High Iron vs The Mojave Desert

On June 15th, following an annual work trip to the region, I set out on a three day expedition to capture railroading action in Southern California. The first day would take me deep into the Mojave Desert with a very specific goal in mind; catching the elusive and ever-desolate Trona Railway with their classic second generation EMD locomotives. From what information I could gather online (none of it particularly recent) the Trona operated most weekdays, with the crew going on duty for their single run of the day any time between noon and nightfall. This was going to be a gamble of both time and gas, but the risk was worth it. Some of the online chatter seemed to point to the possibility of new power being acquired, potentially meaning the end of their classic EMDs. I had to try and capture it.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity for other catches along the way, I set out early in my rental - a Trail-Rated Jeep Cherokee. Why this is relevant will become clear later in the story…

To get to Trona, I first had to parallel the Union Pacific Cima Subdivision for a little over an hour. I had railfanned this line last year, but the tracks had remained silent for much of my time alongside them, and I wanted a second crack at capturing some action at the Yermo yard throat. Within a few miles of the town, I spotted a westbound manifest. Getting ahead of it, I pulled to the crossing at the eastern edge of the yard with plenty of time to set up. As the train slowed, I realized that the rear of the consist wasn’t going to clear the crossing before stopping. Being on a tight schedule, I couldn’t afford to wait, especially if the power was on the fuel pad, so after a quick Google Maps search, I found several connecting dirt tracks cutting through the desert that could return me to the main road. This was the first instance that I was thankful for the Jeep! While paralleling the yard from a distance, I caught a glimpse of one of the UP locomotives painted for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics - not a bad concession for the extra time spent.

Some decent EMD power to start the day at Yermo.

2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics Unit hidden in the yard.

After leaving Yermo, I made a quick stop at Daggett, where the UP Cima Sub joins the BNSF Southern Transcon. The traffic is essentially non-stop here, so it was just a few moments before an eastbound intermodal came barreling through. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to set up the camera, and just managed some quick cellphone photos. From Daggett, I moved west to Barstow for a lunch stop, pulling off the highway momentarily to capture video of another eastbound intermodal. Unfortunately, the lunch stop proved to be timed with a lull in the traffic, and I left empty-handed in terms of footage. Heading northwest out of town, I noted a number of former ATSF boxcars (the type you’d expect to see in a Tyco train set) being used as residential and farm storage buildings.

Intermodal at Daggett.

A former BNSF unit patched for a (now) former railroad.

Another intermodal outside of Barstow.

One of a few former ATSF boxcars now grounded and used as storage units.

After a little over an hour, I arrived at Searles Junction, where the Trona Railway interchanges with the Union Pacific Lone Pine Branch. The Lone Pine Branch is arguably one of most desolate on the UP system, and Searles Junction exists as a solitary outpost in the midst of rolling desert, without an inhabited dwelling in sight. Today, the branch no longer reaches the town of Lone Pine, and instead exists almost exclusively to handle traffic from Trona. The track now ends unceremoniously about a mile north of Searles, extending this far to allow outbound consists to be stored without taking up space in the interchange yard.

It was 2:30 when I arrived at the Junction. Later than I had planned, but still with plenty of time to catch a possible run. I noted a loaded coal train sitting in the yard. This was a good sign, since coal is brought in to be used at the the Trona power plant. This meant that the Trona Railway likely hadn’t made a run yet. Not seeing any power working the interchange, I continued east following the Trona Railway. I had noted in my research that the only paved road to follow the railroad took a different route for a substantial distance. If the train were to pass while you were on this section, you’d never know. Being later than I had planned, I didn’t want to risk it, and instead found an alternate route that almost paralleled the track through the desert valley. This was a dirt road that provided access to the Trona Pinnacles, a natural landmark consisting of a large cluster of rock spires. As I found very quickly, however, this proved to be a less than wise move. While the further segment was indeed maintained for traffic to reach the Pinnacles, the segment I had opted to join proved to only be suitable for serious off-roaders, ATV riders, and hikers. Once I was too far to turn around, I realized I was completely at the mercy of the road with its many bone-shaking dry washes and deep, rutted hills. I had no phone signal, and there was nothing but desert and the single Trona Railway track for as far as I could see. If I popped a tire, I was certain roadside assistance would be unable to reach me, and in the heat of the day on a Thursday afternoon, there weren’t any hikers or ATV riders around. Thankfully the Trail Rated Jeep saw me through, and I arrived at the maintained section closer to the Pinnacles only 6 miles after turning off of the paved road - albeit an hour later! If there’s one thing I’ve learned about railfanning, it can be an adventure!

No, this isn’t a Jeep commercial. Taken while doing some unplanned off-roading.

The Trona Pinnacles with the Trona Railway dissecting the scene in the foreground.

Three tired Trona EMDs head to the Pinnacles yard to grab some cars.

Switching with the Pinnacles visible in the top right of the scene.

Following a break at the Pinnacles, I finally arrived at Trona at almost 5pm. After the desolate journey through the desert, I had to chuckle to myself when I saw two railfans already set up at the end of the Trona yard. No matter how far you get from civilization, there are always other fans! We chatted for a bit as the power switched in the yard. As it turns out, they had also decided to visit on hearing that the classic EMD power might be short on time. Before too long, three tired-looking former UP SD40-2s came west out of the yard, and we started the chase. Today’s trip would only take them to a small yard near the Pinnacles, where we would watch them switch before bringing a short train back to Trona. Following this, the gate to the yard was closed and locked. A full-line trip was not to be, but nevertheless, I had caught the Trona running despite timing setbacks and limited information, and for that, I was happy.

Heading east with a cut of cars for Trona.

The railroad’s former SP Tunnel Motors (and another SD40) were, sadly, shut down.