United States of America - California, September 2015
During three weeks of September 2015 I traveled to California in the United States of America. Myself and good friends Colin Marsden, Nathan Williamson, and Paul Clarke flew from London Heathrow on the 7th September to San Francisco with United Airlines. Our trip took us to the famous railroad mountain town of Tehachapi and also incorporated several days in San Diego along with a day trip to Los Angeles/ Long Beach, and a visit to the Californian State Railroad Museum located in Sacramento. The trip coincided with an Autumn heatwave in the Californian State, with temperatures topping out at 100 Degrees Fahrenheit most days. We used a 4X4 to travel between the three major cities but also used public transport to assist with getting around. This gallery (Along with uploads to the Aviation, Marine and Architecture Galleries) chart our photographic travels, recording some of the stunning California scenery.
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7th September 2015 - San Francisco
Our first full day in California started in San Francisco where we took time to explore the city in the morning before catching the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) from San Francisco to Oakland around lunchtime. Later we caught the ferry back to San Francisco travelling past the Port of Oakland and under the Bay Bridge to Pier 41. San Francisco's heritage cable cars are a great way to see the sights of the city, the cars are loving cared for and restored to keep them operational for the huge amounts of tourists who flock to travel on them each year. There are three cable car lines which operate in San Francisco, Powell & Hyde, Powell & Mason & California. A one way trip costs $7. The Powell and Hyde line links Fishermans Wharf with Market Street giving a novel way to travel over the steep hills of San Francisco without the need to travel along the Embarcadero.
The other form of Heritage Transport in San Francisco are the Heritage PCC Streetcars. each has been restored and repainted into a genuine livery of previous US states where PCC cars once operated. These colourful streetcars date back to 1946 and provide another attraction for tourists. However the streetcars are not just for show, they are a dedicated part of the MUNI passenger network within San Francisco, and play a vital role in the mass movement of people around the city. Muni charge a flat fare of $2.25 which covers you for 90 minutes of travel (including transfers onto Trams and Busses). After this point another $2.25 is needed to fund more travel. Further information about each of the Streetcars featured below can be found on the San Francisco Streetcar website, which provides a more detailed history for each of the PCC's in daily operation.
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9th September 2015
On the 9th September we left San Francisco just after breakfast and first drove to Jack London Square, Oakland for the morning period. Jack London features some unique railroad operations, where trains are allowed to pass through the main street at the same time as live road traffic. This sort of operating would never be allowed in the United Kingdom, but in America it's possible to view one mile freight trains slowly rolling through to street to access the busy container port of Oakland. While most freight operations are generally kept to the night time, some do operate during the day, I have been lucky enough to witness this on all three visits to the this location!
10th September 2015
After a late arrival into Tehachapi on the 9th we set our sights on a day photographing between Mojave and Bakersfield. The Californian blue skies greeted us for our first day on the mountain, with some high cloud forecast for the afternoon period. This wouldn't cool the temperatures which were set to top 100 Degrees Fahrenheit, even at 4000ft above sea level. We first headed to Mojave before driving back over the mountain pass and through to Bakersfield.
BNSF C44-9W 5520 powers through Woodford with a north bound manifest. Contained within the loco consist was one of Norfolk Southern's Heritage paint locomotives. No.1063 carried 'Penn Central' livery. following in formation were BNSF 4908, CSX7347, BNSF7947, and BNSF 5339
11th September 2015
We spent the 11th September on the Tehachapi Mountain route driving between Mojave and Bakersfield. For the morning period we started at the heart of the Tehachapi Route around Woodford, Waylong and Tunnel 10, before then driving out to the Mojave desert to record the shots from the knoll at Warren. Temperatures again soared to 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the mid afternoon.
One area which is undergoing extensive work on the Tehacahpi Mountain Range is Tunnel 10 'Burtons Curve'. The impending double tracking of this section of line is seeing large sections of the hillside removed to provide room for a second track to be routed around the outside of Tunnel 10. On the 11th September UP8263 leads a southbound Union Pacific Manifest past the busy worksite.
Compare this image below to one taken in 2007 to see just how this scene is being changed.
Compare this image below to one taken in 2007 to see just how this scene is being changed.
12th September 2015
We spent the 12th September driving to various locations between Mojave, Tehacahpi and Bakersfield in persuit of interesting operations over the mountain route. The day would typically warm up to 90 degrees before 12:00 and then continue to heat up to 100 degrees by 16:00. There was plenty of freight moving on the mountain route, and despite some background haze the lighting was good for for the day.
