical, the Southern Pacific performs this seemingly simple task with near-2% grades and plenty of helper service to keep the action fast and interesting.

The west end of the Yuma Line suffers from typical Southern California weather, Los Angeles-style. West Colton is far enough inland to not often feel the moderating effects of the Pacific Ocean; these same ocean breezes that cool the coastal regions only serve to transport the bulk of the smog and the other atmospheric poisons to their vacation home over the Colton/Riverside/San Bernardino area. Thus, the reason for the summertime scorching temperatures and the poor air quality.

Wintertime often brings the best air. I have seen many, many mornings where San Gorgonio, the San Jacintos and the bulk of the San Bernardinos are visible from West Los Angeles, nearly 90 miles away. It is on these days that the Southland is truly one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and a perfect backdrop for train chasing, watching and photographing!

During the summer the temperatures can often exceed the century mark by midday; in the winter the nights can tickle the freezing mark - add a biting gale out of the north and it's more like living in Idaho (well, almost).

West Colton Yard begins at MP532.4, a few miles west of the subdivision point and within the Basin District; the guide begins at this point to include the entire West Colton Classification Yard in the description, rather than breaking it up into two smaller sections in different guides.

532.4 West End WEST COLTON Yard (SBD25D2)

West End RECEIVING Yard

Sierra Crossover

Sierra Avenue Overpass

End Centralized Traffic Control (CTC)

Begin West Colton Interlocking Limits

EB/WB Absolute Signals

Signpost EB "END CTC"

Signpost WB "BEGIN CTC"

Speed Limit: EB 70-50 MPH; WB 70-65 MPH

Although the subdivision point marking the west end of the Yuma District is more than two miles east at MP535.0, the tour begins here so as to include all of West Colton Yard, instead of breaking it in two or more pieces.

The Basin District's West Line provides the entry from the west to the classification yard; downtown Los Angeles is nearly fifty mileposts west. Although there are two tracks entering from the west, this is single-track mainline. The north track (the one next to the freeway) is the main line and is also called the "901" track on its way through West Colton. The south track is the "902" track, which begins back at MP530.4, near South Fontana. The 902 track serves as the yard lead, keeping eastbound traffic off the main even when the Receiving Yard is crowded.

Trains bound for West Colton make for the Receiving Yard; after tying down the trains are often torn apart by the Crest Herder to feed the Hump Yard. The new trains are made up in the Hump Yard and then assembled for the road by the Trim Herder. The Trim Herder and Trim car-men finish the outbound train in the Departure Yard, east of MP536.2.

Since West Colton is a single-ended yard, this Receiving Yard accepts both east- and westbound trains for reclassification; after being built up and ready to go, westward traffic uses the Balloon Track at the east end of West Colton (MP537.3) to turn around the train and allow it to move westward toward Los Angeles.

532.5 West End Alley Track

Although it's not marked as such, the far south track provides an alternate way of getting through the West Colton Yard; this is the Alley Track, which skirts the length of the yard along its south side.

533.0 No Milepost Visible

1105' AMSL; -0.2% EB (SBD25E1)

533.5 EB/WB Absolute Signals

The two separate signal masts provide indications for the 901 track; the east and west dwarves control the 902 track; the lower aspect on the eastbound 902 dwarf is an indication for the crossovers east of Cedar Avenue.

534.0 1090' AMSL; -0.4% EB (SBD25F1)

534.5 Signpost EB 50 MPH

534.6 East End RECEIVING Yard (SBD26A1)

534.7 EB Absolute Signal Tower

Dragging Equipment DETECTOR

EB/WB Track Occupancy Authorization Displays

Cedar Avenue Overpass

Old BLOOMINGTON Station

The EB signal on the 901 track provides an indication for the Cedar Avenue Crossovers immediately ahead. A dragging equipment detector lies on the alternate hump lead that separates from the 902 track just west of the overpass.

The track authorization displays lie on each side of the overpass. These large three-digit numerical displays (often called "Tote Boards" or "Movement Indicators" on the radio) that provide track occupancy information to train crews. For instance, a eastbound train approaching the tote board on the west side of Cedar may see "901" flashing; this indicates that their train will take the main (#1) track through the yard.

At the south side of the Cedar Avenue Overpass there are short, somewhat abandoned-looking streets both west and east of the overpass; these may provide a handy, close-by spot to leave the car while spending the day on top of the overpass, watching the action down below. A fence along both sides of the yard prevents access to the tracks.

