[HD] Los Angeles Junction Railway in Vernon - Switching Movements, Lots of Horn, and Santa Fe Power!

Here is a video of the Los Angeles Junction Railway (LAJ) throughout various locations in the City of Vernon, CA. The Los Angeles Junction Railway is a terminal switching railway and wholly-owned subsidiary of BNSF, providing switching operating on 64 miles of track in the industrial cities of Vernon, Maywood, Bell, and Commerce, southeast of Downtown LA in an area known as the Central Manufacturing District. In this video, I chase the Y-VRN2271 Vernon Job around its areas of operation, serving industries such as General Mills, Pencco, Vernon Team Track, and World Oil Termimal. The power for this job is a pair of Ex-Santa Fe motors; GP50 3189 and GP60 182. This is a rare sight, as most of the LAJ locomotives are rebuilt GP50s painted in the H4 scheme, and the Santa Fe GP60s are in the process of being repainted. Enjoy the sights and sounds of this local job switching on run-down industrial branchline trackage and blaring its horn for under-protected crossings with mechanical bells on busy urban streets. Thanks for watching!
© 2022 LARailProductions

[@alanakbar1665]

U don’t see too much urban industrial switching like this in most other cities, especially in the Midwest so i think this is dope to see from a rail fan perspective

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks!

[@dungvu3374]

It never fails to see people running across the tracks with the red lights flashing right in front of the train

[@Meow_Ag47]

That car @3:52 was pretty dicey 😬

[@Mk99987]

They need gates or a flagman at the crossings.

[@LARailProductions]

Yeah it would really help in busy areas with careless drivers like this.

[@Steve_Hunts96]

LOVE that horn!

[@CoastalOCRailfan]

Great footage!

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks!

[@BorisLu]

Nice film!

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks!

[@beeble2003]

The view of 3189 and the rear of 182 at 4:23 appears on RR Picture Archives, described as Saginaw, Texas. If that was posted by you, looks like you got confused; otherwise, either the photographer there was standing right next to you, or somebody's nicking stills from your videos and posting them there.

[@LARailProductions]

Seems to be the latter, I've never posted on RRPictureArchives before. Thanks for the heads up.

[@stevepickett7179]

Great video! Do you know what the new construction will be? Residential or industrial?

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks! The construction will be a new industrial complex, Vernon is almost an exclusively-industrial city.

[@donstarr7261]

The used to nicknamed this the Rule G Railroad on the SP. Everyone who got fired for rule G, at SP ended up there.

[@tiptopsound]

Are we expected to know what Rule G is?

[@pacset2]

👍👍

[@joeycarroll2644]

Hey! What is the scheduling of the job that goes east out of the A yard towards commerce? Y-VRN2281 i think it is…

[@LARailProductions]

That is correct, it works Commerce Monday thru Friday between 5pm and 11pm

[@TopHotDog]

High horsepower switchers😂

[@TopHotDog]

Single 1000 HP Alcos got the job done for decades. Shows ya what kind of business mentality exists these days.

[@rubedogg6969]

What terrible drivers, they see the flashing lights and don’t even slow down. The train almost hit that car at the beginning.

[@onrr1726]

It is what it is if we hit some idiot we hit them.

[@What_If_We_Tried]

Fantastic video, and one of many that you've recorded that will help me plan my HO scale train layout. And it's so nice to see those old blue & yellow Santa Fe locos still being used today.

[@25mfd]

still in santa fe colors... NICE!!!!!!

[@tcsmith4838]

There is one that I’ve seen for years around here last time I saw it near el segundo that still says ATSF on it totally original paint job

[@rms492]

Some drivers really need to re-take drivers ed.

[@LARailProductions]

Yeah no kidding!

[@patricknoveski6409]

This is so very cool. So many details to take note of. Perfect for shelf getto scenes anywhere. Note all the graphitti from modern brain surgeon idiots. Hope the conductor brought his 9 mil.

[@tiptopsound]

I love all the assholes who ignore the signal and keep going - wholesale traffic violators the lot of them. If they didn't have horns that are loud as fuck they'd be screwed.

[@jerrysimon793]

Did not realize that there is that many stupid drivers out there

[@marcuslee1779]

Terrific video! Great to see Geep Yellowbonnets! I was surprised how many cars didn't even slow down at the flashing grade crossings! I kept thinking we would witness a collision. Phew!

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks!

[@derrickconnor1303]

Love seeing the yellow bonnets, rare since BN SF merger

[@robadams5799]

I love yellowbonnets too.

[@GilbertLA63]

Great vid. Loved the sound of Southern pacific P3 horns, and Santa Fe’s, too! Heard ‘‘em all day and night in Long Beach. Love the pumping units in the LBC, too. It’s amazing drivers think they can beat a train!

[@LARailProductions]

Indeed!

[@kevinhoward9593]

i always loved switching operations. Not everything has to be hurry, hurry, hurry. I like that the black car backed up instead of just going through the crossing.

[@LARailProductions]

Me too! It's a lot more interesting than regular mainline freight.