13th September 2015
The town of Tehachapi sits 3967ft above sea level between Mojave and Bakersfield, and has a long association with the railroad. In the centre of the town is the 'Old Depot' which during the early 2000's was in the process of being restored. Sadly a fire broke out on the 13th June 2008 devastating the original 1904 building and raising the majority to the ground. The below images show the restoration progress in 2005 (before the fire) and the terrible scenes which greeted the hard working volunteers when they saw what had happened to the building. Thankfully at the time of the fire there were no exhibits inside the building, which saved many of the historic items from perishing in the flames.
After another 5 years of hard work the Depot has now been completely rebuilt, and is open as a visitors centre for all to enjoy. The internal fixtures and fittings have all been replaced and museum exhibits now pack the building, charting the history of the Southern Pacific Railroad, visitors also have the added enjoyment of being able to see passing freight trains from the external veranda, as they rumble through the town. The Depot is run by friendly volunteer staff and welcomes visitors from all over the world, as can be seen on this recent TV coverage by Kerngoldempire.
After another 5 years of hard work the Depot has now been completely rebuilt, and is open as a visitors centre for all to enjoy. The internal fixtures and fittings have all been replaced and museum exhibits now pack the building, charting the history of the Southern Pacific Railroad, visitors also have the added enjoyment of being able to see passing freight trains from the external veranda, as they rumble through the town. The Depot is run by friendly volunteer staff and welcomes visitors from all over the world, as can be seen on this recent TV coverage by Kerngoldempire.
14th September 2015
On the 14th September we left Tehachapi early before sun rise and began the drive south towards San Diego. We left early so as to avoid most of the traffic on the Los Angeles Freeway, we were also able to make full use of the carpool lanes which delivered us to San Clemente Beach by 10am. While the first few images taken appear to be in cloud, the temperatures were still between 80 and 90 degrees, even stood next to the Pacific Coastline.
Operations over this stretch of track are formed of Metrolink services from Los Angeles, longer distance Amtrak passenger services operating between Los Angeles and San Diego, and once you reach Oceanside, Coaster services are also operated. The the exception of the branch to Escondido all passenger services are loco hauled. We spent the morning period at San Clemente, before following the Pacific Coast down to Oceanside, Del Mar and into San Diego.
Operations over this stretch of track are formed of Metrolink services from Los Angeles, longer distance Amtrak passenger services operating between Los Angeles and San Diego, and once you reach Oceanside, Coaster services are also operated. The the exception of the branch to Escondido all passenger services are loco hauled. We spent the morning period at San Clemente, before following the Pacific Coast down to Oceanside, Del Mar and into San Diego.
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Amtrak 'Cabbge Car' No.90230 leads Amtrak Train 583 over the San Eljo Lagoon on the 14:40 San Diego to Los Angeles Grand Union. On the rear of the set was Heritage liveried Amtrak P42 No.184
15th September 2015
The 15th September proved to be the wettest day of the USA trip, in fact it was the only day we had rain. Unknown to us, our arrival in San Diego had coincided with the arrival of the former Hurricane Linda. The storm bought record levels of rainfall to the city, flooding streets, and causing widespread disruption! The weather system passed through the city within a few hours, but further intermittent waves of rain arrived throughout the night.
San Diego has a mainline passenger service starting at the Santa Fe Station with connections to Los Angeles and Oceanside provided by Amtrak and Coaster. While the MTS 'Red Trolly' system then provides transport links throughout San Diego and down to the Mexican boarder at Tijuana.
San Diego has a mainline passenger service starting at the Santa Fe Station with connections to Los Angeles and Oceanside provided by Amtrak and Coaster. While the MTS 'Red Trolly' system then provides transport links throughout San Diego and down to the Mexican boarder at Tijuana.
SDMTS (San Diego Metropolitan Transit System) operate three routes (Green, Orange and Blue), using a 'tap and ride' card system. A daily ticket costs $5 with the value being added to your credit card style 'Compass Card'. The 'Downtown Loop' operated by the Heritage Streetcars runs between 12th and Imperial, Gas Lamp Quarter, and American Plaza, and the Blue Line also provides a link to the Mexican Boarder.
