Special thanks to Matt for the information and pictures on this page!
This is a former Pacific Electric line. It branched away from the SP Mainline at CP Bassett (located in City Of Industry, right in the vicinity of the Temple Ave and Valley Blvd grade crossing). The alignment followed a generally north east heading, passing through Industry, Baldwin Park, Covina, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont, Montclair, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Rialto, and into San Bernardino, where it joined up with the Cajon Pass line. Between Industry and Claremont, the line ran on an exclusive right of way. Right around White Ave in Pomona, it joined up with the Santa Fe Second District (a.k.a. Pasadena Subdivision) and ran parallel to the south of that line for a couple of miles. Just inside the border of Claremont at a point known today as CP Cambridge, this line crossed over the Santa Fe line at grade and ran parallel to that line, but to the north for a few more miles before heading off on a northeasterly tangent away towards San Bernardino. It was built sometime in the early 1910’s (see picture) and remained in service with PE until they abandoned the line. It was taken over by Southern Pacific in the 1950’s and was used as a “local”, serving a number of industries. By the late 1980’s, this line was in a very poor and dilapidated condition. Track speed was limited to just 10 miles per hour. By then, movements were limited to about once a week, serving a few remaining businesses in San Dimas, Covina, etc. Today, the line exists in four incarnations, which will be explained below. And pictures of each will follow. At the start of the 1990’s, when Metrolink was still in the planning stages, it was decided that the line west of CP Cambridge and the Santa Fe line the rest of the way to San Bernardino was to be used for Metrolinks hugely popular LA to San Bernardino line. In early 1991, all of the original SP/PE track was removed and the new high speed rail for Metrolink was laid. CP Cambridge was re-designed, and the Santa Fe Pasadena Subdivision became a spur or branch line. The rest of the line between Cambridge and Rialto was abandoned and removed in stages throughout the 1990’s. From San Bernardino, extending west about 4 miles to Rialto, a short section of the original line remains in place and active with Union Pacific. The line ends at a dead end just west of Lilac Avenue in Rialto. From Rialto to Upland, most of the ROW is still intact-including an attractive bridge that crosses over Foothill Blvd in Rancho Cucamonga. But it is truly abandoned with no track of any kind left. This section of ROW is often used for bicycling, jogging, etc. Moving west, there is about a three or so mile stretch of the line in Upland and Montclair that has been rehabilitated into a dedicated pedestrian and bicycling trail, complete with exclusive pavement and traffic signals at the former grade crossings. Finally, the ROW that ran parallel north of the former Santa Fe line is currently unused. Current planning calls for this ROW to eventually be rebuilt with the LACMTA Gold Line Extension. But as of this writing (2006), that project is definitely a long way off yet, and no guarantees that it will ever happen.
More pictures:
Lilac Avenue grade crossing in Rialto, looking north. This is just before the end of the remaining "original" line. http://x-2000r.angelcities.com/images/trainstuff/LilacCross.JPG
Original track still in place, facing east towards San Bernardino. Note the spur and lumber car in background. http://x-2000r.angelcities.com/images/trainstuff/EndEast.JPG
End of original track, facing west towards Fontana. http://x-2000r.angelcities.com/images/trainstuff/EndWest.JPG http://x-2000r.angelcities.com/images/trainstuff/EndWest2.JPG
This bridge remains in place a decade and a half after the last trains stopped running here. This is Foothill Blvd in Rancho Cucamonga, facing roughly west http://x-2000r.angelcities.com/images/trainstuff/RCBridge.JPG
The view from atop the same bridge. Facing northeast towards Fontana: http://x-2000r.angelcities.com/images/trainstuff/RouteNE.JPG
And southwest towards Upland: http://x-2000r.angelcities.com/images/trainstuff/RouteSE.JPG