Started late this morning west of I-15 and has taken off to the east. As of around one PM PDT, UPRR reported to the CHP that UP and BNSF train traffic through the pass had been halted.
Some links:
http://ktla.com/2016/08/16/evacuations-issued-in-fast-moving-wild-fire-burning-in-devore/
http://abc7.com/news/brush-fire-quickly-spreads-in-devore-near-cajon-pass/1471966/
BTW, spellczeck works in the subject box, just not in the body portion of the message editor.
The fire area is basically my turf, but all roads into the area are presently closed off, including the I-15 Freeway.
Below is an excellent link with photos (Press-Enterprise, pe.com), the first two involves railroading in the pass. The first one is believed to be at CP WALKER.
http://www.pe.com/articles/brush-810732-tuesday-freeway.html
Reports are sketchy at best, but it is questionable if the McDonalds fast food restaurant near Highway 138 and I-15 survived.
From the CHP log on the fire tonight (Tuesday):
8:06 PM 201 [588] PER 201A - BRIDGE JEO I15 AT THE SPLIT IS BURNT DOWN - RR BRIDGE
I am guessing that by “the split” they are talking about where the NB and SB lanes part company for a while north of the 138 interchange. KP can maybe enlighten us on which bridge that might be.
EDIT: Looks like the Golden Arches KP mentioned got taken out, as of the 11:18 pm. update.
ChuckCobleigh (8-16):
With the CHP’s “BRIDGE JEO I15” I interpret that to be transliterated as ‘the railroad bridge just east of I-15.’
There are actually THREE railroad bridges east of I-15. The old SP Palmdale Cutoff one and two BNSF ones. Two file photos from July 12, 2010 were uncovered, and thus are shown below. The one for Mains 1 and 2 (forefront bridge, old North Track) …
… and for Main 3 (the old South Track).
Which one (assumedly of those) wasn’t said on that CHP site, but both BNSF bridges have metal under framing and wooden cross tie-like material above that metal-work. The wood is probably what was referred to in the CHP website reporting. The SP one is probably all metal with some concrete.
All the roads and freeway are still closed, and may be so for a while, so it may
I have heard that the famed Summit Inn has burned down.
The question is, how is BNSF rerouting its trains in and out of LA with the pass closed?
See picture gallery down the page:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-blue-cut-fire-20160816-snap-story.html
This morning fire map shows fire has burned from Keenbrook to east of Summit.
Photo shows long steel single track bridge buckled from heat. Photo may have been taken from 138.
One of the pictures in the LA Times picture gallery mentioned in Northwest’s post would suggest cat.
I don’t think that there is a suitable reroute strategy. For the moment, it sounds like they are holding trains.
From the BNSF website:
|
To: All Impacted Customers |
Preliminary Report: Service Interruption at Cajon, California
BNSF is currently experiencing an operational impact due to track outage, caused by wildfires in Cajon, California. Cajon, California is approximately 20 miles Northwest of San Bernardino, California. This location impacts traffic to and from the Southern California On-Dock (SCOD), Los Angeles, and San Bernardino facilities. The estimated time for opening for the main tracks has not been determined.
BNSF will continue to provide you with additional information as it becomes available. Customers may experience delays of 36 to 48 hours on shipments moving through this corridor.
azrail (8-17):
Amtrak No. 3 was rerouted today, and traveled from Barstow to Mojave, then south to Los Angeles via Soledad Canyon and Sylmar. It had a pilot. BNSF might do that too for a superhot train, and UP from the LA&SL might too, but there are too many Metrolink’s closer to Los Angeles that makes a widespread reroute effort impractical.
David1005 (8-17):
That “long steel single track bridge” that bucked (early-on in the picture gallery that Northwest linked for us) was likely shot from the closed I-15 or its embankment. That bridge is that background one in the first photo of my earlier post.
ChuckCobleigh (8-17)
I tend to agree … Cat!
Take care all,
K.P.
K.P., good to see that you are still safe. Pray for the good work and safety of the firefighters.
Here is a Twitter link of some pics and video. One of those shows a close up of the burned RR bridge. Never thought it could get that hot!
As far as I kno wthere are only 2 ways for trains to get into the LA area. Fron the east over Cajon pass, which is now blocked. Or over the Donner summit and through the San Juaquin Valley over the Tehechapei pass. BNSF and UP could reroute trains this way to keep traffic moving. Given it is the long way around, but atleast traffic will get into and out of LA.
As K.P. remarked about an hour ago, there is a way around Cajon: go north on the BNSF from Barstow to Mojave, and then go south on the UP’s line from Bakersfield. However, he cautioned that not much traffic colld be so diverted lest it impede Metrolink’s operation.
BNSF is detouring via UP’s Sunset Route. UP’s ZLADV went via Saugus and then will go via Donner. UP is planning on three trains up the Coast Line today. Finally the bridge that burned is on the UP line up to Summit.
The picture linked to looks like a part of “Big Thunder Mountain” at Disneyland.
One possibility that could involve a ballet involving an extra set of engines and crew that could be done by BNSF would be to come west from Barstow to Mohave, cut the engines from the front (north end) of the train and then put the extra set on the rear (south end) and then go into LA on the Metrolink Palmdale route. That would no doubt involve a pilot engineer qualified on that stretch, which is an additional complication.
My educated guess is that the normal level of BNSF traffic Barstow/Bakersfield probably would make that a real squeeze and not worth it for the two days or so of probable delays they are otherwise looking at.
Another option for BNSF could be diverting from the TransCon over the Peavine to Phoenix and then down to the Sunset Route and back into SoCal.
Or the easy thing to do: hold the trains until the smoke clears.
Sure wish I had the Maalox rights in Fort Worth right now.
Here’s a map from earlier today, before they got even 4% containment:
KP stay safe. Just out of curiosity what about the CHP truck scales? It looked like the scale houses were right in the middle of the fire.
Assume the "treehouse’ colony bit the dust as well [:$]…Spent many a meal at that McDonalds when it was somewhat new.
Timber deck/ballast decking can get replaced in short order as long as the steel isn’t hurt. Thankfully, per Santa Fe practice, the open deck structures are long gone as opposed to the BN practice which was never as aggressive. You can bet whatever is needed is already coming mui-pronto.
A Source … and another Fire …
A source understands UP lost one bridge and BNSF lost three because of the fire.
Probably related, but another nearby fire started this afternoon in the Phelan area (pronounced FEE-lan and NOT the traditional FAY-len). K.P. envisions the two fires probably meeting each other tonight.
The above photo was shot in Pinon Hills in about the M.P. 442 area on UP’s ex-SP Palmdale Cutoff in Southern California.
In my reply to ChuckCobleigh earlier today, in the top photo, it appears ONLY two vertically slightly slanted I-beams held up the center part of that bridge. Cutting corners about 50 years ago is going to cost the bridge’s owner a nice some of money now.
The whole area remains closed, and may not reopen for a while. The fast moving fire was MORE OF A FIRE than has sunk in to most of us (or the Press) yet …
At this point it is not clear exactly what kinds of bridges that BNSF lost, but my sneaky suspicion is that they were old wooden ones. That sank down UP bridge has TWO spans while the two BNSF bridges in that Alray area had one span each. The explanation for that is Route 66 up till 1969