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The San Diego downtown tram network also operate a Heritage service using former PCC Streetcars on a Tuesday and a Thursday each week until 14:00. The 'Downtown Loop' provides as circular route for passengers to enjoy. The latest PCC to enter service is No.530 which carries San Diego Zoo livery. The streetcar has been fully restored but also incorporates modern disabled access, and a large modern pantograph. These concessions aside the restoration of the Streetcar is immaculate, and as such because of the heavy rain the streetcar was retired to the car shops early so as not to damage it. Images below show the PCC Streetcar operating on the downtown loop.
San Diego Imperial Valley 'Genset' No.701 is seen in the sorting sidings adjacent to the Red Trolly and Coaster stabling yards. SDIV are owned by Genesee and Wyoming whos colours the locomotive carries.
16th September 2015
The 16th September proved to be much more like the Californian weather we all knew, the morning period was still somewhat overcast, so we decided to take a Coaster service for a ride up the Pacific Coastline to Oceanside and back, to take stock of the stunning Pacific views. By the time we returned into San Diego the last of the poor weather had cleared and the sun was out returning temperatures into the 90's once again.
Above: F40PH-2C Coaster is seen at Oceanside, together with Interior shots and a detailed view of the driving trailer which would lead back to San Diego.
Below: A selection of images of 'Red Trollys' taken set in the stunning Architecture of San Diego
Below: A selection of images of 'Red Trollys' taken set in the stunning Architecture of San Diego
17th September 2015
The 17th September returned the weather to the hot Californian climate, we departed San Diego early morning by car and drove to Del Mar so as to capture of of the morning Amtrak and Coaster services running along the stunningly scenic Pacific Coast. After spending the morning enjoying the scenery and speaking with locals, we drove to West Colton (the location of Union Pacific's largest freight switching and maintenance facility in California), before later driving on to stay in Cajon for one night.
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18th September 2015
Having spent the night staying in Cajon, we work to another day of warm temperatures and blue skies, our first location for the early morning period was Sawarthout Canyon which offered good views of the BNSF and Union Pacific Tracks. Swarthout sits on top of the San Andreas fault line and provides some stunning backdrops to west bound freights in the morning. After this we moved to the classic 'Hill 582' meeting with the carers and creators of Hill 582. Our time was spent enjoying the stunning views from the lofty heights of the man made hill in the middle of the Cajon Pass. Traffic flows were busy with all four tracks in use throughout the morning and early afternoon. During the late afternoon we were able to visit the classic flyover at Frost/ Victorville to capture this scene before it's removed.
19th September 2015
Having arrived back in Tehacahpi late on the 18th September, we backtracked slightly on the 19th heading towards Barstow. Local cycling events in the town of Tehachapi looked to present issues with local travel, so we opted to get up early and head east to the BNSF hub of Barstow. While in Barstow we also took the opportunity to visit The Western American Railroad Museum which is located at the Barstow Amtrak Station.
ATSF FP45 No.95 is seen at the Barstow Western Railroad Museum, having arrived in 1999 the locos paintwork is now very much scorched by the desert sun. But remains a colourful exhibit alongside other locomotives. As well as locos the Western Railroad Museum also have lots of additional items awaiting restoration, some of which are shown below:
20th September 2015
The 20th September was spent back on the Tehachapi Mountain Range between Mojave and Bakersfield, with Californian blue skies in abundance. Traffic levels were good, with plenty of heavy freights passing through the area.
21st September 2015
On the 21st September we departed from Tehacahpi early in order to catch the Metrolink 06:52 Lancaster - Los Angeles service. Arriving into Los Angeles after two hours of travel we viewed the impressive station buildings, and local operations. After waiting for the Coast Startlight Amtrak service to arrive with then headed to Long Beach using the efficient Metro system. An afternoon visit to The Queen Mary was also made using the free bus link from Long Beach
22nd September 2015
The 22nd September was out last full day on the Tehachapi Mountain range before heading back to San Francisco. We covered some of the classic locations on the route including the stunning backdrops of Mojave, The Tehachapi Loop, and other favorites between Ilmon and Sandcut.
23rd September 2015
The 23rd September we returned to San Francisco via Sacramento in order to visit the California State Railroad Museum. Throughout the main Railroad History Museum building are 21 meticulously restored locomotives and cars. The museum is well lit, and the volunteer staff are always on hand to inform visitors about their locomotives. The museum is located in Old Sacramento close to the freeway and a local parking lot and is well worth a visit.
24th September 2015
The 24th September was our last half day in the USA so having checked out of our San Francisco hotel we took one last outing over to Pinole/ Hercules to capture a few passenger movements, however we were also lucky enough to capture some of the local freights entering and exiting from the Port of Oakland.