Lone Pine Branch Brief History and Operations

The UP\SP Lone Pine Branch starts at the Main 2 Switch just north of Mojave Yard, heading northeast across Highway 14. This branch originally ran for about 150 miles to Lone Pine, CA. In the early 1980's, the Southern Pacific Railroad filed for abandonment of roughly 100 miles from Searles, CA, to Lone Pine. Since then, this branch is only about 50 miles in length, running between Mojave Yard and Searles Yard. Between Mojave and Searles, there are a few industries served at Chaffee, Cantil & Saltdale.

This branch was also known as the:

• Jawbone Branch

• Searles Branch

• Owenyo Branch

Present-day, the Union Pacific Railroad operates a local train (LOP82), almost daily, that mostly hauls empty cars up to Searles Yard, and brings back primarily loaded cars to Mojave for further classification. As-needed, the UP also hauls a unit-coal train (loaded) up to Searles Yard, bringing back the empty coal cars when ready. Depending on the day's needs, the UP may leave their power tied down at Searles Yard and ride a van back to Mojave.

A typical haul from Mojave Yard to Searles Yard will consist of:

• 3-bay covered hoppers (empty potash\soda-ash & borax)

• acid tankers (loaded, likely hydrochloric acid)

• any cars destined for the industries along the Lone Pine Branch

...with the return trip consisting of whatever has been set out by the Trona Railway for pickup, which will usually be 50-100 loads of potash, soda-ash and\or borax, and occasional empty acid tankers, along with any empty coal-cars.

There is also an occasional UP OTNLB train that takes loaded soda-ash cars from Searles to the port of Long Beach for export, as well as its counterpart the UP OLBTN which brings the empties back to Searles Yard.

UP Note on unit-coal operations: If the coal is to be delivered by a unit-train, then typically the power for this train is to remain with the train. This means its power will haul it to Searles Yard, then be cut off, tied down and remain in Searles Yard until the coal empties are returned by the Trona Railway. The crew will be driven back to Mojave Yard by van.

Other industries served on the Lone Pine Branch:

• Kemira (Chaffee, CA): receives chlorine & hyrdorchloric acid tankers, scrap-metal gondolas

]• Cantil, CA: This town was once a major grower of Alfalfa until about 1989, when the water contract with the LA Aquaduct was cancelled. We've left the siding connected to the branchline and can be used as-desired, perhaps as a hopper trans-load facility

• Alpha Explosives (Saltdale\Lincoln, CA); receives loaded covered hoppers of ammonium nitrate which are trans-loaded onto trucks that serve various mining operations in the region

THIS HIGHWAY SIGN SAYS IT ALL

THE LOP82 CREW IS GETTING READY TO DO A SETOUT AT SEARLES YARD

Trona Railway Brief History and Operations

The Trona Railway operates between Searles Yard and the town of Trona, CA, roughly 30 miles in length. Searles Yard is used as an interchange between the UP\SP Railroad and the Trona Railway. This line serves three mineral mining operations that operate next to Searles Lake (a dry lakebed) near the towns of Trona and Argus, CA. The current parent-company owns all three of these operations along with the Trona Railway and its tracks & equipment.

The Trona Railway operates most days of the week, starting from and returning to its base at Trona, CA. Typically, the day will start by switching the three main facilities at Searles Lake:

• Trona Facility (mostly borax hoppers)

• Argus Facility (potash\soda-ash hoppers and acid tankers, some boxcars)

• Westend Facility (borax and potash\soda-ash hoppers)

The Argus and Trona Facilities are right next to one another and are somewhat connected, with the Argus Facility being the northern side of complex. Here you will also find the Trona Railway's locomotive and car servicing-shops. The Westend Facility is just a few miles out of town.

All of these facilities mainly receive empties and send loads, except for the acid tankers. The Argus Facility on some days will also have coal-empties to be picked up (see notes below). Once the day's switching is completed, the outbound cars are then pulled to Searles Yard. Along the way, if necessary, the Navy Siding (see below) will be switched out.

Trona Railway Notes on unit-coal operations:

The Argus Facility contains a large loop-yard. Coal cars are taken from this yard, several at a time, and unloaded. The empties are returned to the loop-yard until ready to be appended to an outbound train to Searles. We don't know if the coal-empties are taken as a unit, or returned piecemeal.

Coal loads picked up from Searles Yard are typically handled by splitting the power and running those locomotives as DPU or Manned Helpers at the end of the train. Also, if the excitement of this line hasn't already overwhelmed you, the the coal loads may be run back to Trona in two sections instead of DPU or Helpers.

Navy Siding:

The US Navy's Ridgecrest Base (aka China Lake) is not very far from Trona, and used to be served by the Lone Pine Branch before that portion of the branch was abandoned. After abandonment, a small siding and spur facility was built on the Trona Railway about 15 miles from Trona on Randsberg Wash Rd.

The Trona Railway receives occasional cars from the UP to be spotted at this location and later picked up to be returned to the UP. Navy personnel with trucks come and offload the railcars and transport the goods to the base. We will leave it up to the user to decide what cars and what goods are handled there.

Another nearby government facility called Skytop makes use of Navy Siding for receiving tankers of jetfuel, which is most likely then trans-loaded onto trucks.

Searles Yard Interchange Operations

Both the UP\SP and the Trona Railway may operate for the purposes of interchange within Searles Yard and on the remaining eastern portion of the Lone Pine Branch. Within Searles Yard, the Mainline is the track containing the wye-switches adjacent to 601.

Setouts:

• Setouts shall not block the mainline thru the yard

• Setouts by either railroad shall be made in such a way as to not prevent proper pickup by the other railroad

• Both railroads should block their setouts in such a way that any empty cars will be at the rear of the outbound train

• Setouts may be made on any of the following tracks, listed in order of preference:

◦ yard-tracks 601, 602, and 603

◦ on the remaining portion of the Lone Pine Branch east of Searles Yard

◦ on the east leg of the Wye and the Wye tail (aka Track 150) (Note: Setouts must not block the mainline)

• UP\SP, if their power is to be left at Searles Yard, may do so on the west leg of the wye