Railfanning in the Los Angeles area

[Allen Dee]

When I was a child in the early 1950's Los Angeles was a railfan's paradise. The Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Transit Lines were "downsizing", but there was still a lot of passenger train action.

By the time I graduated from high school in 1965, passenger trains in the LA area were at a minimum. The PE was gone, so was the LATL. All that was left was the run-down Union Station with its minimal handful of passenger trains.

But things are looking up. The Los Angeles Union Station has been completely restored. This is now the second busiest train station in the country (not counting just Amtrak).

It could a whole week to travel the local routes of the trains now departing from the Los Angeles Union Station. I plan to take several of these trips in the near future and will post them in the travelogue portion of this forum.

 

[gswager]

I've rode several commuter trains in Los Angeles area as a recreation rider: Metrolink (San Bernardino, Riverside, & Antelope Valley), Red Line, & Blue Line, Southwest Chief & Coast Starlight.

I've heard one rider rode all Metrolink routes in one day, starting at around 4 am and well into late night. He did all of his homework for its schedule.

You come and ride one year early for a new line- Gold Line. It goes from Union Station to Pasadena, similar to Blue & Green Lines cars. Phase II would be from Pasadena to Claremont, roughly along I-210 freeway.

"Color" Lines (MTA)

Gold Line

Metrolink

If you have more questions about those trains, feel free to ask me.

 

[Coach34135]

I've rode several commuter trains in Los Angeles area as a recreation rider: Metrolink (San Bernardino, Riverside, & Antelope Valley), Red Line, & Blue Line, Southwest Chief & Coast Starlight.
I've heard one rider rode all Metrolink routes in one day, starting at around 4 am and well into late night. He did all of his homework for its schedule.

You come and ride one year early for a new line- Gold Line. It goes from Union Station to Pasadena, similar to Blue & Green Lines cars. Phase II would be from Pasadena to Claremont, roughly along I-210 freeway.

"Color" Lines (MTA)

Gold Line

Metrolink

If you have more questions about those trains, feel free to ask me.

Is the gold line what they are working on in the middle of the 210 frwy?

Where is it going to go when they hit where the old bridge used to be? It's gone now, or at least I'm sure there was a bridge there! The old PE used to run thru there.

 

[Dan A]

I was in Los Angeles in April and took in a 2-hour+ Saturday morning tour of the Union Station and the $300 million Gateway Transit Center complex put on by the "Los Angeles Conservancy."

About 25 people were divided up into two groups and mine was ably led by local media personality, Tony Valdez. I was a last minute walk-in and was welcomed as the only Canadian.

Valdez is a person who has vast knowledge about the city and truly loves doing these tours. But it was his affection for the city that made the tour special.

I followed up the tour with a bargain lunch at one of the oldest eateries in LA, "Phillipe's the Original" just a short walk north of the station.

 

[Allen Dee]

Is the gold line what they are working on in the middle of the 210 frwy?
Where is it going to go when they hit where the old bridge used to be? It's gone now, or at least I'm sure there was a bridge there! The old PE used to run thru there.

The outer portion of the gold line will run in the median of I-210. This was former ATSF trackage, not PE.

Is the bridge in question the Arroyo Seco bridge? If so, it is being replaced.

The Metrolink San Bernardino line runs in the median of I-10. This was a former PE line.

 

[Allen Dee]

I followed up the tour with a bargain lunch at one of the oldest eateries in LA, "Phillipe's the Original" just a short walk north of the station.

When I was a senior in high school, I had a part-time job at the Terminal Annex Post Office, accross the street from Union Station, loading and unloading sacks of mail on trucks, HPO's (Highway Post Offices), and RPO's (Railway Post Offices). This was a pretty exciting job for a young railfan, and there were lots of other railfans working there, too.

I ate at Phillipe's quite often. They used to cash our paychecks. Phillipe's was the first establishment where I was successful at purchasing a beer as a minor (after work, of course)!

 

[Coach34135]

Is the gold line what they are working on in the middle of the 210 frwy?

Where is it going to go when they hit where the old bridge used to be? It's gone now, or at least I'm sure there was a bridge there! The old PE used to run thru there.

The outer portion of the gold line will run in the median of I-210. This was former ATSF trackage, not PE.

Is the bridge in question the Arroyo Seco bridge? If so, it is being replaced.

The Metrolink San Bernardino line runs in the median of I-10. This was a former PE line.

Ok thanks for clearing that up! Yeah the Metro & Sunset Limited runs thru the 10 middling. That was fun when we were coming home, I KNEW I was home when kids in cars were flipping us off! haha!

 

[Coach34135]

I was in Los Angeles in April and took in a 2-hour+ Saturday morning tour of the Union Station and the $300 million Gateway Transit Center complex put on by the "Los Angeles Conservancy."About 25 people were divided up into two groups and mine was ably led by local media personality, Tony Valdez. I was a last minute walk-in and was welcomed as the only Canadian.

