Sunset Route

Railroad in the United States

4 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. 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.[2]

Upon Southern Pacific Railroad's merger with Union Pacific in 1996, less than 25% of the route was double-tracked.[3] Efforts to expand double-trackage were ongoing as of the late 2000s and early 2010s,[4] with over 70% of the route having two tracks by 2012.[3]

Usage

The line is primarily used for freight by the Union Pacific. BNSF shares ownership of the Lafayette Subdivision.[5] By 2007, 45 trains daily were operating through Maricopa, Arizona.[4] 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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Yuma Subdivision
Legend
Alhambra Subdivision enlarge…
Mojave Subdivision
Palm Springs
610.9
 Indio
Forum
elev. −205 ft (−62 m)
667.5
 Niland
Calexico Subdivision
732.7
 Yuma
737.5
East Yard
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Gila Subdivision
Legend
Yuma
Roll Industrial Lead[6]
Maricopa
Phoenix Subdivision
Tucson
Nogales Subdivision
Tucson Yard
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Lordsburg Subdivision
Legend
Tucson Yard
Port of Tucson Railway
Benson
Arizona Electric Power
Company Spur
Lordsburg
Tucson Service Unit
Phelps Dodge Industrial Railroad
Continental Divide
Wilna
elev. 4,584 ft (1,397 m)
Southwestern Railroad
 Deming
Southwestern Railroad
El Paso
Dallas Yard
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Valentine Subdivision
Legend
Dallas Yard
to BNSF
Tucumcari Line
Toyah Subdivision
Paisano Pass
elev. 5,078 ft (1,548 m)
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Sanderson Subdivision
Legend
Alpine
Sanderson
Comstock
Del Rio
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Del Rio Subdivision
Legend
Del Rio
to Eagle Pass
Knippa
Medina Spur
Martin Asphalt
Medina Line
San Antonio Intermodal Terminal
BNSF Cadet Yard
Laredo Subdivision
Austin Subdivision
Rockport Subdivision
Kerrville Subdivision
San Antonio
SwRI Locomotive Technology Center
East Side Yard
Austin Subdivision Mainline 2
Cuero Industrial Lead
Kirby
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Glidden Subdivision
Legend
Cuero Subdivision
Garwood Lead
BNSF Galveston Subdivision
KCS Rosenberg Subdivision
BNSF Galveston Subdivision
Houston Subdivision
METRORail Operations Center
Houston West Belt Right arrow
Left arrow BNSF Mykawa Subdivision
Galveston Subdivision
PTRA Strang Subdivision
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Lafayette Subdivision
Legend
UP Houston Subdivision
KMCO LP
Beaumont Subdivision
UP Beaumont Subdivision
Sunnyside
 Beaumont
UpperLeft arrow BNSF Silsbee Subdivision Right arrow
Left arrow UP
 
KCS Beaumont Subdivision
KCS Beaumont Subdivision
Optimus Steel
Trinity Industries
Texas
Louisiana
Sabine River
to Roy S. Nelson Generating Plant
UP Lake Charles Subdivision UpperRight arrow
Left arrow Rosebluff Industrial Lead
Lake Charles
 Lake Charles station
Lake Charles Industrial Lead
UP Lake Charles Subdivision
BNSF Yard
BNSF Lafayette Yard
Lafayette
Schriever
UP Livonia Subdivision
UP Livonia Subdivision
UP Avondale Subdivision
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Terminal Subdivision
Legend
Houston East Belt
Englewood Yard
PTRA Strang Subdivision
Englewood Intermodal
Houston West Belt
Houston
Eureka Subdivision

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

  • iconTrains portal

References

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


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