Cajon Pass

[ATSF3814]

I just went railfanning on Cajon Pass for the first time yesterday. Boy it did not disappoint. We stayed for about 5 hours just below the summit and if I counted correctly, we saw a total of 23 trains!

BNSF was more or less what I expected with their motive power and freight. Lots of long intermodals powered by GEVOs and Dash 9s. The only thing a little different from them was one ballast train. Not to say I was really disappointed but it would have been nice to get some more varied motive power. Maybe SD70MACs or even triclops SD60Ms? Oh well maybe next time.

Union Pacific however put on a much different show with a lot more variation in their freight loads and motive power, several trains with DPUs (we never saw any from BNSF) and a few engineers and conductors who gave us friendly waves. The GEVOs and SD70Ms were expected but we also got a few SD70ACes, 1 train with an SD60M leading and one train really surprised us with a switcher in the lashup! I believe it was either an SW1500 or an MP15DC (I'm really bad at identifying these ones).

So all in all I had a great time and I can't wait to do it again. How many of you guys have ever been to Cajon Pass and what did you see?

[buzz456]

Never been there but every now and again we see a switcher in the lashup going through here in Illinois. Maybe some can help us out with that.

[up_8677]

Sounds like a fun trip!


TBH I think you probably will not see many MACs or 60Ms over Cajon. The only place I've seen MACs is on the Boise City Sub, which hosts mainly southboard coal loads coming from the PRB. On the Transcon, its mostly GEs.

[Chessie8638]

Never been there but every now and again we see a switcher in the lashup going through here in Illinois. Maybe some can help us out with that.

Westbound: N. Platte for servicing.*
Eastbound: Returning from N. Platte.*


*more then likely.