58 photos included after text.

The next area to discuss is the large area between the interstate and what I call the "Silverwood Area" off of "Road 3" close to the top of the pass.  I will call this area the "Bowl".  There are several dirt service roads that will get you to the tracks and around the area.  Some of these roads will connect and therefore you might hear me refer to them several times throughout the text. 

As I discuss the Bowl, I will refer to the locations of Alray, the tunnels, Gish, Hill 582, the "S" curve on main 3, the "S" curve on mains 1 and 2,  and the "Siverwood Area". 

Route 138 is the main paved road that travels north from interstate 15 at exit #131 and will travel about 3.4 miles to the summit.  Along the way, several dirt roads will turn off of it.  Roads to the tracks are called "Road 1", "Road 2", 'Road 3" and "Road 4".  I will also take the liberty to name the service roads that parallel the tracks through the Bowl.

Remember also that on almost all the roads through the Bowl, they are in such good shape that they can be driven on by almost any vehicle.  A 4 x 4 is not needed.  Keep in mind also that when you are on the roads that parallel the tracks you are on railroad property so drive safe and act accordingly.

ROUTE 138 TO SUMMIT

Route 138 is the main road that leaves interstate 15 at exit #131 and travels north up the mountain for 3.4 miles to Summit.  Along the way it will have four dirt roads that will turn off of it and travel toward the tracks.  There will also be several that do not.  If I do not discribe a dirt road in detail, then it doesn't have any railroad significance.  Ignore it.

Route 138 will begin as a four-lane road and just after the I15 entrance ramp you will see "Road 1".  After .8 mile Route 138 will change to a two-lane.  Another .2 miles will be a road to the left with a gate.  Ignore it.  "Road 2" is another .6 miles up the road and has a white picket fence at its entrance.  After that, "Road 3" will appear after another .6 miles, and be to the left, almost under some high tension towers/wires.  The last road, "Road 4" is another .5 miles up the very curvy section of Route 138.  The summit for Route 138 is another .7 miles up the mountain at Big Cut.  Starting now downhill on the eastern slope, the Summit road is .4 miles away with Summit Valley Road 1.3 miles farther.  Turn left on Summit Valley Road to get to Hesperia, CA 10.6 miles away.

"ROAD 1"

"Road 1" will turn north from Route 138 immediately after the entrance ramp and stop sign from 138 to northbound 15.  It will travel toward the tracks and after .7 miles will go under BNSF main 3.  Another .8 miles and it will again go under BNSF mains 1 and 2 with the bridge for the Union Pacific track just .1 mile away.

ALRAY

Alray is actually a former siding just off of the former ATSF north track and in between what I call "Road 1", and the interstate.  The siding has been eliminated with the addition of the third main which is why the BNSF now made two mains in this area.  

Just after you go under the U.P. track, there will be two dirt roads, one to the right and one to the left.  The left one is what was called "Pine Lodge Road" in the Stiens Hill site page and will go toward an overpass for the interstate.  Park your car nearby on "Road 1" and walk to the concrete overpass for great mid to late afternoon photos in summer of downhill trains of both railroads as they take the last curve before going under the interstate.  Wait on the left side of the concrete overpass and when a train approaches, move slightly to your left for the best angle.

The dirt road to the right of "Road 1" I will call "U.P. access road" and it will take you all the way to Union Pacific's summit that they call Hiland.  Along the way it will pass several great photo locations.

Just north of the bridge for BNSF mains 1 and 2 is a dirt road to the north of main 1 that I will call "BNSF main #1 road" and it also will take you all the way up the Bowl to Summit.

South of the bridge for Mains 1 and 2 is a dirt road that goes up an incline to the track.  I will call this road, "BNSF main #2 road" and it will not go all the way up the pass, but will go as far as Hill 582.

Back at the bridge for main 3 there are roads on both sides of the track.  On the north side is what I call "BNSF access road #3 north".  It will travel just past the "S" curve, to the grade crossing for "Road 2".

South of main 3 is the dirt road I call "BNSF access road #3 south".  It is the last road that will take you all the way up the Bowl to Summit.

"U.P. ACCESS ROAD"

Just .1 miles after this road leaves "Road 1", it arrives at the first great photo location.  This location is best in the early morning in summer for photos of uphill trains for both railroads as they appear out from under the interstate overpasses and curve in front of you.

