The storms that have closed some of the mountain passes have also dumped a lot of rain in So Cal. Metrolink service between Moorpark and Oxnard on the UP (SP) coast line will be “bustituted” on Monday 1/10 due to debris on the tracks.
Also according to a traffic report the UP (SP) west of Colton has a couple feet of standing water covering the tracks (and adjacent I-10 freeway) this afternoon.
Lots of flash flood warnings around, and the roads have deterioated. Lots of new pot-holes out there.
Is the normal oil can route up the Coast Line? With all the rain in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties there could be other line closures. Those areas are always vulnerable during extended rains.
San Ardo to Carson. Of course only the San Ardo to Burbank Junction portion is the Coast Line. The last I heard this train still runs. Appearently it was detouring on June 8, 2004, there is a picture of it running through Gonzales, CA on page 42 of the December 2004 issue of Trains.
The extent of rail damage has not been reported on the radio. According to posts on another board, there are several boulders on the Coast Line north of La Conchita (north of Ventura).
There are also four washouts between Concepcion and Gaviota…this is the remote coastal section around Vandenberg AFB. One lineside signal fell down the cliff.
Heard on the radio this AM, 30 foot stretch of track south of Santa Barbara washed out, Metrolink service is stopped north of Moorpark due to washouts and slides. Jamtrack and all freight service north is off till repaired which probably wont be till all this #$%#$@#@#$%%% rain ends!
We are officially at about 21 inches of rain so far…normal for this time of year is…4
Heard this morning that La Conchita is now isolated…washouts/slides on US 101 both north and south of there. Fire station in the area providing emergency shelter. At that point the RR runs parallel east of the highway (compass north) making it subject to mudslides. This sounds worse that the March '95 storm!
Several homes have been buried in a massive mudslide! one local TV (ch9) channel caught on tape and it was scarey. One confirmed fatality, at least 6 to 12 homes buried, they are franticly trying to search for survivors.
Watched the news from my vantage point on the East Coast. Quotes were from 20-30 inches of rain!!! Is that stuff stalled and just raining in one spot? Or is it coming in one storm after another off the Pacific? It seems like in the Winters that California gets pounded, the East Coast gets off easier…We got blitzed with lots of snowstorms the past couple of years,however, this year,so far its mostly rain and freezing rain …I can’t believe the amount of moisture California is getting…Hurricanes put down less water than that. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown
It’s called the Pineapple Express. A low spinning off Northern California is fetching tropical moisture and sending it through SoCal. The low is moving onshore tonight. Heavy snow expected over Donner and more rain for the southland. I think this low has produced 3 waves of moisture. BTW for the folks to the east–here it comes!
More bad news. A railroad bridge south of San Juan Capistrano was weakened, so all Amtrak service is suspended for now. I don’t know what Metrolink will do.
The Oil Cans are detouring. I just saw them less than two hours ago. There were yellow locomotives pulling it. Yellow locomotives just do not seem right pulling the Oil Cans.
I wonder if the train will have to go all the way to Roseville, or if it will be allowed to go over Altamont Pass.