Mission Tower
Bridges of the Los Angeles River
Illustration by Otto M. Vondrak. Not all railroads and highways shown. Not an official map. ©2014 Carstens Publications, Inc.
Union Station (LAUPT)
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nal). All Amtrak and Metrolink trains head north out of LAUPT to Mission Tower. Some continue north, but oth- ers make a horseshoe and come right under Cesar Chavez Avenue. As an added bonus, the Metrolink trains and Amtrak Surfliners that use cab cars all have locomotives on the proper (geo- graphic south) end of the train as they pass here. Mission Tower, which is pretty inaccessible for close-ups, makes a nice backdrop prop for photos. Union Pacific has an intermodal ter- minal (known as the “Piggyback Yard”) on the east side of the Los Angeles Riv- er here, so freights are not uncommon (although most will diverge to the east before passing under the bridge). Still, you’ll find both Metrolink and UP trains under the east end of the bridge. The U.S. 101 freeway is the next bridge south (no pedestrian access), fol- lowed by perhaps the most interesting bridge over the river (at least photo- graphically), First Street. The west end of the bridge goes over the Metro Rail subway tracks, the only place the sub- way is above ground. This is the throat to the yard, so action is usually plenti- ful right after the morning rush hour and right before the evening rush. Alas, on the day I was there, the wash rack located almost under the bridge was be- ing dismantled and the yard throat was closed most of the day (Trust me, though, it can be busy here). Even with- out freight, there are plenty of trains to photography on the Metrolink/Amtrak line directly adjacent to the subway tracks.
Perhaps the coolest thing about the First Street Bridge is the Gold Line light rail line that runs across it. In the morning, there are spectacular views available of Metro Rail trains leaving the city with the city skyline as a back- drop. Auto traffic heading out of town in the morning is sparse, so light rail vehicles are seldom blocked by other traffic. It really is a nice diversion be- tween all the heavy rail action down be- low. Light rail stations are at either end of the bridge, so if you are in town without a car there is still easy access to this location.
On the east side of the Los Angeles River is a small team track. Union Pa- cific local power lays up here and can be
44 MAY 2014 •
RAILFAN.COM
Little Tokyo/ Arts District
0 MTA 1000 FEET Pico/Aliso
Boyle Heights
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Subway Yard
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E. SIXTH ST.
AMTK- Amtrak ATSF- Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe BNSF- BNSF Railway MTA- Metropolitan Transp. Auth. SCAX- Metrolink SP- Southern Pacific PE- Pacific Electric (SP) UP- Union Pacific
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Amtrak Maint. Facility
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J Yard E. 25th ST. E. 27th ST. E. 26th ST.
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