'round the balloon at Pepper

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Here’s an image from not that long ago, but back when actual real freight trains would run on the Coast Line… an extra of empty center beams is seen going 'round the balloon track at West Colton behind a Dash 8 on its way up the coast.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=193062

Thanks for looking and corrections are welcome.

Charles Freericks

2

That is a lot of center beam cars…Walmart going into the lumber business?[:-^]

3

Charles - Thanks for sharing !

More observed details in this very unusual photo:

  • It’s not just an extra train - but an uncommon solid train of nothing but center-beams [except for that 1 box car someplace in it];

  • It’s going around a balloon-track to the left = the railroad version of a ‘cul-de-sac’, all of which is visible in the photo. That may be more-or-less common out there, but here in the Eastern U.S. is about unheard of outside of commuter, transit, and subway systems and the like, so that too is rare;

  • That maneuver and the several cars going through the cross-overs at the top right of the photo rem

4

Cool photo, if they were box cars it would remind me of my Lionel trains from my youth.

I have a few questions, if y’all don’t mind. Since I am unfamiliar with the area, do all of the tracks (including the tank cars) funnel in to the balloon track? Is there a line continuing on in the direction the camera is pointing? What is the diameter of the balloon track? And finally, why was the balloon track built?

5

Thanks for the comments, Gentlemen…

Let’s see what questions I can answer –

  1. No, most of the tracks lead out into the Yuma Sub (which is the old Southern Pacific Sunset Route and continues east from there. The Balloon Track is crossing over them. One of the tracks however goes up a grade to the left to become the Mojave Sube (the old Southern Pacific Palmdale Cutoff) travelling through world famous Cajon Pass.

  2. Don’t know.

  3. This was just explained to me in another thread, but essentially the yard behind where I was standing when I took the shot is a gravity hump, so the easiest way to construct trains is to have them all facing east (over simplification, but I’m a simple guy). Thus, any train that is built in the yard ends up in the trim yard here, facing east. A balloon track was needed to service any westbound trains so they wouldn’t have to depart by going back up through the yard facilities (again, not quite accurate, but pretty close).

6

Unusual that they were going the Coast route, but I am guessing they were headed back up to the Northwest. When that Portland railcam was still running, you could see a lot of loaded centerbeams heading south through Brooklyn yard.

7

Trains going up the Bakersfield Line would also be westbounds, so not all westbounds need to use the balloon track.

The train symbol indicates it is going to CORP at Eugene, OR.

8

Mudchicken’s practiced eye can probably tell you what the curve(s) are there - I’m guessing in excess of 6 degrees - maybe as high as 9 degrees, which I think would be the limit for long cars like the racks. I’m sure you can get your fill of squeals and pings when a train is going around the loop.

You can get an idea of the layout by going to Acme Mapper and entering the lat/long: N 34.06713 W 117.34779, which will provide you a satellite view of the loop.

9

Larry/ tree68 - thanks for the link and hint.

Scaling crudely off the aerial photo - and the loop appears to be not quite perfectly circular, due to the turnouts on either side and the reverse curve at the exit, etc. - nevertheless the eastern 1/2 circle looks like about 800 ft. diameter = 400 ft. radius, which is about a 14.3 degree or 14 degree - 20 minute curve.

  • Paul North.
10

Thanks alot, guys. [:)] [tup]

Larry, it took me ten minutes to load the home page to your link. You got to love dial-up! [banghead] I never did get to the aerial photo. [:(]

11

Sorry about that. The home page itself is a satellite image, so it’s gonna be huge, too…

That said, it’s a good site for checking out locations, since you can (well, many of us can) switch between a map, a topo map, labelled and unlabelled satellite photos, aerial (as in shot from an airplane) photos, and even a satellite image with NEXRAD overlaid.