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Post by Tony Fernandez on Jun 13, 2008 18:40:20 GMT -8
Looking pretty good. I didn't realize that they had already laid rails on the bridge.
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Post by darrell on Jun 28, 2008 23:04:12 GMT -8
I started a new blog for light rail photos. The first post is Eastside Gold Line construction photos this year. Enjoy! light-rail.blogspot.com/ |
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Post by James Fujita on Jun 29, 2008 22:13:37 GMT -8
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Post by roadtrainer on Jun 30, 2008 9:29:20 GMT -8
;D Mr. fUJITA: Yes there will be crossing gates, the hardware In already In the concrete and all they have to do is install it and the wiring Sincerely THE ROADTRAINER 
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Post by roadtrainer on Jul 7, 2008 17:43:24 GMT -8
;D I did my drive by today for the week of July 7th, 2008. At the Union Station there is continued work on the ramp at the Gold Line station. Apparently a ramp with a grade is being constructed that would allow the S/B train to rise up and cross the 101 Freeway bridge. The trains going northbound will have to comedown from the freeway bridge. It is because it is on a higher grade (if That's the right word to use). On the Alameda side of the bridge (south of the 101) there still is no rails down on the approach ramp north of the Alameda/1st.street station. As I traveled along 1st street and went over the L.A. River bridge there are huge construction machines there which do the pile driving for the bents that support the new part of the Bridge. The old Citizens Warehouse Building is still there but It is now empty and will be torn down soon. Just past the new high school crews are working on the switches for the train and there is no rail laid and hooked up to the West Portal . As I got to the area of the East Portal I saw crews putting up wire and making adjustments with their cables. The rest of the ROW is just about done and they are hooking up the electrical mains. Sincerely The Roadtrainer P.S. Some body wanted to know how to get up to the area for pictures of the Goldline to 101 freeway platform. Go to Alameda and Cesar Chavez. Go east toward E.L.A. At the first light before the train bridge under crossing.turn right (your going behind Union Station) Go to ramp and turn left. after you go on top of ramp turn right. Go to end of road. Park your vehicle and get your camera out. Walk up ramp close to 101 freeway. It is perfectly legal (Ramp is open for public to access Metro-link trains.) Take a lot of pictures and load them on this Web site. And don't trespass on new rail bridge   and spend a night in the County, |
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Post by roadtrainer on Jul 19, 2008 10:45:05 GMT -8
Here's the update for today July,19th, 2008 1. The approach ramp at Union Station is making a little progress and there is a new electrical main installed just south of the Gold line platform. 2. The approach ramp on the south-side of Alameda still has no rail installed, but you never know that the rails could be installed it by Aug.1 !. ( I think Bart said that those rails on the bridge will be installed last.) 3. No improvement on the First Street station and Alameda. 4. Pile drivers are in the Los Angeles river and getting the bridge ready for improvements and widening...The old Citizen Warehouse is still standing but it will come down when the Bridge is widened. 5. The tracks are hooked up to the West side portal, the finishing work is being done on the new switches. but there is nothing new to report on the station next to the New High School. 6. The Catenary poles are all up on the east side of the portal. Does any one know if they are running a third rail for inside the tunnel? [Ed. Note: no, it is catenary]6. The Indiana Street station is coming along well and as I drove toward Atlantic I noticed new electrical boxes mounted on poles and saw new electrical power stations. And Signal lights near the end of the line. Now can somebody get some new pictures here? Sincerely The Roadtrainer |
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Post by jejozwik on Jul 19, 2008 12:07:08 GMT -8
Does any one know if they are running a third rail for inside the tunnel? Sincerely The Roadtrainer i dont see how that would work. these trains are powered by overhead wires. they would 1, need a custom modification to any train that would be run on this line. 2, it may add incompatibility with those trains for the other lines |
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Post by Elson on Jul 19, 2008 19:51:39 GMT -8
Does any one know if they are running a third rail for inside the tunnel? Sincerely The Roadtrainer i dont see how that would work. these trains are powered by overhead wires. they would 1, need a custom modification to any train that would be run on this line. 2, it may add incompatibility with those trains for the other lines Think of the Eastside tunnel as a longer version of the Blue Line tunnel under Flower Street. That's pretty much what it's gonna be. |
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Post by roadtrainer on Jul 27, 2008 16:00:16 GMT -8
Construction update July 27th, 2008 New pictures! Ramps on both side of the freeway is in progress! N/B and S/B ramp construction is moving right along! Land is being built up and new electrical boxes are installed along with a lot of gravel to build up the S/B approach ramp. The picture there with the four bolts is on of the train signal mounting brackets. The last picture here is the of the forms being laid for the track installation. View Slideshow HereSincerely the Roadtrainer P.S. go to full screen mode to appreciate the pictures! |
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Post by James Fujita on Jul 29, 2008 12:17:44 GMT -8
i dont see how that would work. these trains are powered by overhead wires. they would 1, need a custom modification to any train that would be run on this line. 2, it may add incompatibility with those trains for the other lines Think of the Eastside tunnel as a longer version of the Blue Line tunnel under Flower Street. That's pretty much what it's gonna be. the light rail tunnel is a very underappreciated and often misunderstood concept in the world of rail transit. third-rail powered subways are great, but there are plenty of situations where you might not necessarily need it. light rail tunnels really demonstrate the versatility of light rail: the Blue Line operates as a streetcar in downtown Long Beach, it switches to a swift light metro in the middle section and it goes underground when space demands. one could argue that East Los Angeles needs and deserves a full-fledged subway extension, but look how much cheaper and faster it has been to build a light rail line with an underground segment. my hope is that the downtown connector will be built as a light rail tunnel, and that the Flower Street tunnel will become simply the first part of a very important project. eventually you might even see the Flower Street tunnel extended south, so as to eliminate the slow running there. |
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Post by kenalpern on Jul 29, 2008 13:45:46 GMT -8
Heck, I wish it could be an attached "Downtown Connector" betterment or second phase in order to improve the Blue and Expo Lines! Maybe someday we'll see a "Blue Line Upgrade" to accommodate 150,000 riders/day or something like that which could fix the current slow running both Downtown and in Long Beach that extends the Flower Street tunnel south.
