South Anaheim Observations

[jeff]

Since I visit the South Anaheim area on a daily basis, as my office is just north (RR west) of the Old Main Siding. I thought that I would post activities that I notice on my drive to and from work, and at lunch. I have been following the RR operations in the area since 2000, but haven't taken the time to document what I see, hence this thread. Much has changed over the past few years, and I hope to make at least weekly posts to the operations here in the backyard of my office.

~ ~ ~

Today, there are three UP m-o-w trucks at the Old Main siding. I watched for a few minutes, but couldn't determine what they were up to. It may have to do with the new electical transmission towers that are being installed along the r-o-w. From what I have seen, the City of Anaheim's utility department is transistioning power lines to underground, and/or to new power poles or towers. This has been going for close to a year now, and looks to be getting towards the end of the project. UP has had a m-o-w truck at the Cerritos grade crossing off and on for a few weeks. The crossing has no gates, just flashers and a bell.

As far as RR operations, the storage tracks at South Anaheim have actually had cars stored on them periodically over the past week or two. Today, there are six stored on the middle track, the typical storage track. All are BNSF box cars. There are five box cars on the Hobbs spur, three FBOXes and two BNSF boxes. I am guessing that the six are for Hobbs. There were NO cars behind the OC Register's gate on their spur.

The beer spur at Harbor Distributing continues to be empty. Their cars used to be dropped on the exchange track at CP College by the 1st La Mirada. I have been looking for photos in my archives to document this, but I don't think I ever took any images of them. The last cars to be seen on the exchange track were two UP dash-7 locomotives and two hoppers destined to become razor blades after visiting Adams Steel. I have photos of those somewhere, but none of the beer cars.



I hope you find my notes interesting... I hope to bring some life to the rails in and around South Anaheim.

~ jeff

[jeff]

Monday April 2nd 2007:

Round One at 1:00pm. Today at lunch the following was observed.

Diversified had four tank cars behind their fence, and Reid Plastics had five covered hopers on their spur. The rest of the south Anaheim area was pretty bare and quiet. Zeroes everywhere else...

Hobbs = zero; OC Register = zero; Old Main siding = zero; Allec storage spurs = zero.

(The Allec storage spurs are the three business spurs that used to regularly store cars for Weyerhaueser. These are the spurs that can be seen from the Ball Raod crossing looking south towards South Anaheim, and Katella Avenue beyond that.

The LOA25 was seen returning from Costa Mesa with four empty F-Boxes and two GATX white tank cars (GATX 65XXX series) at 1:25pm at South Anaheim. They were running "sledless" with UPY 559 (GP15-1) and UP 1033 (GP38-2).

The fine shade tree (at the south end of the Old Main siding) that has given me and other railfans refuge from the sun, especially during the heat of the summer when the circus arrives and departs has been cut down. It is assumed that it was cut down as part of the City of Anaheim's ongoing powerline project This tree was at the northwest corner of the Cerritos Avenue grade crossing, right at the battery box.

~ ~ ~

Round Two just after 5:00pm

The Marlboro (LOA31R) had already been around South Anaheim, leaving evidence of their work at Hobbs Trucking (four box cars now on their spur), and Reid Plastics (hoppers now total seven from the five seen earlier in the afternoon). I arrived at the runaround track near Reid and Ganahl as the groundhogs had finished dropping the two new hoppers at Reid. The LOA31R added UPY 166 and was tacked on the end of the consist, which would result in the remote leading on the return home. This was their last work of the day and returned light to the wye.

~ jeff



~ ~ ~

Photo:

The LOA31R has finished their work at Reid Plastics and begins the move back to the yard office.

[jeff]

Monday April 2nd 2007: cont'd



photo:

With the CP College diamond behind them, the Marlboro heads home with UPY 166 in the lead.

[jeff]

Monday April 2nd 2007: cont'd



Photo:

The afternoon suns compliments the light power move on Santa Ana Street at 5:36pm.

[jeff]

Monday April 2nd 2007: cont'd



Photo:

Both of the Marlboro's groundhoggers as they continue the street running.

[jeff]

Monday April 2nd 2007: cont'd

Photo:

A close-up of a Marlboro crew member.

[jeff]

Monday April 9th 2007 (1700 to 1900 hours):

A couple of things lead to this day's chase of the Marlboro. First, there was an unusual piece of rolling stock on the train, a steel coil car. Twice before I have seen steel coil cars on the Marlboro, and according to the crew at the time, they went to an HVAC company in Orange. I don't remember the name. I never found the cars then, and I wasn't going to miss it this time.

Secondly, they were running late. The Marlboro job is generally finished by 1630, the time I get off work. As I was exiting my building, I heard the horn for the Ball Road crossing. And lastly, once I caught up with them, the boxcars had several interesting pieces of boxcar art that I want to photograph, both the chalk-style monikers and a wicked looking face done in aerosol.

(EDIT):
Nocars on any of the typical storage tracks in and around South Anaheim today.


Weyerhaeuser Paper:

Unknown drop, but they did pull out five empties.



Hobbs Trucking:

Pulled out two empties, leaving the spur empty.



OC Register:

Spur remains empty, no switching today.



Weyerhaeuser Building Materials:

No switching today, didn't get a visual on their spur. A good percentage of their yard has been vacated. It is assumed that this is related to the underground utilities project going on next door. Much of the yard is under the transmission lines.



Reid Plastics:

No switching today, six hoppers on their spur.



Ganahl Lumber:

Pulled out one empty, dropped five loads, all centerbeam flats. They have gotten boxcars from time to time.



Diversified:

No switching today, two tank cars behind their fence.



Photo:

I hadn't really noticed the elevation change that is accentuated with the long lens. The two ground hogs are on the porch as they idle towards Hobbs Trucking.

[jeff]

April 9th 2007: cont'd

Photo:

Closer perspective...

The spur coming off the line at the plow is the lead into the OC Register plant.

[jeff]

April 9th 2007: cont'd

photo:

The power set for the job heads towards Hobbs to pull out two empties. Note the steel coil car, CTRN 500126.

[jeff]

April 9th 2007: cont'd

photo:

IC 53 and a pocket full of paperwork.