A Railfan Dilemma: Follow or Break the Law
In the famous train watching mecca of Cajon Pass in Southern California, on the east slope, railfans have a dilemma. The roadway to the left of the tracks in the below photo is the street of the dilemma …
Most railfan visitors to Cajon Pass tend to stay at or west of Summit. But, if you are a visiting railbuff that ventures to the beautiful east slope, watch out! Many locals drive like maniacs! The speed limit is a very, very uncomfortable 30 M.P.H. Uncomfortable because one wants to go at least 45 M.P.H.! But, many tend to go 60, even 70 M.P.H.! And, on a road with curves too! It is unreal! And places to pull over and let others pass are very limited. Thus, it is hard to even find places to pull off the road to take photos of the many trains.
In the just above photo, the UP (ex-SP) Palmdale Cutoff is the track on the bottom. The BNSF (ex-AT&SF) three-tracks to two-tracks line is in the center. Summit Valley Rd. is just to the upper right of and follows the BNSF Railway line.
The west slop is even curvier, but still drivers tend to be impatient and racy. A BNSF is seen towards the below photo’s top.
Not just a railfan dilemma there, K.P. It sounds like driving the limit there is just as dangerous as speeding! I’d go with the flow. As for pulling off, I know you know that you don’t do it unless you’re sure of what you’re driving onto.
I heard somewhere else that 138 is in for a bit of a rebuilding and widening.
Sounds like California drivers haven’t changed at all since I was there in 1976. By the way, Port Kennedy Road through Valley Forge National Park has a posted speed limit of 35 mph, but I challenge you to find any of the locals who obey the speed limit. I follow the limit and let the morons back up behind me. NO-ONE’S going to ruin my enjoyment of that sacred place!
That’s a situation where it might be advantageous to get around either on foot or using a bicycle - far easier to get completely off the road when you want to stop and look at something. Problem is, you have even more risk and less protection from the speeders while you’re on the road. And in that part of SoCal, desert heat and dryness may make those options impractical at some times of the year, and for some persons, unless you park someplace safe and then just go a few miles from there. Or, pair up with somebody who will drive you around and drop you off, then hang out until a pre-determined time or you call for a pick-up, etc.
Otherwise, I tend to drive at the speed limit and let the bozos either tailgate me or roar around and pass illegally. [:-,] (Someplace I read a blog about a guy - screen name “Hobbit” I think - who jury-rigged a button onto his car to light up all of the rear lights - running lights, brake lights, turn signals, hazard flashers, and back-up lights, etc. - when somebody got too close, as opposed to dazzling them with a set of fog lamps, etc. Claims it worked every time . . . )