Another .3 miles uphill and you can get a great photo of a downhill train on the U.P. track.  This photo best in the late afternoon in summer.  Now all along this roads first mile are several locations for fantastic photos of up and downhill trains on the BNSF mains 1 and 2.  Since the BNSF built the third main, they made this area better for photos of the BNSF. 

This is where the tunnels used to be and the BNSF flattened the hills and cuts between the U.P. and BNSF tracks in this entire area.  Downhill trains are best photographed in the mid to late afternoon in summer, and photos of uphill trains are best in the early morning in summer.  Just go to the edge of the leveled area where the hills used to be and shoot.

I will continue to discuss areas on the "U.P. Access Road" when I get to "Road 2".

"BNSF MAIN #1 ROAD"

This road parallels the north side of the BNSF main 1 and travels all the way to Summit.  There aren't really to many photo locations along this road that aren't duplicated by other roads and with better angles.  So I use this road mainly to get around the "Bowl".

"BNSF MAIN #2 ROAD"

This road leaves "Road 1" and travels to Hill 582.  Its best photo location is .8 miles after it leaves "Road 1" and arrives at the old location for the east portal of tunnel #2.  You can still climb up the old same hill for those same great early morning in winter photos of uphill trains when they used to exit the tunnel.

After you travel uphill from "Road 1" about .8 miles, you will see a dirt road that will go up to the large open area between the Palmdale Cutoff and the BNSF mains 1 and 2 all along the tunnel area.

This road is just uphill from the location of the former tunnel #2.  This is the safest way to get to the photographic areas you used for those photos of the BNSF around the tunnel #1 and #2 areas.  Remember, that photo location was along the edge of the ledge of the long open area made by the BNSF when they built the third main.  Use it instead of parking on "U.P. Access Road" and then crossing the U.P. track. 

"S" CURVE ON MAINS 1 AND 2

Another .3 miles and there will be a large open dirt area that you can drive in to get dramatic photos of uphill trains on the BNSF tracks as they round an "S" curve.  Just walk about 300 feet to the top of a small hill for those photos.  Sun angles are best in the early morning in winter or the mid morning in summer. 

Uphill trains on the U.P. Palmdale Cutoff can also be taken from here although they are not in a visible "S" curve like the BNSF tracks.  It is still a dramatic photo of the train as it leans into a curve around a rocky cut.  

Downhill trains on either the U.P. track or the BNSF tracks also look great when taken from this same small hill but in the mid afternoon in summer or winter.  You can use a large signal bridge that goes over main 1 and 2 for the BNSF tracks as a nice prop for your photos.  It is between where you are and Hill 582 which is just another .2 miles farther up the pass.

Photos of this same "S" curve, and the U.P. track can be taken at the top of the hill at the "S" curve for main 3, and I'll explain that in that section. 

GISH

This is a location next to the south track formerly main 2 now main 3.  It is just uphill from what I call "Road 1" by about 1/2 mile.  (Will someone let me know if the area called Gish also included the north track near the tunnels, or is it only the south track.)  

"BNSF ACCESS ROAD #3 NORTH"

Like the "BNSF main #1 road", this road I use mainly to get me around.  You can use this road for photos at the base of Hill 582, but I'll explain that then.   

"BNSF ACCESS ROAD #3 SOUTH"

This road has a couple of good photo locations in Gish but I have not really explored that area much.  The first location I use frequently is 1.5 miles from "Road 1" or .4 miles from "Road 2".  It is the "S" curve on main 3 and is great for photos of downhill trains in the mid afternoon winter or summer.

THE "FORMER" TUNNEL #1 AND #2 AREA

Since the BNSF built the third main in 2008, the tunnels were sadly daylighted, but, photo access around that area has been improved by the elimination of the hills between the Union Pacific track and BNSF main 1.  I have already described the possibilities in the "U.P. Access Road" and the "BNSF Main #2 Road" sections of this site page.

