"Conquoring of Cajon and History" |
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| Cajon, Spanish for "big box," first saw trains struggle up this Southern California mountain pass in 1885, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad built the three percent "south" track. In 1905, the Los Angeles, San Pedro and Salt Lake Railroad, the predecessor to the Union Pacific Railroad, gained trackage rights from Los Angeles over Cajon Pass. With traffic density increasing on the steep single track, the second main line, or "north" track, was built in 1913. The north main line parallels the south main from San Bernadino to Cajon (mp 64), where the new line swings west on a 2.2 percent grade. After swinging around the famous Sullivan's Curve, the line bores through two tunnels east of Alray before rejoining the south main line at Summit (mp 56). |
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| Summit had two passing sidings, a wye with stock pens, depot, post office, and houses for railroad employees. The depot at Summit was closed in 1967, with the post office closing in 1973. In April 1966, the Southern Pacific Railroad, looking for a way to move trains from the San Joaquin Valley to eastern markets and bypass the congested Los Angeles area, began construction of a new line from Colton over Cajon Pass to Palmdale. The new line passed a few hundred yards to the north of Summit, with the Southern Pacific naming the location "Hiland." |
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| In May 1972, the Santa Fe Railroad began construction on a new line change over Summit. This was done to remove the ten degree curves west of Summit, the scene of several derailments and numerous break-in-two's. Two new main lines, three miles long and fifty feet lower than the original main line at Summit, were completed and operational on October 2, 1972. Concurrent with the new line change at Summit was the installation of Centralized Traffic Control (CTC), which eliminated the passing sidings on Cajon Pass and allows for trains to operate on either track. This new line change is the setting for the painting "Conquering of Cajon". With the continued expansion of the Long Beach and Los Angeles harbors, train traffic continues to increase over Cajon Pass, making it one of the busiest mountain railroad locations in the world. |
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