California - Inland Empire

Big Bear Lake, taken from top of Castle Rock, in San Bernardino National Forest.

Big Bear Solar Observatory on Big Bear Lake, taken from Castle Rock.

Some homes of poor people in Redlands....

Some homes of poor people in Redlands....(see the adjacent photo)

Some homes of poor people in Redlands....

An example of the residential boom of the 2000's. It was only about 5 years ago when this area was relatively remote and untouched hillsides above San Timoteo Canyon Rd. It is now filled with hundreds of very large homes. What makes little sense about this is that this development is nowhere near any industry or areas where there is employment. On the maps it is listed as PGA (Professional Golfers Association) Beaumont.

Near downtown San Bernardino, a U-Haul franchise with an historic truck on top, taken from the Arrow train. I’m a little dubious about the authenticity of the truck, but I could be wrong. Per the previous Wikipedia link U-Haul, started in 1945, but this truck looks to be closer to 1930. BUT, knowing the history of U-Haul, they could have been renting 15 year old trucks! For more details about the service and trains, click on the Arrow tag for all photos.

At the downtown San Bernardino Metrolink station, where passengers going further on Metrolink, change trains. I was surprised at the number of people on the Arrow who were transferring to Metrolink. Considering that the Arrow had only been in service 5 days, and it was a Saturday, I had guessed that everyone on the train were simply people curious about the Arrow. For more details about the service and trains, click on the Arrow tag for all photos.

At least a standard theme for what you see out the window of trains these days in the U.S. – campsites of the unhoused. What you don’t see very often, and you have to look very close to see in the upper center of this photo, is rows and rows of rail car wheels. The photo is taken from the Metrolink Arrow, crossing the Santa Ana River wash, which is adjacent to Greenbrier Rail Services , a company that has some role in making or servicing the wheels for rail cars. For more details about the service and trains, click on the Arrow tag for all photos.

At the end of the day, a quick 'time-machine' shot across history. On the left side of the picture is a former citrus-packing warehouse from the times in the 1930’s when the area was a major citrus growing area. On the right side, the passenger depot that set unused for 80+ years while Redlands transitioned from agriculture to being just another automobile-dominated suburban city of the greater Los Angeles metropolitan era. And, in the middle, an Arrow train that’s hopefully a symbol of a move to public transit and away from automobile-dominance in the Southern California Los Angeles megalopolis. For a shot of the same area just four years ago, when it was still a largely unused railroad track, click here . For more details about the service and trains, click on the Arrow tag for all photos.

A Metrolink Arrow train arriving at the historic Santa Fe station in Redlands. The station was built in 1909 and was in service as a Santa Fe passenger train service for only a relatively short 29 years. In 1938 a trestle on the line serving the station washed out and, apparently due to increased auto usage, there was a decision to not restart service. Apparently the station was deserted for most of the intervening years, until the recent start of the Arrow service created a need for the platforms – the interior of the station is still deserted. For more details about the service and trains, click on the Arrow tag for all photos.