Wilmington, CA ... Known as the "Heart of the Harbor" this area of southern California is a giant for industry. Resting between Long Beach Harbor and San Pedro Harbor, Wilimington gets 75 percent of the imports and exports for Terminal Island passing through it on a daily basis. It is a hotbed for all types of railroad action also between area's of the Alameda Corridor and a good portion of the Pacific Harbor Line tracks and main yard. Take the 405 or 710 freeways to get to the area. You can take the Wilmington exit off the 405 or use the Alameda Street exit and head south with the corridor tracks towards the harbor.

A half primered BNSF 4740 leads a stack train of mostly China Shipping containers towares CP West Thenard just across the Wilmington city line

BNSF 4755 takes a stack train north through CP West Thenard next to the Vallero asphalt plant.

BNSF 7735 stopped at CP West Thenard for a quick crew change before continuing south to Pier 400 on Terminal Island.

LLPX 2801 on lease by the PHL with a stack train at CP West Thenard

UP 584 at CP West Thenard with a UP off in the distance at the ITCF support yard.

UP 4621 leading south through CP Sepulveda.

UP 4621 leading south approaching CP West Thenard.

UP 8311 already looking like the workhorse it really is, leads north through CP West Thenard.

CP Long Beach Jct

BNSF 6934 leads a train of empty steel slab cars through CP Long Beach Jct. enroute to Pasha on Pier A for loading.

BNSF 4998 travels under the signals at CP Long Beach Jct. heading for Terminal Island

BNSF 4998 approaches the signals at CP Long Beach Jct. heading for Terminal Island

CSX 5257 & CSX 5279 head two Terminal Island sandwiched between some UP engines at CP Long Beach Jct.

MPEX 6201 shoves a string of baretables under Anaheim Street and onto Terminal Island.

Another image of MPEX 6201 about 20 minutes later. This time pulling a set of loaded well cars off Terminal Island approaching the signals for CP Long Beach Jct. while building this train.

Another image of PHL 50 with a string of APL loaded well cars towards CP Long Beach Jct.

PHL 2026 bringing a autorack train through CP Long Beach Jct. enroute to one of the automobile yards in the area.

PHL 50 pulls a string of APL loaded well cars towards CP Long Beach Jct.

UP 5338 leading a loaded stack train out of the harbor area towards CP Long Beach Jct.

BNSF 146 leads a baretable train towards CP Badger Bridge.

PHL 43 shoving a stack train onto Terminal Island at CP Badger Bridge.

BNSF Tie Up Track: A siding that runs between the Lomita Ethanol facility and Lomita Blvd between the Alameda Corridor and BNSF's Watson yard.
Often one can find engine power tied here, or cars set out from the Ethanol train or just general manifest cars

BNSF 2472 tied down near the Watson yard. This GP30u has a one of a kind paint job on it. It is the only Blue and Yellow bonnet to have the BNSF logo on the long hood and round herald on the nose.

BNSF 2418 and three other GP30u's tied down on the Watson Tie Up track.

BNSF 2472 again from the same day, tied down on the Tie Up track.

BNSF 6839 and one other BN engine were tied down with this road power set, but removed later on in the day.

BNSF 4427 tied down with a group. It is a bit rare now to find road power tied here as BNSF started tieing down their engines within their yard.

BNSF Watson Yard: Watson yard sits at the south end of the BNSF Harbor Sub Division. Located at 1302 E. Lomita, the yard has a wye track and a 8 yard tracks that trail south under Pacific Coast Highway. There are two locals that work out of this yard as well as one regular manifest train. Also the Pacific Harbor Line interchanges with the BNSF at the yard via the Mc Farland Street line.

A new sign sit's at the entrance to the Watson yard. This sign was put in place between August and September 2006

A set of BNSF power sit's tied down under PCH on the south end of the Watson yard.

Watson Wye track: The Watson Wye sits on the north end of the BNSF Watson yard. It is used to turn power or back trains into the yard.

BNSF 2436 leads this Watson local as they shove thier empties and loads back on the wye track and into Watson yard.

BNSF 545 tied down with two GP60M's in between running shuttle trains of container cars between the harbor and Esperanza.

Another image of BNSF 2436 shoving back on the wye into Watson yard.

BNSF 7663 seen here taking the main line passed the Watson Wye with this stack train enroute to Alcoa to store the cars.

Another image of BNSF 7671 using a leg of the Watson Wye to reverse the train back east to PHL's Pier B Yard.

BNSF 7671 using a leg of the Watson Wye to reverse the train back east to PHL's Pier B Yard.

BNSF 7828 off the south connector for the Alameda Corridor connects to the Harbor Sub here via Rolling Junction.

BNSF 524 rolling through Rolling Junction on the head end of this power move from Los Angeles.

Lomita Rail Terminal: A depository point for Ethanol. It is ran by US Development Group. Click the link for info on the facility from the USDG site.
BNSF runs the Ethanol Express unit train daily. Loaded cars come in from Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas and New Mexico and empty cars go out.
From there the ethanol goes through a 4 mile pipeline to Shell's Carson Terminal.
The facility is switched by Railserve and they have two RSSX engines on site. More info on Railserve can be found at this link.

RSSX 430 and 3817 pull cars off the arrival tracks and into the facility for unloading.

Both the RSSX engines sit on the west end of the facility tracks between use.

Union Pacific's Dolores Industrial Lead (Southend) : Branchline now, but was left over ROW of the lines leading downt to San Pedro and into Long Beach. All which is sidetracked now by the Corridor, but the track is utilized to access the Wilmington Wye very frequently throught the day by the UP to wye their engine power before taking it into the yard at Dolores Yard in Carson. It also links directly to the PHL's McFarland Subdivision once it crosses Anaheim Street.

UP 5278 at Thenard on the DIL coming back from wyeing the power set on the Wilmington Wye.

PHL 50 bringing a K-Line stack train off the PHL McFarland Sub and across Anaheim Street to use the Wilmington Wye and take the train to Long Beach and 9th Street yard.

PHL 2032 waits as the conductor changes a switch before using they east leg of the Wye.

LLPX 2801 crossing Alameda Street on the east leg of the Wilmington Wye.

PHL 50 dragging a K-Line train onto the lead for the east leg of the Wilmington Wye.

SP 117 leading a light engine move through the Wilmington Wye.

UP 3839 leading one of two sets of engine moves around the Wilmington Wye. It is a rare occasion to see two sets going on the wye at the same time and the same direction.

SP 117 leading a light engine move through the Wilmington Wye.

UP 6159 brings up the lead of a second set of engine power using the wye. This set came from Long Beach after setting out a train at the Mead Yard. Now using the wye to head back to Dolores.

UP 5548 on the lead of this nice set of mixed new engine power heading west on the wye.

UP 3908 coming through the wye. Seen here on the east end of the wye backing toward the Alameda Corridor to clear the direction switch.

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