Prototype details and schedule - PDF

Athearn Industries, recently purchased by Horizon Hobbies, is currently celebrating its 60^th Anniversary.  Their product line features Genesis locomotives plus Ready to Roll (RTR)  and Blue Box Kits.  You will see booths used to paint the shells, detail air brush booths used to paint trim and striping, and ink stamping stations where detail lettering and logos are applied to shells.  Wire based parts such as handrails and piping are manufactured here as the need arises.  Assembly tables and testing stations, inventory storage in their warehouse, along with product development offices may also be seen.

Paired with the ALAMEDA CORRIDOR

P 2251       Monday       Morning            July 14          $ 35      D 8:40 a       R 11:40 a

P 3153       Tuesday       Morning            July 15          $35       D 8:40 a       R 11:40 a 

Paired with ALPINE DIVISION SCALE MODELS

P 2252       Monday       Afternoon       July 14       $35      D 12:30 p         R 4:30 p

P 3254       Tuesday      Afternoon      July 15        $35      D 12:30 p         R 4:30 p

CAJON PASS

 Cajon Pass is one of Southern California’s most publicized passages. The Union Pacific Railroad and the BNSF Railway  use this pass to access the  Los Angeles basin, moving tonnage between the high desert country and the coastal plains.  The rail line was originally built in the 1880s by Santa Fe as a part of a connection between Barstow and San Diego. The San Andreas Fault was partially responsible for the unique local geography. This noteworthy scenery, a high volume of trains, and easy access,  make Cajon a popular location for railfanning. Train watching and photography sites include Blue Cut, Mormon Rocks, Sullivan’s Curve, and Cajon Summit.

CEMEX VICTORVILLE 

Cemex is the largest cement producer and ready-mix company in the United States. It has 12 cement plants, 49 aggregate quarries, and 283 ready-mix concrete plants. Cemex, in Victorville, operates its own open pit quarry, with its own private railroad line that runs from the quarry to the mixing plant. Here ingredients are added to the aggregate, mixed, and then loaded into Cemex’s own hopper cars. A remote operated engine pulls the empty cars through the loader.  A fully loaded train of approximately 20 cars is taken by another engine down to the batch plant in Victorville where final ingredients are added, loaded into hopper cars on the Santa Fe Main Line, and then delivered to ready-mix plants/ Cemex has five EMD Diesel Locomotives that they have purchased. They consist of two 645-16, one 710, and two 645-12.  They have their own maintenance and painting facilities.

On this tour you will see the first steps  in the development of material that will eventually be used in  buildings, bridges, and roads.

P 4462  Wednesday  All Day  July 16  Box Lunch  $55   D 7:30 a  R 2:30 p

THE FILLMORE AND WESTERN RAILWAY

This is organized as a General Interest Tour. Please refer to that section for specific information.

GHOST TOWN AND CALICO RAILWAY

Knott’s Berry Farm is one of Southern California’s oldest amusement attractions.  In 1951 Knott acquired, from the Rio Grande Southern, locomotive No. 41 built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1881.  This engine became the start of Knott’s Ghost Town and Calico Railway.  Despite being surrounded by towering thrill rides painted in flashy colors, much of Knott’s railroad equipment has been accurately restored and painted in typical 1030’s livery. You will be able to ride the steam train or the Galloping Goose #3,  their motor-driven rail bus. The engine house and maintenance facilities will be on tour, and you will be able to see 1880’s vestibule coaches, the  parlor car “Durango,” and the business car “Edna.”

P 4167   Wednesday     Morning     July 16     $45    D 7:10 a       R 10:10 a

P 5168  Thursday        Morning     July 17      $45   D 7:10 am     R 10:10 a 

ORANGE EMPIRE RAILWAY MUSEUM

Orange Empire Railway Museum operates a museum where visitors can ride on the classic streetcars, interurbans, passenger trains and other equipment of Southern California’s railroad past that dates from the 1870’s.  Trolleys run on the half-mile dual-gauge Loop Line.  Another train operates on the 1.5 mile standard gauge Mainline.  A Pacific Electric interurban or city streetcar also operates on the Mainline. It is also possible to ride in either the caboose or open gondola on their freight train. The museum has two of Ward Kimball’s steam engines. The  restored “Descanso” may also be visited. At the end of your tour a gift shop and book store provide enjoyable browsing.