We'll see! Right now we need to be confronted with an operational problem in order to get the political will to pay for any fixes that were needed in advance.
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Post by darrell on Jul 29, 2008 14:32:35 GMT -8
Construction update July 27th, 2008 New pictures! Thanks! Definitely progress just in the couple of days since I took these photos last Thursday (7/24). From the new pedestrian walk along the south end of the Union Station platform tracks, the first shows the rails finished on the bridge itself, the second shows the gap to be filled between there and the existing Gold Line platform. From your photos they're beginning to get that trackbed in place.   |
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Post by jejozwik on Aug 5, 2008 9:54:29 GMT -8
whats this crap about me having to sign in? use photobucket of flickr please  |
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Post by roadtrainer on Aug 5, 2008 9:58:32 GMT -8
Construction update July 27th, 2008 New pictures! Ramps on both side of the freeway is in progress! N/B and S/B ramp construction is moving right along! Land is being built up and new electrical boxes are installed along with a lot of gravel to build up the S/B approach ramp. The picture there with the four bolts is on of the train signal mounting brackets. The last picture here is the of the forms being laid for the track installation. View Slideshow HereSincerely the Roadtrainer P.S. go to full screen mode to appreciate the pictures! Try this for updated pix.s |
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Post by roadtrainer on Aug 6, 2008 13:46:19 GMT -8
hey guys there laying the concrete railroad ties today on the bridge on the Alameda side and the rail was being laid today,too!
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Post by roadtrainer on Aug 10, 2008 14:53:53 GMT -8
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Post by roadtrainer on Aug 13, 2008 9:43:06 GMT -8
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Post by James Fujita on Aug 13, 2008 18:54:49 GMT -8
I think you meant "portals," I was looking for a ship and couldn't find one otherwise, wonderful pictures and I can't wait for it to get finished. something like the Gold Line extension would be an excellent bit of propoganda for the sales tax (as well as a wonderful way to get around) |
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Post by roadtrainer on Aug 26, 2008 16:31:59 GMT -8
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Post by James Fujita on Sept 6, 2008 17:23:46 GMT -8
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Post by darrell on Sept 7, 2008 16:33:28 GMT -8
I was at Union Station today, and I added some photos: Extensive and really good, thanks, James! Here's a different view, taken Friday from a convenient window at Metro (apologies for the image size if you're on a slow connection, but you can't see very much if it's smaller):  |
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Post by James Fujita on Sept 7, 2008 17:50:21 GMT -8
the overhead view is an angle that I haven't considered before. nice job, Darrell.
you got almost the whole curve in the picture, plus I can recognize the Aoyama Tree, the top of Little Tokyo's fire tower and the Miyako Hotel in the background, which gives some sense of the distance between Union Station and Little Tokyo.
to be honest, I'm not quite sure what those large yellow pieces of construction equipment do.... but I wanted to get a picture of it anyways....
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Post by bobdavis on Sept 7, 2008 19:21:07 GMT -8
One of those track machines is a tamper/leveler. It does what used to take a large number of laborers with picks, shovels, liner bars and tamping irons (also known as "Devil's toothpicks"). The newer models have laser alignment systems that take the place of the track foreman's "calibrated eyeball". In my younger days, I learned about "old school" track building at Orange Empire Ry. Museum. Now even museums have "mechanical gandy dancers". Thanks for the photos--as a Southern Calif. native who saw Pacific Electric tracks ripped from the pavement in Monrovia, seeing electric railway construction approaching "done" is a real treat. Now if we can just get funding for the other end of the Gold Line (i.e. Foothill Extension).
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Post by jejozwik on Sept 7, 2008 20:34:56 GMT -8
great update, new flickr contact! |
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Post by Jason Saunders on Sept 12, 2008 10:51:40 GMT -8
I think that bridge along with the Chinatown aerial structure are two of the most elegant parts of the Metro Rail system. It just seems to float above all the traffic of the 101. It will be a great billboard for Metro Rail. Knowing nothing else about, if I saw that on my commute to work, I would make a mental note to grab a map and find out where it goes.
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Post by jejozwik on Sept 12, 2008 16:35:18 GMT -8
they need to start putting up the wires there... i see it everyday with no activity what so ever...
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Post by bobdavis on Sept 12, 2008 21:56:32 GMT -8
It appears that the wire crew started at the east end and is working westward (last time I looked, 3rd St. was just about done.)
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Post by jejozwik on Oct 18, 2008 6:45:41 GMT -8
catenary poles have made there way to the 101 bridge. dove up the 101 this morning and i barely noticed them, but they are installed
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Post by roadtrainer on Oct 19, 2008 16:52:59 GMT -8
Newest photos I have available, go to an earlier post and click on pictures... some pictures are of the catenary poles on the 101 bridge. |
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Post by wakko11 on Oct 20, 2008 8:39:42 GMT -8
Metro construction seems to be humming along great.
Now the City of Los Angeles' job of widening the First Street Bridge, on the other hand, that's moving, um....not nearly as fast.
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and spend a night in the County, 
