Best Views in Cajon Pass Area

Last I read some years ago, the whole pass now has the railroad right of way fenced off. I assume all the old famous "good photo spots" are no longer accessible. Best to take a telephoto lens, I guess.

You MUST find a copy of August 2011 TRAINS magazine

"Map of the Month: Cajon Pass as You've Never Seen It
By Bill Metzger
Your guide to the busiest U.S. railroad mountain crossing"

This map is excellent and will tell you much that you need to know.

ray

The last time I run the Pass was a decade ago in Trucking. It is a technically challenging pass, right up there with Raton and Techahapi.

If I am not mistaken Trains.com had a thread on the UP out west daylighting tunnels. I don't know if those are near the Pass.

Also expect to see areas fenced off. 9-11 resulted in a closure of a number of old spots that I knew of and would not expect any different out west.

Even today I recall fondly the moments where I would pull over, put the little camera and take the engines as they wait to green. The engineer usually tooted once and waved after I got the shot. They were pretty good about it.

I was at Cajon in December, access was pretty easy from the frontage roads. I didn't see much looking like it was fenced off. I went to the Mormon Rock area. Lots of BNSF action, only a bit of UP

I checked out railfanning sites. I'll try for Hill 582, Sullivan's curve and I might try the Mormon Rocks area and Stein's curve.

We just drove through the pass en route on Interstate 15 last week, and I did not notice any fence. (Of course, Summit has been fenced for a long time.) I believe you can still perch above the first curve west of Summit for classic, if hackneyed, shots of trains approaching/leaving Summit.

However, do not be alarmed to discover that blue sky is not a given. Unless there is a high pressure system in the high desert, smog is standard in Cajon Pass.

The field-side searchlight block signals on the entire former ATSF First District (San Bernardino-Barstow), installed new in 1972 when ABS was changed to CTC, are in the process of being replaced with ho-hum color light signals. There is a short stretch of straight track west of Oro Grande which still has a 4-crossarm pole line, if that is photographically interesting to you. It won't remain for long, as new color light signals are installed there, but not yet in service. Surely they will Electricode the stretch of pole line track circuit when they cut in the color lights.

Don't worry about the fence, that is just one small part. Use the TRAINS map for sure.

Most of the area is park service land. You can get a parking/usage pass for the dirt roads in the area.

Lighting is tricky for pics mid day.

DO NOT miss the fly-over at Frost, east of Cajon. Also, the little yard in Victorville is a nice place to see trains up close. And Barstow is TOTALLY worth the visit. Driving up to the top of hill in town may or may not be legal, but the view is outrageous.

Rob

I couldn't get the Trains issue, my public library has 100 magazines, but not that one.

I will only be in the Cajon Pass area and south driving towards San Bernardino, no time for Barstow. Going with family and they are not rail fans (boo!).
How do I get the parking pass? Is it an adventure pass?

I cannot find Frost on google maps.

Steve

Frost is just west of Victorville. Here's a link to a map:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=...010344,0.022724&z=16


If you are just dropping through on the way to San Bernadino, you probably don't need a pass. For a short visit, there is enough to do just off the shoulder of the road. Summit, Mormon Rocks, Blue Cut and more are literally just off the old highways.

I have yet to do Hill 582. Next time. I hear it is worth it. See link.

http://www.trainmaster.ch/XC-02.htm

Rob

This was taken about 25 years, 40 lbs, and 2" in height ago :

Bob D., who is that handsome guy next to the Summit sign? Were you with Ralph C. on that trip? I think he mentioned coming out here with you once on business. I made a couple trips up to the pass with Ralph when he was here. However living here, I used to hang out there a lot from the early 60's to about 1979. Took my first SLR camera up there in 1965. I used to travel all the fire roads near the tracks when I had a VW bug. It was kind of like a German jeep. I think I heard that you could still drive on the former SP,now UP service road through Cajon. That would take you back in to places like Sullivan's curve. I think you could get on it around Highway 138. I haven't driven off road up there in years so don't take my word for how things are now. The only fence I have heard of was at Summit but I heard fans were being hastled at Cajon Station also if they left the main road and tried to cross the tracks where the high line splits off and goes upgrade toward Sullivan's curve. I used to go to Sullivan,s curve that way in the old days with my VW.
There are security rent a cop forces working in Cajon pass so just be advised and be prepared to state your business if confronted. I found the Trains issue that was mentioned. That is a good guide for today.

Ray

Ray,
Sure enough, Ralph took the picture!

I had a good time that weekend, he'd been out there before and knew all the places to go. I have a load of photos we both took. Heck, the camera I have I bought from him, he bought it when he was in Guam back in the 60s! I think it still works, but since I got digital cameras it's been "put up".

quote:

who is that handsome guy next to the Summit sign?

