Alameda Corridor marks 10th Anniversary

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Alameda Corridor marks 10th Anniversary

The TRAINS Newswire for April 25, 2012 mentioned the Alameda Corridor trench (in the Los Angeles, CA area) has been open for ten years now! (Wow! Has it really been that long?)

A couple of photos taken February 15, 2010 are shown to give those unfamiliar with the Alameda Corridor a feel for the corridor.

Looking east at where the BNSF (Transcon, right) meets the UP (Sunset Route from Texas and the route from Chicago via the LA&SL and the Overland Route).

!(http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff19/kpharrier/sunset ca-texas/DSC08129-M.jpg)

Looking southwest where the trench starts to head south (westbound) to the Pacific Ocean ports.

!(http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff19/kpharrier/sunset ca-texas/DSC08152.jpg)

It is hoped the above helps broadens everyone’s understand of the news item in the TRAINS Newswire.

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Pentrex has a great video out on the corridor. It’s…,At The Throttle cab ride vol. 4. Seeing these gigantic freight trains hitting 60 per thru it are awesome.

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It is amazing that when a infrastructure project really works - it is almost immediately forgotten, because the problem it solved has totally disappeared. Alameda Corridor is such a project.

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Note the double inner guardrails on all 5 tracks - even though it’s a ballast deck bridge, and the middle tracks are a significant distance from the bridge parapet (some railroads don’t use them there, figuring the rails of the outer tracks will serve the same purpose). Also note that the guardrails are cut back shorter in the tracks approaching the turnout in the 3rd and 4th tracks from the left.

Even allowing for telephoto compression, that’s a pretty significant ‘S-curve’ in the route from the 4th track from the left at the top (the outer curved track) into the diverging (curved) route of the turnout in the 3rd track from the left at the bottom of the photo.

  • Paul North.
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Link to the 10th anniversary news release dated April 12, 2010 from the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority - some interesting comments and statistics there: http://www.acta.org/newsroom/Releases/Alameda_Corridor_Marks_10thAnniversary.pdf

Its website: http://www.acta.org/index.asp

Unfortunately, it appears the ACTA has run into some financial difficulties due to the downturn in container traffic as a result of the recession, etc. - see this news release “Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority Responds to Moody’s Investor Services Downgrading Credit Ratings” dated Feb. 3, 2010: http://www.acta.org/newsroom/Releases/ACTA%20Responds%20to%20Moody’s.pdf

More recently, see this “Notice Regarding Ratings Actions” dated January 3, 2012: http://www.acta.org/revenue_finance/financial_reports/ACTA_Notice_Regarding_Ratings_Change_Dec%202011.pdf

And the most recent “Continuing Disclosure - Annual Report for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2011” (152 pages, 3.6 MB file size in 'PDF" format) at: http://www.acta.org/revenue_finance/Continuing_Disclosure_Annual_Report_w_POLA_Audited_Financial_Statement.pdf

  • Paul North.
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Here are what appear to be the satellite photographs of those tracks.

Google

Bing

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Thanks for providing those links, ericsp - I never would have identified or found the site by myself.

If we can believe the graphic scale on the Bing map version, there’s about only 60 ft. between the Points of Switch (“PS”) of those opposing turnouts. That’s too close for moves of long cars (89 ft.) with any frequency - perhaps that route is not used often. There appears to be some room to move the bottom one in K.P.'s photo further to the west towards the S. Santa Fe Ave. overpass without getting too close to the next collection of turnouts beyond it.

Also note that the inner guardrails are omitted near and in the upper turnout - yet that’s the one place most likely to have (or cause) a derailment . . . [:-^] I’m not a big fan of them, on that track they could be omitted entirely with no appreciable loss of safety.

  • Paul North.
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I followed the tracks in the satellite photographs for several miles. It appears the tracks diverging to the right are BNSF’s transcontinental route and the ones going straight are UP’s transcontinental route.

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Paul D. North Jr. (5-1):

Here is a ‘normal’ view of the interlocking plant in question:

!(http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff19/kpharrier/sunset ca-texas/DSC08127-M.jpg)

Timetable information available lists this area as 30 M.P.H., though the trench several thousand feet to the west (behind the camera) has a limit of 40 M.P.H. So, presumable, the turnouts are 30 M.P.H. too.

It appears an impossible situation developed for designers with that switch without bridge guard rails, as guard rails AND switch points are not practical.

To see the area in person, Paul, is most memorable. If you ever get out that way, I highly recommend visiting the area in person.

Years ago, before the Alameda Corridor, in old Southern Pacific days, the background bridge (center) was only a single-track truss bridge.

!(http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff19/kpharrier/sunset ca-texas/DSC08133-M.jpg)

Oh, how times have changed!

ericsp (5-1):

You are correct, the branching off line is to BNSF’s Transcon, the straight route is to both UP’s (1) LA&SL to Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, North Platte, and Omaha, while (2) the sharp curving leftward track in the distance of the last photo in the reply to Paul North accesses the Sunset Route to Arizona, Texas, and Louisiana, though the Sunset Route can be accessed via the LA&SL also.

Take care all,

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I think I would want an armored personnel carrier to visit that place in person.

Is that yard to the west the J Yard?

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ericsp (5-2):

Yes, the J Yard is the yard to the west.

The above photo was taken in 2010 from the public roadway on the yard’s southwest side, which public roadway must be a real hindrance to freewheeling switching operations.

When I was up on the overpass to photo shoot the trackage over the Los Angeles River, I had with me 15 body guards toting AK-47’s! Man, did I ever catch it from the Mrs. when she got the bill in the mail!

Best,

K.P.