Photos, Trains - City of Commerce, California - Updated 07/08/06
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Commerce, CA ... The city of Commerce resides in Los Angeles County and as the name suggest, it is a city dedicated and founded primarily for the business of commerce. Both the BNSF and UP have rail yards in the city. BNSF's has it's Commerce Diesel facility at Garfield and the 5 Freeway. UP has their East LA yard in Commerce located along Washington Blvd and the 710 Freeway. Metrolink has a passenger platform located south of the BNSF facility which provides a good safe place to capture images of the yard and the passing freight and passenger trains.
BNSF Commerce Diesel Facility:... The facility was built out of the need to expand the Hobart Yard, which prior to this facility housed a diesel facility and RIP (Repair in Place) tracks. The location at Hobart was inadequate for the then current and projected needs of the growing fleet of diesel engines and projected need for expansion of the intermodal yard. Leasing property from Southern California Edison that was formerly occupied by the Lever Brothers Soap Company located at Garfield and the 5 Freeway, the diesel facility was constructed as the Santa Fe was merging with the Burlington Northern in 1995 and the facility opened in 1997. The EMD locomotive maintanence building and supporting ballon track were built a couple years later. A few years ago BNSF re-assigned most of the EMD SD75 series engines to the coal trains in the upper mid-west. The EMD building was switched over to a GE facility and handles repairs on the large fleet of C44-9W's the BNSF runs. The primary responsibility of the facility is to fuel, service, make running repairs and get power and rolling stock back into service as quickly as possible. Heavy repairs in Southern California are still handled primarily at their Barstow Yard. The facility is designed to service 75 to 80 locomotives in a 24 hour period.
BNSF GP7U 1306 sits on the ready tracks at the BNSF Commerce Diesel facility. BNSF 2868 sitting on track 4501 just west of the switch into the BNSF Autoveyer yard. A B23-7 working the RIP track for the well cars at the Commerce Deisel facility.
BNSF GP7U 1306 sits on the ready tracks at the BNSF Commerce Diesel facility.
A B23-7 working the RIP track for the well cars at the Commerce Deisel facility.
BNSF 2868 sitting on track 4501 just west of the switch into the BNSF Autoveyer yard.
BNSF 3417 & BNSF 3642 sat at the diesel facility for about 2 months originally planned for yard and local use, but due to unconfirmed complaints from yard and local crews, they were distributed elsewhere on the system. BNSF 3647 was also one of the group of switch engines that were routed to Commerce for use but never put into the engine pool. NS 9255 decorated with the Operation Lifesaver's 25th anniversary paint scheme undergoes routine service at the Commerce facility.
BNSF 3647 was also one of the group of switch engines that were routed to Commerce for use but never put into the engine pool.
NS 9255 decorated with the Operation Lifesaver's 25th anniversary paint scheme undergoes routine service at the Commerce facility.
BNSF 3417 & BNSF 3642 sat at the diesel facility for about 2 months originally planned for yard and local use, but due to unconfirmed complaints from yard and local crews, they were distributed elsewhere on the system.
BNSF 6115 was the other engine in the group of engines that were for the yard and local pool. The BNSF 6115 did make one run out of the Commerce yard with one of the sw1500's. This was reportadly to take a baretable train out to Esperanza for storage. A view of all four of the engines pictured together on the east end of the Commerce facility. Another view of all four of the engines pictured together on the east end of the Commerce facility from E. 26th Street.
BNSF 6115 was the other engine in the group of engines that were for the yard and local pool. The BNSF 6115 did make one run out of the Commerce yard with one of the sw1500's. This was reportadly to take a baretable train out to Esperanza for storage.
Another view of all four of the engines pictured together on the east end of the Commerce facility from E. 26th Street.
A view of all four of the engines pictured together on the east end of the Commerce facility.
RPRX 2405 sitting at the Commerce facility while a string of engines is moved on the tracks in the background. RPRX 2405 now being moved around the facility tracks at Commerce after returning from inspection at the BNSF's Barstow facility. *BNSF 2845 leads the 106 yard job east through Commerce with baretables for the autoveyer yard.
*BNSF 2845 leads the 106 yard job east through Commerce with baretables for the autoveyer yard.
RPRX 2405 now being moved around the facility tracks at Commerce after returning from inspection at the BNSF's Barstow facility.
RPRX 2405 sitting at the Commerce facility while a string of engines is moved on the tracks in the background.
*BNSF 4740 leads a stack train through Commerce enroute to the Los Angeles Harbor *BNSF 5510 leads a M-BARLAC (Manifest from Barstow to LA County) through Commerce enroute to the LAJ's A Yard in Vernon
*BNSF 5510 leads a M-BARLAC (Manifest from Barstow to LA County) through Commerce enroute to the LAJ's A Yard in Vernon
*BNSF 4740 leads a stack train through Commerce enroute to the Los Angeles Harbor
A few other area's in Commerce near the BNSF are easily available for photographs. The LAJ (Los Angeles Junction Railroad) has a transflow / Storage In Transit yard near Eastern Ave and Bandini to the west of the Commerce Diesel facility. Occasionally you can spot an LAJ engine there or at one of their customers on the maze of tracks they have in Commerce.
To the east of the Commerce Diesel facility on the BNSF is Vail and Bandini which area accessable for photography pretty easy but the sun really plays a role on where you can photograph.
BNSF 1202 which is used exclusivley by the LAJ Railroad is seen here east of Eastern Ave switcing box cars for one of their customers. BNSF 5424 seen here passing Vail eastbound behind the Home Depot at Garfield and Telegraph.
BNSF 5424 seen here passing Vail eastbound behind the Home Depot at Garfield and Telegraph.
BNSF 1202 which is used exclusivley by the LAJ Railroad is seen here east of Eastern Ave switcing box cars for one of their customers.
2006 BNSF Employee Special at Commerce Diesel
In June of 2006 the BNSF ran it's annual Employee Special train into Commerce. This was it's last stop on it's special run before heading back to Topeka, KS. I had previously caputured images of the train passing the Fullerton Amtrak station and made this trip the Sunday morning it was making it's last round trips on the San Bernadino Sub. These images were captured as they returned the train back to Commerce after a short trip out to May near Riverside County.
*BNSF 7757 leads the 2006 Employee special over Garfield Ave at Telegraph Road. *BNSF 7757 and the Bay View dome rolling onver the yard lead switch for the Diesel facilit.
*BNSF 7757 and the Bay View dome rolling onver the yard lead switch for the Diesel facilit.
*BNSF 7757 leads the 2006 Employee special over Garfield Ave at Telegraph Road.
*BNSF 7766 was on the east end of the Employee Special train. *The train pulled into Commerce Diesel and stopped for unloading and they got some fuel for the train also.
*BNSF 7766 was on the east end of the Employee Special train.
*The train pulled into Commerce Diesel and stopped for unloading and they got some fuel for the train also.