railroading when I was in my early 20s,
remembers photographing SP 4-8-8-2
cab-aheads on both the point and mid-train
struggling with heavy freight trains through
here, sometimes mixed with 2-10-2s,
4-10-2s, and 2-8-2s acting as helpers.
Passenger power, he recalls, was a won-
derful mix of 4-8-4s, 4-8-2s, and still more
cab-aheads. The consists were a bit different
back then, as well. Solid trains of yellow ice-
stoked reefers, ore trains, endless reddish-
brown boxcars, and wooden cabooses were
standard fare. Punctuating the string of
freight traffic was a variety of SP passenger
trains, many with their own paint schemes,
some streamlined, some heavyweights,
some with both types of cars.
While they may not cover the kind of
transition Sims recalls, I can add my mem-
ories of this segment of the Sunset Route
when I was in my 20s and 30s for younger
fans. My 35mm and 120 roll film cameras
captured EMD cab units on passenger
trains, double-engined GE U50s and EMD
DD35s mixed in with U25Bs and GP35s on
freight trains, along with a substantial
number of earlier Fs, GP9s, and GEs filling
in wherever needed.TODAY’S ACTION
Today Beaumont is obviously more
uniform than even the recent past, but the
most important element, the parade of
trains, is as vibrant and exciting as ever.
This is not easy railroading and never has
been, and even with more sophisticated
motive power and rolling stock, the show
continues to fascinate with no signs of
abating. It also provides multiple choices to
photograph it from public roads.
One nice thing about chasing trains
here is that the line is easily seen from par-
allel Interstate 10. If you have the time, my
suggestion would be to take a quick over-
view of the line from one end to the other.
Work your way through it, perhaps more
than once, to find the places you like.Let’s follow the railroad from west to
east. The western end of the pass is slowly
losing its rural atmosphere to urban sprawl,
but don’t become disheartened. There are
still many rural spots to make great images.
Locate San Timoteo Canyon Road. It’s
south of the Interstate between Loma Lin-
da and Redlands. Follow it east. It’s a two-
lane road and not as fast as you might like
if you try and pace a train — there are stop
signs and traffic lights — but it mostly hugs
the railroad’s eastern ascent to the towns of
Banning and Beaumont, and is an excellent
way to appreciate the line.
The 2,591-foot summit is close to these
towns and can make for nice photography
opportunities. You will find side roads
along the way, and although some are dead
ends, many are worth exploring. Following
the railroad, you’ll notice San Timoteo
Canyon Road changes to Oak Valley Park-
way. Just stay with the street paralleling the
railroad and you should be fine until you
meet the interstate.
You’ll be in the Beaumont area and if
you don’t want to go through town, take
I-10 east for a mile or two before exiting
and start following the railroad again.
Nearing the summit, you may find it
advantageous to return to the interstate to
get a greater scope of the operation east-
ward. At the outlet malls near the38 SEPTEMBER 2019The scenery of Beaumont Hill shifts quickly
from suburban to desert. This housing devel-
opment offers a view of an intermodal train
in the town of Beaumont. Robert Royer
The Californian has picked up Mt-5 4-8-2
No. 4374 as a helper for its GS-class 4-8-4 in
Indio as it prepares to climb Beaumont Hill in
May 1950. Two photos, Donald Sims