HILL 582

This is a nice little railfan paradise in the middle of Cajon Pass.  Started several years ago by a single dedicated railfan for a comfortable place to watch trains, it has developed to be quite a nice place now.  Large trees provide shade, there is landscaping all around, a drinking fountain, a couple of benches, some railroad artifacts and a good place to park all next to the BNSF mains 1 and 2.  Several dedicated railfans now volunteer their time to help maintain the area.  Photos of either uphill or downhill trains on mains 1 or 2 and on the Palmdale Cutoff, are possible in the afternoon in summer, but almost all day in the winter.

Photos of trains as they continue downhill on main 3 are also possible but you have to walk all the way out on the top of the hill toward main 3.  This photo is only good in the late afternoon in summer. 

Access to Hill 582 is easy from "Road 1" on the "BNSF Main #2 Road" or the "BNSF Access Road #3 North".  Use a connecting dirt road if coming from BNSF main 3.  That road is at a grade crossing for main 3 just downhill from the "S" curve.  Just after the grade crossing, there will be a dirt road to the left.  Do not use that road at all unless you love to 4 x 4 to the extreme.  Railfans should follow the road as it turns to the right and continues about .3 miles to the base of Hill 582.

"ROAD 2"

"Road 2" leaves Route 138 and curves several times as it approaches main 3 which is .6 miles away.  As you travel toward the tracks, there are two smaller dirt roads that will turn away from the main road.  Those roads have no railroad use, so just stay on "Road 2" which is the more traveled on road anyway.

When you arrive at the BNSF main 3, just uphill along "BNSF Access Road #3 South" is a grade crossing for main 3 to "BNSF Access Road #3 North", but you can only go downhill on "BNSF Access Road #3 North" from there.

"S" CURVE ON MAIN 3

This is a fantastic area that is easy to get to from "Road 2" or the "BNSF Access Road #3 South".  I already described this area in the "BNSF Access Road #3 South" section, but I needed to mention it again here because it is also easy to get to from "Road 2".

When "Road 2" gets to the BNSF main 3, turn left on the dirt road that runs parallel with the track.  This is "BNSF Access Road #3 South" and follow it for .3 miles to the large open dirt area just past the curves.  (If you pass a grade crossing, you went to far.)

Park as far away from the track as you can and walk to the hill next to you and climb up almost to its top.  Photos from here are fantastic of downhill trains on main 3 as they negociate the "S" curve in front of you.  Sun angles are best in the mid afternoons of summer or winter.

Note that you can still get photos of trains on mains 1 or 2 or the Palmdale Cutoff as they curve out of the tunnel area and approach Hill 582.  You will need a good zoom lens and a steady hand though for these photos.  They are best in the earlier time of the late morning in both summer and winter.

"ROAD 3"

"Road 3" is the last good road to use to get to the tracks .6 miles from Route 138.  It is another .0 miles uphill from "Road 2", and is in the beginning of the dangerous portion of Route 138.  Be very alert of other motorists, because Route 138 becomes very hilly with some sharp curves.

Look for some high tension wires and their towers almost above this road.  "Road 3" will first crossover BNSF main 3 and shortly after that will go under the BNSF mains 1 and 2 before coming to another grade crossing for the Union Pacific track .1 mile farther. 

"WEST SILVERWOOD"

I have given the name "Silverwood" to this area all around all of the "Road 3" grade crossings because of its proximetry to the Siverwood Crossover.  I define "West Silverwood" as the areas downhill from "Road 3" and "East Silverwood" as the areas uphill from "Road 3". 

There are several great photo locations around the "Silverwood Area".  Because this is the "Bowl" section, I will discuss only photographic areas that are downhill from "Road 3" in "West Silverwood".  Locations in "East Silverwood" that are uphill from "Road 3" will be covered in the next site page about the Summit Area.

On "BNSF Main #1 Road go downhill about .2 mile to a cut in a hill.  Climb up this hill about 10 feet and turn around for a fantastic photo of an uphill train on the BNSF tracks with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background.  This photo is even better if they are snow capped in the early morning in winter.

Another good photo location is off of "BNSF Access Road #3 South".  Turn left and again go downhill about .2 miles to where there is a dirt road going up a steep incline to the top of a hill.  Photos here are great for uphill or downhill trains on the BNSF or U.P. tracks.  Uphill trains are best in the early mornings and downhill trains are best in the late afternoons in winter.

There are many other places that you could use to get great photos in this area.  Use your own photographic skills to find more than I've shown you now.  Again, have fun, enjoy, but always be safe.