This is also the site of old Bloomington station, as noted in a 1954 timetable. Its siding length could accommodate 114 cars, about 5800'.

534.8 Cedar Avenue Crossovers

534.9 WB Absolute Signals

Signpost EB "END CTC"

Signpost WB "BEGIN CTC"

The Cedar Avenue Crossovers are under CTC control, as indicated by the signs.

535.0 Subdivision Point (SBD26B1)

CREW CHANGE SHANTY

West Colton Yard Administration Building

West End HUMP Yard

San Bernardino County Lands: Community of Bloomington

1080' AMSL; -0.5% EB

To the west lies the Basin District's West (Alhambra) Line; in the opposite direction, Yuma District's East (Yuma) Line presses its way 195 miles east by southeast to join up with the tracks of the Gila (that's HEE-lah) District of the Tucson Division at Yuma, Arizona. The path leads through one of the hottest deserts on the planet, closely follows the San Andreas Earthquake Fault zone, one of the most famous and active in the world, reaches the lowest elevation below sea level (-202') of any railroad in the world and passes alongside and serves one of the richest farming valleys in the world! Superlatives abound on the Yuma District.

This is the west end of the Hump Yard ,the heart of the West Colton Classification Yard. The hump itself is several hundred feet south of the freeway, with two tracks leading into the hump and several dozen yard tracks laying beyond.

This is the official district point separating the Colton District to the west and the Mojave and Yuma Districts to the east, 0.3 miles east of the Cedar Avenue Overpass. The milepost sign is visible from the freeway adjacent to the foot of the eastbound onramp.

The small structure immediately south of the double track main at the milepost is the Crew Change Shanty. The Receiving Yard is immediately west of the Cedar Avenue overpass.

The street entrance to the West Colton Yard is at the intersection of Slover Avenue and Spruce Street, about 0.5 miles south; the large towerlike structure along the south side of the tracks is the Administration Building, sometimes called the "Admin" or "Ad" building.

535.4 Leave County Lands: Enter Rialto city limits

536.0 No Milepost Visible (SBD26C1)

East End HUMP Yard

Block Signal Tower: EB 5360 - WB 5361

1055' AMSL; +0.0% EB

The signals provide indications for the 901 track only.

536.1 West Colton TRIM TOWER

West End DEPARTURE Yard

Engine Shops

The Trim Tower takes care of setting up trains from cars that are set out in the Trim Yard, immediately west of the tower. Trim Yard car-men are found everywhere, scooting about on their four-wheeled motorbikes.

The Engine Shops are just west of Riverside Avenue at the south side of the property. There is a long turning wye there with the tail track trailing off to the southeast, ending just before the intersection of Riverside and Slover Avenues.

536.2 Riverside Avenue Overpass (SBD26D1)

A tank farm of the Southern Pacific Pipe Lines Company is located at the southeast corner of Slover Avenue and Riverside Avenues, just 0.3 miles south of the mainline.

536.4 Leave Rialto: Enter Colton city limits

536.5 Signpost WB 70-50 MPH

Speed Limit: EB 50 MPH; WB 70-50 MPH

536.7 Signpost EB 30 MPH

537.0 1045' AMSL; -0.8% EB (SBD26E1)

537.1 EB Absolute Signal Tower

537.2 Pepper Avenue Overpass

EB/WB Track Occupancy Authorization Displays

Old WEST COLTON Station

Leave Colton: Enter County Lands

West from Pepper is the Departure Yard; looking east you will see the West Colton Balloon track just south of Interstate 10. The single-main track of the Yuma Line, the most northerly set of rails and still the 901 track, passes underneath the Pepper Avenue overpass, gently curving around the foot of Slover Mountain.

The track authorization displays stand on each side of the overpass. These large three-digit numerical displays (often called "Tote Boards" or "Movement Indicators" on the radio) that provide track occupancy information to train crews. For instance, a westbound train approaching the tote board on the east side of Pepper may see "901" flashing; this indicates that their train will take the main track through the yard.

A General American Transportation Corporation (GATX) tank car repair and maintenance facility is located southeast of the bridge. Their service yard is served by the east-facing spur 1405 that joins the Alley track at MP537.5.

The only access to this area and east nearly to Rancho Avenue is by foot, and it's all railroad property.

The 1954 timetable shows this as the site of the West Colton station, but within the limits of Colton Yard.

537.3 West End Colton BALLOON Track

West End Colton BYPASS Track

Both the Balloon and the Bypass tracks help to facilitate movement at this very busy end of the yard.

