 |
 |
 |
| 6/22/07 Equipment for the construction - 001 | 6/27/07 Culvert digging across Hill 582 - 002 | 6/27/07 Grading across Hill 582 - 003 |
 |
 |
 |
| 6/27/07 Silverwood MP 56.2X - 004 | 6/27/07 Crane lifting Pile Driver MP 57X - 005 | 6/29/07 Construction MP 57X area - 006 |
 |
 |
 |
| 6/29/07 Construction MP 57X - 007 | 6/29/07 Construction MP 57X - 008 | 6/29/07 RR West from MP 57X - 009 |
 |
 |
 |
| 7/17/07 Bridge Pilings at MP 57.2X - 010 | 7/17/07 Bridge Pilings at MP 57.2X - 011 | 7/17/07 Culvert extension MP 57.8X - 012 |
 |
 |
 |
| 7/17/07 WB Train at Tunnel 2 Ribbon Rail - 013 | 7/17/07 new access road West Portal T 2 - 014 | 7/18/07 new access road Tunnel 2 - 015 |
| A few words about the two Tunnels: Tunnel # 1 = east tunnel (upper tunnel). Tunnel # 2 = west tunnel (lower tunnel) near I-15 | ||
 |
 |
 |
| 7/18/07 EB Train at Tunnel 2 - 016 | 7/19/07 New row MP 58.0X - 017 | 7/19/07 new access road West Portal T 2 - 018 |
 |
 |
 |
| 7/18/07 equip. storage area between tunnel 2 and Interstate 15 north bound - 019 | 7/18/07 EB on Main # 1 passing equip. storage area between tunnel 2 and I 15 NB - 020 | 7/19/07 hammer drill working on the new retaining wall protecting the Silverwood Connector - 021 |
 |
 |
 |
| 7/19/07 EB Train at Tunnel 2 West Portal - 022 | 7/19/07 EB Train at Tunnel 2 East Portal - 023 | 7/19/07 EP T-2 (on the right is I 15 visible) - 024 |
 |
 |
 |
| 7/23/07 East Portal Tunnel 2 - 025 | 7/23/07 East Portal Tunnel 2 - 026 | 7/25/07 EB Train at East Portal T-2 - 027 |
 |
 |
 |
| 7/25/07 West Portal Tunnel 2, heavy work above Tunnel 2 by Ames Construction - 028 | 7/27/07 The process for 'daylighting' Tunnel 2 is on its way. EB UP Train East Portal. by GGG - 029 | 7/30/07 Top left, construction of the shotcrete wall startet. This wall may go down to row level - 030 |
 |
 |
 |
| 8/02/07 T-2 EP Concrete beeing pumped thru a pipe up to the wall from the truck. by GGG - 031 | 7/29/07 Looking RR East at ROW (right of way) preparation from just above track level - 032 | 7/29/07 As you can see the Summit hills were "terraced" but erosion has done it's own - 033 |
 |
 |
 |
| 8/02/07 Summit - the machines are reworking the slope and widening the cut - 034 | 7/29/07 Looking RR East toward Summit - 035 | 8/02/07 Close up of Cat excavator - this whole thing looks a bit dangerous to Gary - 036 |
 |
 |
 |
| 8/02/07 There is a parade of "double dumps" carrying the dirt away. - 037 | 8/02/07 The loaded trucks proceed down the Summit crossing out to HWY 138 and I-15. - 038 | 7/29/07 Summit - Note that the new signal bridges have already been delivered. - 039 |
 |
 |
 |
| 7/30/07 Culvert West of Summit - 040 | 8/01/07 Culvert awaiting construction MP 58.2X - 041 | 7/30/07 Culvert preparation MP 57.2X - 042 |
|
While culverts, and their extensions, are
not very exciting, their existence is necessary. For those of you who
don't live in the desert, ---- when it rains here, it REALLY rains and
drainage becomes VERY important. You may remember, a few years ago,
when we had 1.5 inches of rain in about 20 minutes. That deluge
moved the flyover (natural crossovers) about 3 inches according to my
friend Santa Fe Dave (BNSF Structures). The flyover now has two EXTRA
three foot pipes to drain the runoff. (written by Gary Gray)
|
||
 |
 |
 |
| 7/30/07 Culvert MP 57.8X - 043 | 7/30/07 Concrete filling MP 57.8X - 044 | 8/01/07 Finished MP 57.8X (see photo 012) - 045 |
 |
 |
|
| 7/30/07 Completed Culvert MP 57.4X - 046 | 8/02/07 Finished Culvert MP 57.4X - 047 | 8/08/07 Above Tunnel 2 EP - 048 |
| Some more info on photo 048: It shows the progress on the retaining wall above Tunnel 2 EP. The hammer drill is drilling into and placing the sleepers/deadmen into the hill to aid in retention of the shotcrete wall. This is done for protection once the tunnel is daylighted. (GGG) | ||
|
 |
 |
| 8/09/07 T-2 WP as seen from the UP track, the backhoe is working hard (see next photo) - 049 | 8/09/07 The backhoe is removing the "hill" between the UP and BNSF # 1 mains - 050 | 8/'2/07 Pre-cast concrete sections for new bridge ready for palcement MP 57.2X - 051 |
|
 |
 |
| 8/03/07 Completed bridge at MP 57.2X - 052 | 8/10/07 MP 57.2X bridge overlook - 053 | 8/10/07 Almost ready to place the tracks - 054 |
|
 |
 |
| 8/10/07 Don't be confused, this EB train is on the # 1 main and not on the new 3MT yet - 055 | 8/10/07 This bridge leads over the old Hesperia / Power Line Road MP 57.2X - 056 | 8/17/07 Summit overlook: New 3-track cantilever signal bridge (old signals are still in use) - 057 |
|
 |
 |
