Western Railroad Discussion > San Jose's Rogers Ave. Street Running

Probably unknown to just about anybody in Omaha, NE, another little segment of the Golden Empire hangs on in San Jose, CA in the form of SP's old 5 Zone industrial trackage. This industrial spur leaves the Warm Springs Sub near m.p. 15 just north of the bridge over US101 and after ducking under I-880 heads northwesterly to the San Jose Industrial Park located between Brokaw and Trimble Roads to serve a handful of remaining UP customers. The line includes a nice stretch of street running, first on Queens Lane(about one block) and then Rogers Ave.(the balance) totaling about 3/4 mile including a tree-lined stretch on a sweeping 'S' curve. I've been able to locate four remaining rail customers:

--Univar chemical facility on Junction Ave.(tank cars)
--Hill Brothers on Charcot Ave.(tank cars)
--Jefferson Smurfit on Charcot(boxcars--one of three rail-served JS facilities in the San Jose/Santa Clara area)
--An unidentified rail-to-truck lumber transload just north of Charcot(centerbeam flats)

The trackage is served about twice a week by UP's Milpitas-based LRM36R--this is the same job that also serves Graniterock over on Berryessa Rd. on the opposite side of the Warm Springs Sub. It's a two man remote job. Former SP employee and author Linda Niemann has made several references to this trackage in her writings.

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The LRM36R hangs a left off Queens, accelerates onto Rogers and kicks up dust on a street with heavy cement truck traffic.

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Two UP customers receive personalized service out in the backwaters of the 5 Zone trackage: the lumber transload and Univar's chemical facility.

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Wasn't there a wigwag with a turning stop sign along there or am I cornfused with another spot ????


TCS - anytings possibull

You're thinking of the Griswold signal at Old Bayshore, where the aforementioned spur leaves the Warm Springs Sub. See Dan's Wigwag site for information on it.

Shed: was that you in the white Ford? I followed this train yesterday without a camera just to hear the sounds and see the sights.

I've enjoyed seeing the evolution of power on this line. It was built about 1962 or 63 and served by H12-44 switchers for several years. Then came the SW800s, the SW1500s, and occasional geep and now usually a pair of GP38-2s, but that can vary too. A big GE B39-8 (I think) was on this assignment a year or two ago.

When does this local get back to Milpitas yard? (1) This might be the same one, from a few weeks ago, backing in to the yard on the North end around 6PM. It's on the old WP Milpitas Branch; that's the Warm Springs Sub off to the right.

or (2) this might be the same one, just leaving Milpitas southbound, just after 7AM, also a few weeks ago.

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Bowknot Wrote:
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> When does this local get back to Milpitas yard?
> (1) This might be the same one, from a few weeks
> ago, backing in to the yard on the North end
> around 6PM. It's on the old WP Milpitas Branch;
> that's the Warm Springs Sub off to the right.
>
> or (2) this might be the same one, just leaving
> Milpitas southbound, just after 7AM, also a few
> weeks ago.

Can't say about the 696 but the second shot is almost certainly the 36 job. Goes to work very early morning and often leaves Milpitas light engine. Usually finishes its work by early afternoon.

Way cool. Thx for pix.

Is this run the same 2 days of the week, every week (when?)
or just as needed.

What time of day, on average?

I'll be spending some time in SJC in 2 weeks, and would like to get pix.

Is this west, or east of the airport (the Norman Minetta memorial airport)

thx

beth

It's NE of the airport, off the 880. Here's a link to the end of the spur, where tank cars are delivered.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=junction+avenue,+san+jose,+ca&ie=UTF8&z=19&ll=37.388517,-121.915428&spn=0.000991,0.002682&t=h&om=1

shed47 Wrote:
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> The LRM36R hangs a left off Queens, accelerates
> onto Rogers and kicks up dust on a street with
> heavy cement truck traffic.


Since it's a violation of the California Vehicle Code for trucks to spill anything but clear water on the public street it must be something the railroad has done and will probably get cited for.

Nice pictures. Good to see something other than main line shots.

Bob K.

Bowknot Wrote:
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> It's NE of the airport, off the 880. Here's a
> link to the end of the spur, where tank cars are
> delivered.
>
> http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=junction+a
> venue,+san+jose,+ca&ie=UTF8&z=19&ll=37.388517,-121
> .915428&spn=0.000991,0.002682&t=h&om=1


Its quite interesting to follow this map and see where spurs have been removed. There was once an amazing amount of traffic off this line. Head south from the current end and you can even see what appears to have been a very tight wye.

Z

Is the unidentified rail-to-truck lumber transload business on the east side of the industrial lead across from Jefferson Smurfit?? If so, according to a ZTS book it is called Industrial Transloading.