The Balloon track allows finished trains exiting the Departure yard to turn and continue westward toward Los Angeles, back through West Colton. Speed limit on this track is 15 MPH.

The Bypass track allows westbound trains coming in from the Yuma Line to continue into the yard even when there is departing traffic leaving the yard and heading west onto the Colton Line via the West leg of the wye. Speed limit on this track is 25 MPH.

537.4 DEPARTURE Yard Lead Joins South Main

DEPARTURE Yard Crossover

Completed consists await power in the Departure yard. When power is available, it runs down the Alley from the Shops, passing under Pepper Avenue. The engines then back into the Departure yard to couple to their consists. Upon authorization, the full train then proceeds out the Departure Yard lead to either of three destinations; eastward movement on the Yuma Line, westward movement on the Bakersfield Line up through the Cajon, or westbound movement toward Los Angeles via the Balloon track. The Departure yard crossover allows exiting trains to get to either the Bakersfield Line or to the Balloon track.

537.5 BAKERSFIELD LINE West Junction (SBD26E2)

East End Colton Balloon Track

The Colton Line of the Mojave District separates from the main lines here and rides up the embankment in the middle distance, crossing the freeway about 0.5 miles east of Pepper Avenue. This is the famous Cajon Pass Route, finished in 1969, that brings Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley within 182 miles of West Colton. The junction is a full wye - the leg closest to West Colton Yard is the west leg, while the leg heading toward Yuma is the east leg. The speed limit on either leg is 15 MPH.

Trains coming down from the Cajon can either come into the yard or continue east immediately; the westbound trains out of Yuma also have the opportunity to head directly up the Cajon or pull into the yard.

The first siding on the Bakersfield Line is Slover, the east switch of which is located about 200 yards north of the Interstate.

The 1405 spur, joining the Alley Track, provides service to the General American Transportation Corporation (GATX) tank car repair and maintenance facility that is located south of the tracks.

537.6 EB Signpost "BEGIN CTC" (SBD26F2)

WB Signpost "END CTC"

ALLEY Track Joins 902 Track

According to the Timetable, RULE 312(2) states that the West Colton Interlocking Limits extend from MP532.4 (Sierra Avenue) to MP538.6 (Santa Fe Interlocking). From there the Santa Fe Interlocking Limits extend yet another 0.1 miles east to MP538.7.

Rule 350 then specifies that CTC is in effect east from MP538.7 all the way to MP609.7.

537.8 East-facing 1530 Spur

Slover Mountain

This spur, joining with the 902 track, provides service to the cement plant at California Portland Cement Company, located at the southern foot of Slover Mountain, immediately south of the rails.

Slover Mountain is a nearly solid lump of limestone that has supplied Southern California with cement since around 1900. California Portland Cement Company (Calmat) mines the hill now. One of these days the mountain will be a pit; watch it carefully as its appearance changes from month to month.

538.0 1010' AMSL; -0.7% EB (SBD26F1)

538.2 Rancho Avenue Overpass (SBD27A2)

Leave County Lands: Enter Colton city limits

The top of the overpass is an ideal train-watching location. Access to the tracks at this point is via foot or by car from the north end of 3rd Street.

538.4 COLTON LINE East Junction

East End Colton BYPASS Track

The east-facing switch on the north main about 450 feet east of the overpass is the east end of the Colton Bypass track, and leads to the east leg of the Colton Line wye, located about 0.3 miles west.

The speed limit on the Bypass track is 25 MPH.

538.5 Santa Fe Crossovers

Signpost WB 50 MPH

Speed Limit: EB 30 MPH; WB 50 MPH

538.6 Leave West Colton Interlocking Limits

Enter Santa Fe Interlocking Limits

EB Interlocking Signals

The Santa Fe Interlocking protects the Santa Fe Crossing at MP538.7. The Interlocking Limits, as per the Espee Timetable, extend from MP538.6 to MP538.7.

538.7 SANTA FE CROSSING (SBD27A2)

WB Interlocking Signals

End Santa Fe Interlocking Limits

Begin Two-Main Track Centralized Traffic Control (CTC)

Espee had built their way from Los Angeles through Colton to Yuma by the fall of 1877. The California Southern Railroad (CSRR) Company, incorporated in 1880 and backed by Santa Fe interests, stated its intention to build from the fair port of San Diego to a meeting in the Mojave Desert with the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, itself an arm of the AT&SF, working west from Albuquerque.

