By Jim Wilson - Chief Operations Officer - Rail Operations

This is the second of two parts to the story of the historic Vegas X Train route. For part 1 see our post dated February 3, 2013.

As the Vegas X Train proceeds to Cajon Summit at 3,777 feet the railroad curves around through the High Desert and Hesperia, Victorville, Oro Grande, and Hodge, leading into Barstow.  Barstow has an interesting history in the area of silver mining, borax mining, and water resources to support the start of the region.  Barstow was named after William Barstow Strong the President of the Santa Fe Railway when it was established in 1888.  Barstow became an important rail junction point for Southern and Northern California, east to Texas, Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago, and northeast to Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.  Today you will pass by BNSF Railway’s Barstow Classification Yard an important process yard for shipments and maintenance of locomotives and cars.  The Barstow area is home to Fort Irwin, the US Army’s Desert Warfare Training Center.  As you move east out of Barstow you will come to Daggett where the route will transition northeast through Yermo, home of the Marine’s Logistics Base.

The Vegas X Train just north of Yermo starts moving eastward away from Interstate 15 out in the desert towards Afton Canyon and Cucero on the lowest point of this portion of the trip for the climb through Kelso to the summit of Cima Hill.   Kelso is located in the Mojave National Preserve and was named after a railroad worker who won a contest to have the town named after him.  Kelso was an important stop to water steam locomotives and feed the people on the train at the station in town.  Kelso boomed in the 1940’s as Borax and Iron Ore mines opened and soon gold and silver were discovered too.  Up and over Cima Hill the X Train starts the downhill journey and joins back up with Interstate 15 around Roach and parallels all the way into Las Vegas to the X Train’s Las Vegas station.  Las Vegas was founded in 1905 and grew supporting the mining in the area, transformed with the building of Hoover Dam, and in 1931 the first casino opened for business.  Since then the transformation has been amazing as an international entertainment and gaming center and is home to 1.9 million people.  Welcome to Las Vegas, we’re glad you’re here!

 By Mick Bailey

Stories of women and World War II often include images of Rosie the Riveter with her sleeves rolled up. Women were for the first time doing jobs traditionally held by men such as building airplanes, tanks or other war equipment. This was new to our country and became a vital part in the effort to win the war. Women entering the World War II workforce were key to our winning, but few people today realize the biggest contribution to the war effort by women was to the railroad industry.

By Mick Bailey

Living in Los Angeles compels people to drive from L A to Las Vegas to enjoy the ultimate adult playground. Gambling, drinking, strip clubs, concerts and general debauchery await those who make the trip. Vegas is close enough to Los Angeles (4 to 5 hours) that all this and more can be enjoyed over a weekend.

You may start from Beverly Hills on the 405 freeway or Huntington Beach on the 101.Perhaps you are coming from Fullerton on the 91. Whichever freeway your journey begins with, it will ultimately lead you to the only freeway to Vegas from L A; the I-15. Once on the I-15 heading to Las Vegas the first obstacle is the steep grade heading up to Cajon Pass. Cajon Pass is a mountain Pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. This grade is the first place that you can expect delays. Often it is just normal traffic but if there is an accident you are in for a long wait. As you sit motionless in your car you will see some beautiful scenery including a freight train chugging up the hill on its way to Vegas as well. Will that train make it to Sin City before you?