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PART 2: THE Introduction Not much remains of the Southern Pacific's
rail empire that once spanned most of the This branch began its life as the Riverside
Line of the Pacific Electric Railway, the suburban rail transportation
system built beginning in the late 1880s and by default designing the
modern-day Southland. The
Riverside Line began at San Bernardino Station, on In 1908 the Southern Pacific gained control
of the Pacific Electric, but continued to run the PE as a separate entity
up into the 1940s, when most of the PE routes in the area were discontinued
due to competition from busses and automobiles. Today, the Espee's San Bernardino Branch
is the portion of the PE's Riverside Line from The branchline separates from the Yuma
Line at MP539.0. Eastbound
is toward Speed Limit: EB 10 MPH 965' AMSL; +0.8% EB There is a discrepancy regarding the mileposts
used on this branch. For the
first 0.6 miles of this branch the mileposts seem to be in progress in
proper order. The signal control
box at From there to the Originally, the Pacific Electric right-of-way
that was to become the Espee's Sometime in the Forties or early Fifties,
the crossing was removed and the through-track coupling of the two branches
was severed. For the San Bernardino
Branch, this meant a new connection to the SP main; this routing is the
one that survives. Today, access to the San Bernardino Branch
is from the team track that is all that remains of the north side of Old
Colton yard. Actual entrance
to the spur is through the 5000 switch, about 0.2 miles east of the 539
Milepost. Four-wheeled vehicles can motor along the
south side of the Freeway from (539.2) Begin 5000 Switch The 5000 switch marks the entry to the
spur that is the San Bernardino Branch.
The points on the switch face either east or west, depending on
the reading of the Timetable. The branchline turns northwest in a tight
curve toward the tunnel under the San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10). The tracks cross a small creek that cuts
a little wrinkle through the west end of the (539.3) Interstate 10 Overpass A curved, 230'-long tunnel leads the branch
under the elevated San Bernardino Freeway.
Vagrants sometimes sleep in the tunnel, sheltered from the sun,
the wind or other vagrants. There
is not enough room to safely navigate a four-wheeled vehicle through the
tunnel (unless, of course, it has flanged wheels on standard-gauge axles). Head west along the Yuma Line to (539.4) H Street Grade Crossing The tracks cross Valley Boulevard employs crossboards and
flashing lights for crossing protection.
(539.5) G Street Grade Crossing (SBD27B1) The tracks continue just slightly east
of due north, parallel to the slightly off-kilter streets of While the F Street Grade Crossing East-facing 5005 Switch The branch crosses The tracks pass through the diverging rails
of the 5005 switch, once used to direct traffic either directly down to
Colton Yard, or allowing trains to travel through the middle of At this point, you can notice the discrepancy
in Milepost numbering: the branch from this point on to San Bernardino
follows the original route; that route carried the tracks through the
5005 switch, continuing southwest along Colton Avenue, through the lumber
yard at 9th and H Street, across the northwest corner of the parking lot
of the hotel at Valley and 9th, thence down the middle of 9th to the SP
crossing a thousand feet south. This
path adds up to just about 0.37 miles, which corresponds with the "539.37"
number on the plate affixed to the control case at the The newer route, which has been in service
for at least 40 years, leaves the mainline at MP539.0, goes up the north
lead in old The crossing at A short hedge of oleander bushes along
the south side of the tracks hides from view the railroad for the next
mile. A lightly-used adjunct
of The branch used to continue along the private
right-of-way to the west on the north side of 539.4 E Street Grade Crossing A single wig-wag guards the grade crossing. 539.6 C Street Grade Crossing
(SBD27C1) A lone wig-wag, mounted on a pole at the
west side of the intersection, directs traffic. 539.8 TANNER Station Back when this was a Pacific Electric Line,
this was the site of the Mount Vernon Station. Interstate 10 is about 0.6 miles south
on Mount Vernon Avenue and the Santa Fe Railway San Bernardino Station
is just over 2 miles north on Mount Vernon. 540.0 No Milepost Visible (SBD16C6) 1005' AMSL; +0.6% EB 540.1 Tracks curve to the north Private Grade Crossing The private grade crossing is a driveway
to a home off A single wig-wag protects the grade crossing. 540.4 Bridge over Lytle Creek
Flood Control Channel Leave End The deep drain that passes well under the
right-of-way carries overflow from the As the tracks pass from the city of 540.5 Private Grade Crossing
(SBD16D6) This paved crossing provides access to
the AM radio facility along the north side of the right-of-way. There are only railroad crossing signs
at this intersection. 540.7 I Street Grade Crossing
(SBD16D5) The grade crossing employs a pair of crossbucks
as crossing protection. Hillcrest Avenue is the paved road that
runs west along the north side of the tracks from the I Street Crossing. 540.8 Interstate 215 Offramp
Grade Crossing Interstate 215 Underpass This is one of the few freeway offramps
I have ever seen that has such positive egress control, using gates, lights
and bells in an attempt to slow traffic off-loading from the freeway. Fortunately, there are no hundred-car freights
creeping along to delay freeway traffic. A steel through-plate girder single-track
bridge carries the branchline over the freeway. 540.9 H Street Grade Crossing The railroad, at 541.0 No Milepost Visible 1020' AMSL; -0.7% EB The crossing at 541.2 West-facing 5025 Spur G Street Grade Crossing East-facing 5030 Spur East-facing 5050 Spur The complex trackwork that provides service
to these warehouses and businesses indicates that at least at one time
there was quite a lot of traffic moving in and out, providing a few dollars
of revenue. Note especially
the curved diamond that allows the east-facing spurs to cross the west-facing
spur, all because of the limited space available to play railroad. 541.3 Bridge over Lytle Creek Private Grade Crossing Tracks begin curve to north The tracks cross over Lytle Creek on a
through-plate-girder single-track steel bridge, climbing uphill away from
the creek. This is the traditional path for Lytle
Creek to take, at least the one that the water would prefer based upon
natural drainage in the area; the deep drain back at MP540.4 is deep for
the very reason that the water must be coaxed to take that route. Access to the tracks is available along
the south side from The Access to the right-of-way is available
north of 541.7 Old Interchange Yard The interchange yard allowed traffic from
the Santa Fe Redlands Branch to cross over to the Espee and vice-versa.
The yard extended from Most of the yard structures were along
the west side of the tracks, as was the yard itself. Note a group of loading ramps along an
east-facing spur at the west side of the old yard; this track is still
in service, often with some lumber cars spotted. A west-facing unnumbered spur provides
a most-important function: the beer distributor on the east side of 542.0 No Milepost Visible End Of Branch 1025' AMSL; +0.6% EB The Redlands Branch is a still-active subdivision
of the Santa Fe Railway, separating from the Santa Fe mainline at that
railroad's own San Bernardino Station, about one mile northwest. In 1989, the Redlands Branch continues
east all the way to the little community of Mentone, a distance of about
eleven miles. A wye allowed traffic from either direction
on the (542.3) Shown
on the grade chart in the 1987 Timetable, but no rails make it this far. The station sat along the west side of
the tracks at |