| Gray's Hill at Victorville (October 30, 2015) | |
| First, we start with an overview and some words about the new bridge construction over the BNSF Main Tracks near the flyover | |
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| WM 6/02/10 To a Werner Meer aerial of the BNSF Flyover / Gray's Hill, I've added straight line approximations of where the new roads will traverse the hill. Note that 'the Hill' is steeply sloped and 125+ feet higher than the terrain containing the existing roads being connected. - 007 | |
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Edited Google Earth of entire project. -
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Back
in 2016, I (GGG) started a new photo
series “The Demise of Gray’s
Hill” in conjunction with a
rather large local Government
project to provide a fifth
roadway between Apple Valley and
Victorville / Hesperia / I-15. These projects are necessary, not only for normal vehicular traffic but, for emergency traffic in this earthquake prone area. Three of the roadways have existed for many years but one accident would clog the other two roads for hours. The hyper expensive factors in this construction are that all five, of these arterials, must cross the normally dry Mojave River, its tributaries and the very busy BNSF RR Cajon sub-division. What's important to we Raifans is that this latest construction must bridge the tracks very near the "natural crossover / flyover" at MP 39.1 of the BNSF Cajon Sub---and how the new road will affect the hill overlooking the flyover (our photographic viewpoint, locally known as "Gray's Hill"). This latest project is being built in three phases: Phase #1: (Apple Valley) includes widening & improving Yucca Loma Rd and building a 4 lane vehicular bridge across the Mojave River --- COMPLETED. Phase #2: (County of San Bernardino) includes widening & improving Yates Rd --- COMPLETED. Phase #3: (Victorville) will include extending Greentree BLVD and building a 4 lane vehicular bridge across the BNSF CAJON SUB under construction |
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| Spring Valley Lake - 111369 | 111370 |
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| from left: Mac (a retired WP & UP employee) Gary, Marc - 111381 | natural Flyover at MP 39.1 (near Frost) - 111377 |
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| 111379 | 1st Train UP EB Intermodal - 111382 |
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| well, whar can we do, the light is against us - 111384 | Tarin 1 is going under the flyover - 111385 |
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| now, the train is turning into good light conditions - 111386 | 111387 |
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| there are 2 rear end DPU's face-to-face - 111394 | 111395 |
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| 111398 | last photo of Train 1 UP EB - 111399 |
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| Train 2 BNSF WB coming from Frost - 111400 | 111401 |
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| usually WB traffic is going over the flyover - 111404 | 111405 |
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| in between is an empty 5-unit well cars set - 111414 | 111415 |
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| Train 2 is having 2 rear end DPU's - 111416 | 111417 |
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| last photo of Train 2 WB manifest - 111420 | Train 3 another BNSF WB intermodal - 111421 |
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| 111430 | at the same time Train 4 BNSF EB is coming - 111431 |
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| that's what we like best two trains on and under the flyover - 111440 | 111441 |
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| last photo with Train 4 BNSF EB - 111454 | Train 3 BNSF WB is having 2 mid train DPU's - 111455 |
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| 111458 | in addition, there is one rear end DPU - 111459 |
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| last photo of Train 3 BNSF WB intermodal - 111464 | some Joshua Trees while waiting for the next train - 111465 |
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| next is Train 5 UP EB on lower level - 111466 | 111467 |
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| last photo of Train 5 UP EB intermodal - 111482 | next Train 6 BNSF local with only 6 covered hoppers - 111483 |
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| 111490 | last photo of Train 6 BNSF EB local - 111491 |
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| next is Train 7 UP work train with ballst load - 111493 | 111494 |
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| 111497 | there are 20 loaded ballast cars - 111498 |
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| 111499 | 111500 |
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| 111501 | last photo of Train 7 UP EB and rom Gray's Hill - 111502 |
| With my small digital camera, I took some bonus photos on top of Gray's Hill checking the Joshua Trees. | |
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| 5053 | 5054 |
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| 5055 | 5056 |
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| 5057 | 5060 |
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| 5058 | 5059 |
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| Mac, Mark, Gary and me (Werner) had . . . 5049 | . . . . a great time on Gray's Hill - 5062 |