LOL, let's just say, The Times Have-a Changed. Right now I'm battling ANOTHER kidney stone (pea-sized). The Dr. said to come back in 6 weeks, but I don't know if it's gonna let me wait that long.

I know we hit Kinsman (or is it Kingsman?) while we were there, as well as The Loop. One place we stopped by the roadside and got out of the car to take some photos. I looked down and noticed Ralph and stepped on top of a fire ant hill, never seen him move that fast before or since

Bob, I figured Ralph took the photo. There is a place in Arizona on the former Santa Fe (BNSF)called Kingman if that's what you mean. Wonder how old Ralph is doing? Have to give him call. Good luck with the kidney stone. Been there, done that.

Ray

Thanks Ray! I've lost touch with Ralph, I hope he's doing well. I enjoyed running around the countryside with him snapping photos. He's a totally different person when he's running down a train . He'd put Richard Petty to shame

I even flew with him once and snapped some photos from the passenger side of the Piper Tomahawk. I recall I was trying to steady myself for a shot and he yelled "Have you got it yet?" I looked up and we were standing on the wingtip (I thought the camera was getting a little heavy ), no telling how many "G"s he was fighting trying to keep the plane at that attitude while I was taking the shot

Bob, I forgot that Ralph had a pilots license. That happened sometime after we parted ways. I know when he and I were kids we used to hang out around the Portsmouth airport right across highway 58 from the SAL/VGN crossing which was called Algren I think. We watched airplanes amd also got rides in a Piper L4J from the guy we knew who was the train order operator at Boone. He did mentiom that he flew down to Daytona for the car races one time. I doubt if he flies any longer though but I might be surprised.


Ray

I had a few hours at Cajon Pass. Had the family with me, so I dropped them off at a Redlands, CA Barnes and Noble.
First I sterted up the dirt road for Hill 582. I got probably halfway there when I had a problem going up a somewhat steep hill. The rental car was a Malibu and I didn't like it when I was driving on normal pavement. On dirt it was pathetic. So I turned around and continued on Rt 138 East. When the road twists, there is a turnout where you can see the 3 tracks far below, so you get a big overhead view, but you're not close.

Then I got to a road with a crossing gate and waitied a bit for something to pass by.
Then a BNSF pickup truck started moving towards me because just over the crossing is BNSF private property. I waited it out a bit, but the guy started moving again, so I turned around and continued up 138 E. and made a left onto Summit Valley Rd. There you're about 1-2 stories below the tracks, so the view is okay, but not great.

I then headed down I-15 one exit and right off the exit on Cajon Blvd is a turnout where the tracks are close. Waited awhile, but nothing passed by.
I then drove south down that road and did see a UP with 7 engines lashed together, hauling some tankers. Swarthout Canyon Rd, which is off Cajon Blvd, also seems like a good spot as I could see a crossing gate flashing in the distance.
I didn't try Sullivan's Curve.

quote:

did see a UP with 7 engines lashed together, hauling some tankers

Where they all "lashed together" with rope, chain, or braided wire cables?

dunno

Seems like a great place for railfanning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...lf8M&feature=related

Prairie

Well, Steve, it appears that you had an interesting, but not great, day on Cajon. When you only have part of a day it's a spin of the wheel of fortune at best. You can manage to hit the only dead spot during the day, or inadvertently choose a day when a big gang has traffic stopped for a big maintenance window, or you can miss the trains while you are moving from one spot to another. At least you had an opportunity to see it and perhaps, in a future trip, you can talk the family into giving you an entire day to watch trains. Dawn to dusk anywhere on Cajon usually produces good results, as long as you can stay put and resist moving numerous times.

Right Tom.
It would be better if I didn't have the family.

Maybe on a future trip.

When I was on a turnout on Rt 138 far above the tracks I could hear the engines
churning on a 5-engine consist going eastbound. You can tell it's a tough spot, even with all that HP.

Steve

Hi Rob, Your website link to all the pages of pictures those gentlemen took in Cajon Pass happily consumed many, many hours of viewing. They were fantastic. Judging by the amount of work, the scope of the project at hand and the equipment needed, when BNSF say's it's going to spend several hundred million on track work, they really mean it.

 

Could you imagine the amount of manpower that would be needed to do a project like this without all the modern machinery? All the articles about Charlie Crocker's 10,000 man Chinese laborers doing the same type of work kind of stymies the mind.

 

Pentrex has a video (At the Throttle) with a cab ride thru this area while the mountain sides and tunnels were being demolished. Judging by the increased amount of traffic that'll avail itself to this improvement, the railroad should quickly see a return on their well spent monies.

 

Now, we need to see more pictures like these of the Abo canyon project.