[@mehmetplaysyt]

I find it bad that so many people go over red flashing level crossing signs without waiting

[@LARailProductions]

Yeah the drivers in Vernon are extremely impatient. Considering how many people ignore the flashing lights I'm surprised there aren't collisions very often.

[@tiptopsound]

@@LARailProductions Assholes

[@beeble2003]

@@LARailProductions Yeah. You can understand the motivation when it's an 8000ft freight moving at 10mph, but it's pretty ridiculous for a train that takes 20s to pass.

[@ssweeps]

I went through Vernon this morning! Thank you for posting! 😊

[@armandoperez7967]

BNSF should ditch the orange scheme and wedgie logo and bring back the Santa Fe name and image. I don’t think anyone would object! I certainly wouldn’t!

[@beeble2003]

I conclude that LA is an extremely boring place, and the only way to get thrills is to get in your car and play chicken with the trains.

[@XBOXShawn12thman]

I just came across this video.... Subscribed!!! 👍

[@LanceMindheim]

One of your best productions. Thanks!

[@LARailProductions]

Thank you! I actually was thinking about you and your layout as I produced this, I figured this would be more modeling inspiration for you. Thanks for mentioning my videos in your articles. You make excellent work!

[@jamesharness6478]

Spectacular video, thanks for capturing this!

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks!

[@WoodsBeatle]

nice catch! i noticed there was a crossing signal with an extra light attachment pointing in the direction of the tracks, not towards the cars. And there were a few shots of a vintage crossing signal with the lights mounted vertically. can you explain both types?

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks! The extra light attachment is probably for a driveway that is adjacent to the right-of-way, and the vertically mounted crossing signals are actually a unique setup where the top is a flashing yellow light and the bottom says either "NO LEFT TURN" or "NO RIGHT TURN" depending on where it's placed. It's the first time I've ever seen such a crossing signal setup.

[@LARailProductions]

Now that I think about it, I think you were referring to the blinking white light. That lets the train crew know the crossing signals are active and operating. LAJ is one of the very few railroads I've seen that has such a setup.

[@WoodsBeatle]

@@LARailProductions what is it called

[@LARailProductions]

No idea what they're called.

[@josephwoehlerii2855]

Thank you for braving the mean streets to bring us these classic survivors while working the needs of the big city. Great video!

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks!

[@HarborSubHughley]

Great video

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks!

[@HarborSubHughley]

@@LARailProductions you are welcome

[@LRF_101]

That’s nice I didn’t know the District Boulevard spur was used is that the only one on service?

[@LARailProductions]

There are two that are still used, one to General Mills, the other to Pencco.

[@LRF_101]

@@LARailProductions Good to hear

[@felixthetrainfan4819]

Nice catch! Keep it up

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks!

[@rherbfm]

I'm not sure if anyone has footage of the rail tracks that ran throughout the art district? Right now most of them have been paved over plus the old warehouses are pretty much gone.

[@LRF_101]

That’s nice I didn’t know the District Boulevard spur was used is that the only one on service?

[@LARailProductions]

There are two, Pencco and General Mills.

[@rhettrossalbert]

Nice video

[@LARailProductions]

Thanks!

[@rhettrossalbert]

@@LARailProductions you're welcome

[@SouthRV]

Very sorry for asking many questions but seeing I have been taking interest in local industrial switching, I’d like to know what time they switch the team yard and make their way towards commerce

[@LARailProductions]

It's all random. Sometimes they serve Team Track, sometimes they don't.

[@tiptopsound]

3189 is missing a panel cover in the nose.

[@LARailProductions]

It's there, just severely rusted up.

[@tiptopsound]

@@LARailProductions Are you sure about that? It looks like there is maybe an exposed maybe breaker panel or something on the side of the nose between the steps and the door.

[@LARailProductions]

Are you talking about the black handbrake stand?

[@tiptopsound]

@@LARailProductions Sorry, I don't know what a handbrake stand is. All I know is that it's exposed black metal or plastic on the side of the nose between the steps and the door.

[@beeble2003]

@@tiptopsound If you mean the black area on the nose that's visible at 6:41, that's the ratchet handbrake lever. It's an alternative design to the more familiar wheel.

[@threepea1151]

Do you happen to know the schedule for this Job?

[@LARailProductions]

This train runs Monday through Friday, on duty from 2:30pm and usually finishes its work at around 8:30pm. The areas that they work are all within the City of Vernon, however they only go to the industries that have work that day, and can be at totally random inconsistent times.

[@threepea1151]

@@LARailProductions thanks! Sorry to ask again, but do you know the schedule for the day Malabar Job? I think it runs somewhere around noon but I can’t confirm it as my mom works about 2 street away from the pacific Blvd crossing

[@LARailProductions]

Monday through Friday 8:15am to 11:30am

[@threepea1151]

@@LARailProductions thanks! I’m sorry I actually forgot you told me the schedule for the malabar, sorry for the inconvenience

[@thejonathanbrier]

@@LARailProductions usually tie down by 10:30 am it seems...