| 8/17/07 At the far end left side is the Martinez siding with the switch to lead into 3MT - 058 | 8/24/07 The shotcrete wall is growing downward and it won't be long now before the T-2 is gone - 059 | 8/24/07 T-2 WP: East bound BNSF Train is climbing toward Tunnel 2 (machinery on top, see 059) - 060 |
|
 |
 |
| 8/24/07 Progress at the Summit Curve shows the cut down to track level (see also 033 & 034) - 061 | 8/24/07 BNSF WB entering T-2 EP. (see details of work on the shotcrete wall on 059 above) - 062 | 8/29/07 UP NB train passing T-2 EP. Soon, Tunnel 2 will be history - 063 |
|
 |
 |
| 8/24/07 MP62.1 Bridge over Cajon Creek - 064 | 8/24/07 Pilings for new bridge at MP 61.5X - 065 | 8/24/07 New crash wall under HWY 138 - 066 |
| Pine Lodge is at MP 61.5X between the Mormon Rocks and the Hwy 138 bridge. The first two photos (064, 065) show the pilings for the new Cajon Creek bridge being "inserted/pounded". It is interesting to see that the 3MT will be on the south side of the existing MT. It will also clarify that the 3MT will be inside the Sullivans Curve as there is not enough clearance between the UP and the BNSF main lines. Obove the Tunnels up to Summit the 3MT is beeing constructed on the north side of Main # 1. Photo 066 shows the new "Crash Wall" protecting the Hwy 138 bridge. There will be "Crash Walls" on both sides of the track(s). Hopefully these new "CW" will protect the bridge of a damage if there will be a derailment at speed? (GGG) | ||
|
 |
 |
| 8/24/07 T-2 WP grading under progress - 067 | 8/24/07 T-2 WP Loading CAT & Volvo - 068 | 8/24/07 The Volvo fleet for T-2 WP - 069 |
|
 |
 |
| 8/24/07 T-2 EP seen from UP main signal - 070 | 8/27/07 Grading near Hill 582 - 071 | 9/04/07 BNSF EB climbing the Summit curve - 072 |
|
 |
 |
| 9/06/07 UP EB train exiting T-1 EP - 073 | 9/06/07 Above T-1 removal of dirt has started - 074 | 9/04/07 Same train as above entering Summit - 075 |
|
 |
 |
| 9/06/07 Same UP EB train after leaving T-1 - 076 | 9/06/07 Detail shows grading at this location - 077 | 9/06/07 T-2 EP grading in the foreground - 078 |
|
 |
 |
| 9/06/07 T-2 WP How long will this tunnel remain closed ? - 079 | 9/04/07 BNSF EB coming up the Summit curve with TOFC on Track # 2 (3% grade) - 080 | 9/04/07 The same train is using the Summit switch from Track # 2 to Track # 1 - 081 |
|
 |
 |
| 9/04/07 BNSF EB double stack Summit curve - 082 | 9/04/07 Stack train EB and WB BNSF 768 - 083 | 9/04/07 BNSF EB Summit curve on Track # 2 - 084 |
|
 |
 |
| 9/01/07 Work cont. on new bridge MP 62.1 - 085 | 9/01/07 BNSF EB Steins Hill Track # 2 - 086 | 9/01/07 Borrow Pit (see text below) - 087 |
| Some
have asked where all the excess dirt was being "placed". Some
dirt went down to build the approaches to a new bridge being built over
the BNSF tracks near University AVE (about half way between Devore and San
Bernardino). Some is being used for "fills" along the new ROW. Picture 087 shows the old "borrow pit" used to provide fill back when I-15 was built ---- now being refilled. The pit is near Mormon rocks. (GGG) |
||
|
 |
 |
| 9/06/07 BNSF EB Blue Cut - 088 | 9/06/07 UP SB east of T-1 (on UP track) - 089 | 9/06/07 BNSF WB heading to T-1 EP - 090 |
| Picture
088: BNSF 5161 is EB at
Blue Cut. As you can see, work on the 3MT has started in the area. Note
the work of a new graffiti artist on the concrete. Picture 090: Enlarge this photo to see the right number board of BNSF 5191 - the Numbers 1 are inverted ! ! ) |
||
|
 |
 |
| 9/12/07 BNSF WB, Swarthout Canyon Rd. - 091 | 9/12/07 Excavator at Swarthout Canyon Rd. - 092 | 9/17/07 Blue Cut - 093 |
| These massive machines and their operators are amazing. The slopes where they are working are STEEP and I don't even like walking (crawling) on grades like these. Hope these guys are being paid well for this dangerous work ------- I'm sure they are. (GGG) | ||
|
 |
 |
| 9/12/07 T-1 EP from Overlook - 094 | 9/12/07 Looking East from the same Overlook - 095 | 9/12/07 BNSF WB coming around the curve - 096 |
|
 |
 |
| 9/12/07 Same BNSF Train entering T-1 EP - 097 | 9/10/07 T-1 WP (see text below) - 098 | 9/17/09 T-1 WP (see text below) - 099 |
| Here are two pictures of T-1 WP taken seven days apart. The little "peak" to the left of the Excavator picture 098 does not exist anymore on photo 099. In the 09-17-07 picture 099, you can see that the hammer drill is now working on the shotcrete wall. BTW, We saw the truck carrying the "deadmen/sleepers" that will be driven into the concrete and dirt. Bet they were 30 ft long --- serious stuff. Although I've spent many hours in Cajon and hang with much more experienced Cajon-ites, I don't think I had any idea just how massive this project would be. (GGG) | ||
