When I lived in San Bernardino, I was the self-appointed monitor of the Redlands Loop that at one time ran around the whole San Bernardino Valley (San Bernardino, Redlands, Mentone, East Highland, West Highland, Patton and Del Rosa). The northwestern portion of the loop was cut back and the right-of-way buried under the 210 freeway and it's connection (CA-259) to the I-215.
Train traffic was cut back as the Orange Groves gave way to housing and the Packing Houses closed down. The last customer on the line in Redlands was a milling company on Texas street which closed a few years ago.
There had been a lot of speculation that Metrolink service would be extended into Redlands as it's quite a ways from Redlands to the San Bernardino Depot. Further, Redlands Univerisity is literally right next to the right-of-way. Well, they've been building up the right-of-way, removing the old track, fixing the roadbed, replacing the grade crossings and putting in sidings. The first phase was fixing up the line between the San Bernardino Depot and E Street (across the street from where the original E Street station stood.
I was in Redlands today and shot some pictures of the Redlands Depot area. Signals are in place -- some of which were operating. The depot platform has been upgraded to ADA-compliance. From an appearance standpoint, I think it lost its visual appeal, but digging a trench so close to a grade crossing wasn't practical.
Trackside 2008
Trackside 2021
New Parking Structure
Looking East toward Redlands University. The signal guards a siding which was already there and is now upgraded. I plan to take another trip out there to get some shots by the university. I'm not sure where the eastern terminus is located.
