SoCal “Blimps” Three big “Blimp” cars leave downtown Los Angeles behind them as they proceed down PE’s four-track right of way toward Long Beach, August 1953. Reginald McGovern photo […]
SoCal “Blimps”
Zone & Region: California
San Diego transit district to revive STB petition
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The North County Transit District plans to revive its regulatory efforts to build a safety fence along its rail line through Del Mar, Calif., saying it has been unable to reach agreement with the city, which opposes the fencing. The San Diego Union Tribune reports the district board of directors, at […]
Diesel hydraulics: Diesels that didn’t
North American railroads never found a broad use for freight service diesel locomotives with a hydraulic drive, making them another case of the “diesels that didn’t.” Germany was the early leader in developing and building diesel locomotives that utilized direct-drive transmissions. Those early models in the 1930s incorporated torque converters and gears in lieu of […]
Feather River freight haulers
Feather River freight haulers Western Pacific’s original road freight locomotives were 65 Consolidations; 20 came from Baldwin in 1906, followed by 45 from Alco’s Schenectady plant in 1909. Engine 63 was still on the job at Oakland in 1952. Western Pacific photo […]
San Diego agency seeks new partner for desert line
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System is seeking new partners in its ongoing effort to reopen the 70-mile former San Diego & Arizona Eastern line from Tecate, Mexico, to Plaster City, Calif., the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The agency has owned the line since 1979 and made several attempts to reopen the […]
First Stadler DMU for San Bernardino County departs factory
SALT LAKE CITY — The first of three diesel multiple-unit trainsets for use in Southern California has left Stadler’s Salt Lake City factory. The low-floor FLIRT trainsets for the San Bernardino County Transit Authority will run on a 9-mile line between the San Bernardino Transit Center and Redlands, Calif., providing a connection to existing Metrolink […]
Arroyo Seco
Arroyo Seco Several miles out of Los Angeles Union Station, Santa Fe 4-8-4 3782 leads the eastbound Chief across the viaduct spanning the Arroyo Seco Parkway. Although Santa Fe abandoned this line through Pasadena, the bridge is still in use by Metrolink light rail trains. Classic Trains collection […]
Ottawa light rail service could return Friday
OTTAWA, Ontario — O-Train Confederation Line light rail service is expected to begin running on a limited basis as of Friday, the CBC reports, with full service restored by the end of the month. Service will begin with seven trainsets, with an additional set train as a spare, with the number of active trains gradually […]
U.S. DOT, California combine to address supply-chain issues
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Transportation and state of California will work together on a program to address supply-chain issues through infrastructure projects under an agreement announced last week. The Emerging Projects Agreement aims to facilitate projects and financing for transportation projects to improve the movement of imports and exports and “bring supply […]
Union Pacific on Cajon Pass in the 1940s
Union Pacific on Cajon Pass in the 1940s: Union Pacific operates on Cajon Pass in Southern California as the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad. It uses Santa Fe trackage on a rental basis from Daggett, 8 miles east of Barstow, to Riverside, 9 miles south of San Bernardino. This arrangement has been in effect […]
Union Pacific, Long Beach port, Utah facility combine for new service to ease congestion
LOS ANGELES — Union Pacific, the Port of Long Beach, and the Utah Inland Port Authority have announced the launch of direct rail service between the Long Beach and Utah facilities to help address ongoing port congestion. The executive directors of the two facilities, Mario Cordero of Long Beach and Jack Hedge of the Utah […]
Union Pacific begins incentive program at Long Beach intermodal facility as ports announce new fees
LOS ANGELES — Union Pacific is launching an incentive program as part of the effort to address supply chain congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, offering a $60 refund on container fees on weekends for containers in-gated to its Intermodal Container Transfer Facility in Long Beach, Calif. The monetary carrot from […]