P 3170  Tuesday   Morning   July 15  Box Lunch   $50   D 8:00 a  R 1:30 p

PACIFIC HARBOR LINE

Pacific Harbor Line provides rail transportation, maintenance and dispatching services to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, which together form the largest container port in the United States. In addition to switching over 40,000 units of carload freight annually, PHL  provides rail switching services for nine on-dock intermodal terminals and provides dispatching services for about ninety intermodal or unit trains per day.   Their locomotive fleet is an interest assortment of  mixed power.  Just recently PHL has acquired new engines that meet higher environmental standards.

P 4172     Wednesday      Morning+     July 16   $35     D 8:30 a     R 1:00 p

P 5173     Thursday         Morning+     July 17   $35     D 8:30 a    R  1:00 p

SAFETRAN TOUR -- limited to 25 people.

The California division in Cucamonga  manufactures electronic components for grade crossing warning signal control and wayside signaling systems, motion sensors, constant warning time devices, track circuits and radio data systems.  There is ongoing development of voice and data communication systems between trains, wayside and dispatcher offices.  You will have the opportunity to see first hand the operations of a company that is a major player in development and deployment of modern electronic train control and telecommunication systems.

P 4274     Wednesday    Afternoon    July 16    $35    D 1:00 p     R 4:30 p

TEHACHAPI  LOOP

There is no more famous train watching spot than the legendary Tehachapi Loop.  Originally built by the Southern Pacific, it is one of the busiest single track mainlines in the world.  A sharp elevation rise from Caliente to the summit created an engineering challenge. Limited  to   a  2.2 % permitted maximum grade, construction of a unique loop was the solution. The track does a complete loop passing over its entry tunnel before continuing on. Union Pacific and BNSF locomotives can pass over or under, depending on its direction,  the final cars of its own train. The Loop, numerous tunnels, and powerful locomotives usually linked with additional helper engines make for exciting railfanning along this sixteen miles of track.  Be ready for constant rail action in a mountain setting.

P 3475  Tuesday  All Day  July 15  Box Lunch   $65   D 6:30 a    R 4:30 p+

TTX – CALPRO

The TTX Company operates three maintenance divisions, one being Calpro in Mira Loma, California. Here they perform various types of car repair and modification work.  The company provides a fleet of over 210,000 railcars, intermodal, autorack, and general use cars. As needed cars from this fleet are directed to Calpro for modifications, upgrades, and  needed repair.  Witness this ongoing process  at their maintenance division.

P 6179      Friday     Morning       July 17   $35        D 8:00 a       R 11:30 a

WEST COLTON YARD

The West Colton yard is one of the busiest places in the Southern California for rail traffic. Built in 1972, this Union Pacific yard is located at the foot of two major entrances to the Los Angeles Basin, -Cajon Pass and Beaumont Hill.  It is a six mile long yard that is designed to work from west to east, so the receiving yard is on its west end and its departure tracks are on the east.  Westbound trains leave heading east, then turn around on the balloon track at the east end.  In the yard cars are inspected, humped according to destination, and collected into trains. A repair facility handles bad-order cars daily. West Colton’s major expansion since the Union Pacific took over the yard has been the creation of a new shop that replaces the heavy shops at Taylor Yard.

We will have a tour of the Engine Facilties and hopefully the Hump Yard. These have become  fewer in number due to the shift from box cars to container cars yet they remain an efficient tool to keep trains moving.

P 3165     Tuesday    Morning   July 15        $35     D 6:45 a          R 11:45 a

P 5166     Thursday  Morning   July 17       $35      D 6:45 a          R 11:45 a