Valdez is a person who has vast knowledge about the city and truly loves doing these tours. But it was his affection for the city that made the tour special.

I followed up the tour with a bargain lunch at one of the oldest eateries in LA, "Phillipe's the Original" just a short walk north of the station.

Glad you had the best of LA, Phillipe's!!!! We go there at least every other month or so.

i know who tony valdez is, havent had the pleasure of meeting him....yet!

 

[Coach34135]

I followed up the tour with a bargain lunch at one of the oldest eateries in LA, "Phillipe's the Original" just a short walk north of the station.

When I was a senior in high school, I had a part-time job at the Terminal Annex Post Office, accross the street from Union Station, loading and unloading sacks of mail on trucks, HPO's (Highway Post Offices), and RPO's (Railway Post Offices). This was a pretty exciting job for a young railfan, and there were lots of other railfans working there, too.

I ate at Phillipe's quite often. They used to cash our paychecks. Phillipe's was the first establishment where I was successful at purchasing a beer as a minor (after work, of course)!

I'll bet some of those HPO's were built down the road a bit at Crown Coach!

 

[Allen Dee]

I'll bet some of those HPO's were built down the road a bit at Crown Coach!

They were ALL Crown's, and most of them were operated by Orange Belt Stages.

 

[warbonnet]

I think the "missing bridge" coach 34135 is mentioning is the RR bridge that crossed the 210 freeway around the Baldwin Ave. exit in Arcadia. This over crossing has indeed been removed over the 210. This was ex Santa Fe mainline for years until the current line was decided on through Fullerton, Santa Ana Canyon, etc. The now removed bridge over the 210 fwy will have an impact on Phase II of the Gold Line to Claremont. I guess the planners have time think about Phase II as Phase I is not yet running.

 

[Allen Dee]

I think the "missing bridge" coach 34135 is mentioning is the RR bridge that crossed the 210 freeway around the Baldwin Ave. exit in Arcadia. This over crossing has indeed been removed over the 210. This was ex Santa Fe mainline for years until the current line was decided on through Fullerton, Santa Ana Canyon, etc. The now removed bridge over the 210 fwy will have an impact on Phase II of the Gold Line to Claremont. I guess the planners have time think about Phase II as Phase I is not yet running.

The last time that I was in the Arcadia, CA, area, I was riding on the Southwest Chief when it still made stops in Pasadena and Pomona. I was aware that the train had since been re-routed through Fullerton, but I was unaware that the bridge had been removed.

 

[warbonnet]

Allen,

I was quite surpised the over crossing was removed as it was a cement structure that was integrated into the freeway during the contruction of the 210 fwy. I do know the cities of Pasadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, Glendora and others that border the San Gabriel Mountains were quite influential in getting the railroad to move their mainline to where it is now as they didn't want the long freights coming through the downtown sections of their cities. My guess is when the RR line became obsolete, the bridge was removed to prevent vandals and others from trespassing near the freeway. Years ago when it was actually removed, nobody has the wildest dream of a metrolink or light rail in the L.A. area.

 

[Allen Dee]

Was the entire former ATSF mainline from Pasadena to Pomona abandoned? If so, there would be 3 bridges east of the one we discussed that may or may not have been removed. One crosses over Huntington Drive (Old US 66) at 2nd Avenue in Arcadia. The second one crosses over I-210 just east of Irwindale Avenue in Azusa. The last one crosses over Alosta Avenue (again, Old US 66) just west of Lone Hill Avenue in Glendora.

The remainder of the line from Pomona to San Bernardino is now part of Metrolink's San Bernardino line. The last time I rode this line, I noticed numerous sidings, so there still is some local freight service provided in this area. I also noticed the former line to Pasadena veering off to the north as the westbound Metrolink veered south on ex-PE and/or ex-SP right-of-way.

 

[warbonnet]

Allen,

The other 3 bridges you mentioned are still intact and functional. There is still light freight traffic at this time on the line, but nothing west of the missing bridge in Arcadia at the 210 crossing, at least not from the east. I grew up in Glendora and the bridge across Alosta, (Now called U.S.66 !!) is still in fairly good shape. I believe the year formed into the cement pillar for the construction year is 1929. If it could only talk the stories it could tell !!!

 

[gswager]

The bridge close by Arcadia where the railroad in the median that goes over the eastbound I-210 freeway was removed. It was a steel bridge. I think the train icon was blue with white cross. I don't know what was the name.

In Pasadena the railroad track appears on the median, all the way to Arcadia.

For Gold Line, the proposed plan is located north and northeast of I-210 freeway where the existed railroad tracks are. The traffic freight are minimum, according to the planning stage worksheet.

For me, I grew up in Chino area (Ontario) and used to go to Pasadena every week when I was a kid for speech therapy. Looking at the RR bridge is the most interesting part to see.