Sunset Route

This article is about the modern transcontinental railroad. For the historical rail line, see Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway.

Sunset Route
Union Pacific GE AC4400CW No. 7277 leads between a wind farm and desert land outside the town of Cabazon in Riverside County, California
Overview
Statusoperational
OwnerUnion Pacific Railroad
Localesouthwestern United States
Termini
Service
Operator(s)Union Pacific, Amtrak, BNSF (partial)
Technical
Number of tracks1–2
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Sunset Route is a main line of the Union Pacific Railroad running between Southern California and New Orleans, Louisiana.[1]

The name traces its origins to the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, a Southern Pacific Railroad subsidiary which was known as the Sunset Route as early as 1874.[citation needed] The line was built by several different companies and largely consolidated under Southern Pacific, with completion at the Colorado River in 1883.[2] Its construction prompted a Frog war at the Colton Crossing, where it intersects the Southern Transcon, then owned by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and now by BNSF Railway.

The first trains departed for through service between Los Angeles and New Orleans on February 5, 1883.[3]

Upon Southern Pacific Railroad's merger with Union Pacific in 1996, less than 25% of the route was double-tracked.[4] Efforts to expand double-trackage were ongoing as of the late 2000s and early 2010s,[5] with over 70% of the route having two tracks by 2012.[4]

Usage

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The line is primarily used for freight by the Union Pacific. BNSF shares ownership of the Lafayette Subdivision.[6] By 2007, 45 trains daily were operating through Maricopa, Arizona.[5] The Amtrak Sunset Limited operates three round-trips weekly over the entirety of the route with the Texas Eagle attached between San Antonio and Los Angeles.

Subdivisions

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The Union Pacific has divided the Sunset Route into these subdivisions for operational purposes:

  • Yuma Subdivision
  • Gila Subdivision
  • Lordsburg Subdivision
  • Valentine Subdivision
  • Sanderson Subdivision
  • Del Rio Subdivision
  • Glidden Subdivision
  • Houston Subdivision
  • Lafayette Subdivision
  • Terminal Subdivision

See also

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References

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  1. ^ UPRR Common Line Names (PDF) (Map). Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  2. ^ Tenth Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners of the State of California for the Year Ending December 31, 1889 (Report). California Board of Railroad Commissioners. 1889. p. 11.
  3. ^ Hofsomm, Donovan L. (1986). The Southern Pacific, 1901-1985. Texas A & M University Press. p. 5. ISBN 9781603441278.
  4. ^ a b Petrillo, Alan M. (December 5, 2012). "Union Pacific double track work hits Northwest Tucson". The Northwest Explorer. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Giumette, Joe Giumette (November 14, 2007). "Union Pacific moving ahead with double track plans". inMaricopa. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  6. ^ Bowen, Douglas John (December 2, 2014). "STB to weigh key trackage rights case". Railway Age. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  7. ^ Bourque, Scott (September 23, 2019). "Q&AZ: What Happened To The Railroad Line West Of Phoenix?". KJZZ 91.5. Retrieved August 16, 2021.

Further reading

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