In 1882 the construction had reached Colton; the Espee was determined to not allow the CSRR to bridge the Espee tracks with a crossing frog. In fact, SP yard locomotives attempted to block any efforts of the CSRR crews to do so by rolling back and forth over the site of the proposed crossing.

On August 9, 1883, the sheriff and angry residents of San Bernardino decided to take the matter into their own hands; the Espee crew deferred to the unruly crowd. In short order the CSRR construction hands were able to complete the crossing. By November 15, 1885, the Santa Fe had acquired full control of the CSRR and was able finally to achieve their long-awaited connection to the Pacific Ocean at San Diego.

Access to this crossing is available from Valley Boulevard on the north side of the freeway; 6th Street leads through the parking lot of the Mexican restaurant and passes under the freeway just to the east of the Santa Fe tracks.

From the south side of the crossing K Street borders the property. Note the "No Trespassing" signs that abound here.

The SP Timetable indicates this point as the "Santa Fe Interlocking".

To the east, the north track is called the "Number One" track; the south is the "Number Two". Generally but certainly not always, westbound traffic will use the #1 track while trains headed east will be on the #2 track. This two main track (2MT) operation ends at Apex, the switch atop Beaumont Hill, near milepost 563.2.

Until the mid-seventies Colton Tower, a manual interlocking facility, was located at the southeast side of the intersection.

538.8 RIVERSIDE BRANCH Junction (SBD27B2)

Union Pacific Crew House

Although the Espee Timetable indicates that the beginning of the Riverside Branch is MP539.0, the switch here, just east of the Santa Fe Crossing, is the entry to the Branch from the mainline.

The Union Pacific enjoy operating rights with the Santa Fe over the Santa Fe mainline all the way from Riverside to the town of Daggett, east of Barstow, for a total distance of over 70 miles.

A Union Pacific crew house is along the south side of the tracks. Generally a few UP helper locomotives will be idling on the engine spur waiting to be called to service in the Cajon.

Universal Feeds operates a grain mill along the north side of the mainline, with rail service provided from a spur that connects both to the ATSF and SP mains. Note the kernel corn and other grain debris in little piles along the siding track.

538.9 La Cadena Drive Underpass

Ex-Old Colton Station

Track Access from Ninth Street

The buildings along the north side of the tracks that now house Cal-Wal Gypsum Supply were once part of the Colton Station facilities.

Ninth Street passes under the freeway from Valley Boulevard; a private crossing extends south from the end of Ninth and crosses the main line, winding over into the Colton yard tracks.

539.0 West End COLTON Yard

SAN BERNARDINO BRANCH Junction

RIVERSIDE BRANCH Junction

Signpost EB 60-50 MPH

Speed Limit: EB 60-50 MPH; WB 30 MPH

965' AMSL; -0.3% EB

The yard still exists both north and south of the mainline, though nearly all the tracks north of the line are gone. The north track acts as sort of a team track with a few cars usually set out. The switch 5000, along the north track of the yard near MP539.3, marks the start of the San Bernardino Branch which exits to the north through the underpass beneath Interstate 10.

The Espee's Riverside Branch connects to the main line at the switch next to the trackside shanty. The same switch provides access to the south side of old Colton Yard. The Riverside Branch separates to the south and proceeds down the center of 9th Street through Colton. A turning wye is located at the north end of 9th.

Both of these branches were a portion of the Yuma Subdivision until its dissolution in 1989; they are now technically a part of the lines of the Basin District, which include most all of the Espee trackage in the Los Angeles basin and the Harbor.

About 200 yards east of the San Bernardino Branch switch there are the remains of a freight car weight scale; the rails have long been removed from the scale platform; the platform itself is in quite bad condition.

The south tracks of the yard have many bad-order setouts; high cubes, boxes, flats, tanks, cabooses, passenger cars, an occasional engine, even some nifty flatcars on which mobile office trailers are strapped. Pacific Rail Dismantlers runs the railroad wrecking yard bordering on M Street along the extreme south tracks.

539.5 Colton Yard Access from Mission Street (SBD27C2)

Mission Street, south off Mount Vernon Avenue and directly across from the freeway on/offramp along the south side, passes immediately along the north side of the yard, goes underneath the Mt. Vernon overpass across the SP tracks and, as Vernon Court, it continues north to the pest control company located next to the county flood control diversion ponds. Access to the west end of the yard is available from Mission; the dirt roads that lead west join with those leading east from 9th Street.

