• Abandoned r-o-w along interstate in CA

  • Pertaining to all railroad subjects, past and present, in the American West, including California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, and The Dakotas. For specific railroad topics, please see the Fallen Flags and Active Railroads categories.
Pertaining to all railroad subjects, past and present, in the American West, including California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, and The Dakotas. For specific railroad topics, please see the Fallen Flags and Active Railroads categories.

Moderator: Komachi

  by carajul
 
Driving along I-280 south from Burbank, CA there was a recently abandoned row in the interstate median. The signals, signs, ties, ballast, were all still in place. But the 2 track line gone.

Can anyone give me history on this? Seemed real odd.

Looking at Google maps it looks as though it was once the commuter line but was severed just past the Seirra Madre Villa station.

  by Antonio Luna
 
Its actually the 210 Freeway east of Pasadena that you are thinking of. The line is the old Santa Fe Pasadena Sub Division. The MTA Gold Line uses this line all the way to the Sierra Madre Station.

After that stop, I believe the track was taken out. There was also a bridge going over the 210 Freeway that was removed. When I went on my first Amtrak trip back in the 80's aboard the Southwest Chief, that train went along this line.

I believe BNSF still uses part of the line along Irwindale Ca as well as other areas east of there.

:-)
Last edited by Antonio Luna on Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

  by pennsy
 
Hi All,

Okay, update time. In fact, the Gold Line did rip up all the track mentioned. It was not double track, it was single track. The new track used by the Gold Line is double track, since the Gold Line is an LRV. The line terminates at Sierra Madre Villa ave on purpose. That bridge going over the eastbound lanes of I -210 was removed because it had been condemned. A new one was never built . If the Gold Line is extended from Sierra Madre Villa station to Montclair, as proposed, that bridge would be built, and carry double tracking. So far, the extension that is under construction goes south from LAUS towards Little Tokyo, and is supposed to head towards Pomona. Let's see how that one works out. At the very least, LAUS will then become a through station for the Gold Line and not a terminal.