Gallery
Southern Pacific Sunset Route Picture IndexYou are at: CarrTracks > Gallery Union Pacific management admits that the Sunset Route is their most congested rail line in 2004. UP plans to have 64% of the route double tracked by 2007. Little did the builders of the Southern Pacific envision the hundreds of containers now flooding the docks at Los Angeles and Long Beach that need to move over the Sunset Route. Construction on Southern Pacific's Sunset Route began from Los Angles in 1873 and reached Colton in 1875. It reached Yuma, AZ in September 1877, Casa Grande in May 1879, Tucson in March 1880, and El Paso in May 1881. The Galveston, Harrisburg, & San Antonio building west from Houston reached San Antonio in 1877, then met the SP east of Sanderson near the Pecos River bridge on January 12, 1883. When I first visited Tucson and spent several days recording freight train consists, the primary power was SD45s, GP35s, and U25Bs. A fairly common combination was two SD45s bracketed by a GP35 and a U25B. However, there were all kinds of other combinations plus the occasional U50, DD35B, GP30, and GP9. The Sunset Limited (the only surviving passenger train) was powered by an E9 and an E7B. When I started taking pictures in the early 70s, the primary freight power on the Sunset Route was SD45s and U33Cs. The crews disliked the big GE U Boats as they rode rough. The big GEs didn't last long and were replaced by GP40s and Baby Boats in the early 80s. Southern Pacific Sunset Route in CaliforniaTrain WCASY approaching Beaumont Train APW at West Palm Springs Beaumont Hill local at West Palm Springs Eagle Mountain Railroad at Ferrum Southern Pacific Sunset Route in western ArizonaTrains WCKCM and MBSMF at Theba Semaphore signals at Arlington Southern Pacific Hayden BranchKennecott Copper GP39s at Ray Jct. Southern Pacific Sunset Route in eastern ArizonaTrain HOWCY on the Cienega Bridge Southern Pacific Sunset Route in New Mexico |