539.6 East End COLTON Yard (SBD27C2)

Mount Vernon Avenue Overpass

Derail Barricade Detector on Stub Track

Colton Crossover

Look at the engine stub along the north side of the main under the Mt. Vernon overpass; this stub now protects the main from being fouled by a loose car rolling down the yard lead. Note the "Movement over end of Derailing Spur" detector at the east end of the spur: a pair of metal bars that look a bit like a giant soldering gun tip. When a car rolls down that track and off the end, the metal bar is sure to snap, opening a circuit somewhere and probably setting off quite a few alarms. Crude but effective. There's another of these, just like this one, at the west end of Ferrum (MP638.8) in the Imperial Valley.

539.7 320' Concrete Bridge over Warm Creek

Warm Creek, is the result of Cajon Creek, Lytle Creek (both draining the San Gabriel Mountains) and various creeks along the southwestern face of the San Bernardino Mountains directly north of San Bernardino.

539.8 620' Concrete Bridge over the Santa Ana River

This wide, flat, more-or-less dry ditch is the Santa Ana River; it heads along the north slopes of San Gorgonio Mountain, the highest peak in Southern California at 11,502 feet, flows west between the San Gorgonio Ridge and the San Berdoos, then under this bridge and down through Santa Ana Canyon to its eventual mouth west of Costa Mesa. Although the river beds a mile either side of this point can be bone dry, there is always visible water in the concrete-lined channel.

From here to the top of Beaumont Hill near Apex, it's all uphill.

539.9 West Switch ICE DECK Siding (SBD27D2)

EB Absolute Signals

EB/WB Absolute Signal Bridge

Siding Length 5740'

California Aqueduct Crossing

948' AMSL; +0.6% EB

This siding is all that remains of the old Ice Deck Facility. Back when Pacific Fruit Express had more iced cars than self-refrigerated, this plant provided the ice that kept thousands of trainloads of eastbound reefers loaded with fresh Southern California citrus and other fruits.

A balloon track, shown on the 1956 topo map, extended to the south and probably served to turn steam locomotives to service the Beaumont Hill helper district.

The property was redeveloped a few years ago and two large light industry/shipping facilities have now been built on the property.

The two sidings that remain are rather short by modern standards; both are now used mainly as storage and the more southerly one can also serve the industries along the south side. The address of the west building (near MP540.0) is 1601 Cooley Drive; the address of the east building, just past the Interstate overpass, is 1801 Cooley Drive. Three of the streets in this part of Colton are named after Cooley: Cooley Lane, Cooley Road and Cooley Avenue. The Cooley Family owned most of the land locally and ran a farm/ranch.

Access to the north side of the tracks is available from a dirt road that runs west from the 90 degree bend near the end of Steel Rd. A dirt trail leads out of the west end of the parking lot of 1601 E. Cooley provides access to the south side of the tracks at the Santa Ana River Bridge.

The speed limit through the diverging route of West Ice Deck is 15 MPH.

540.2 Track Access from Steel Road

Steel Rd. makes a 90 degree bend to the north. A dirt path continues west for access all the way to the Santa Ana River. Ice Deck Siding continues.

The remains of an old spur track are still visible in the shrubs along the north side of the mainline, just west of the bend in the road. The spur used to cross Steel Road and continue north into the currently-empty field beyond. Watch out for the rail ends if you attempt to use the old right-of-way as access for your vehicle.

540.4 Interstate 215 Overpass

The railroad passes under four bridges that carry Interstate 215 and its transition ramps. The Interstate 10/215 interchange, located just a few hundred yards north, is a magnificent piece of highway engineering, with beautifully-sculpted sweeping aerial turns that serve as the transition ramps between the two Interstates. According to Robert P. Sharp in the K/H Geology Field Guide Southern California, the whole interchange is built almost directly atop the San Jacinto earthquake fault. He writes that he never passes "over, under or through this freeway interchange without imploring the earthquake gods to hold everything for a few seconds" until clear of the structure.

Steel Road veers away to the north and east to the intersection of Redlands Boulevard and Hunts Lane.

540.5 ICE DECK Station (SBD27D2)

540.6 West-facing 1679 Spur (SBD27E2)

This spur off the #1 track (north) services O. H. Kruse Grain and Milling Company, located along the north side of the railroad for the next 0.3 miles. By the way, on San Antonio Avenue about twenty miles west in Ontario between the UP and the SP main lines, there is another O. H. Kruse facility with a retail store. Stop by and say hi.

541.0 No Mileboard Visible