BNSF Harbor Sub Operations Today

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The map below shows the Harbor Subdivision as it exists today.

Today's Harbor Subdivision is an industrial branch line hosting three to four daily switch jobs out of Watson Yard and one at Malabar. No trains travel between Hyde Park at MP 8 and El Segundo at MP 14; the rails between those points are just twin bands of rust.

As of January 1, 2005, the following industries are served by the BNSF Harbor Subdivision. In El Segundo: Air Products (west end of El Segundo Yard), Chevron-Texaco oil refinery (transfer at the El Segundo Yard), Learned Lumber (inside the El Segundo wye); Torrance (Alcoa): Exxon-Mobile oil refinery, Union Carbide, Dow Chemical, BOC Gases (via the Aluminum Spur near Crenshaw Blvd); Watson: Sanky (just east of Alondra Blvd, near Watson yard at MP 25.6, which gets ALOT of boxcars of liquid refreshments - as many as 40 a week); Hyde Park (Milepost 8) Continental Baking Company and a small team track; Vernon: a large team track and numerous chemical industries. Within the past couple of years, the following industries stopped service with the BNSF Harbor Sub: Tyco Plastics in Torrance (plant closed in 2003 or early 2004), Douglas Furnature in Redondo Beach (plant closed in 2003, rails pulled in January 2005), Northrup-Grumman (plant stopped receiving aircraft parts in special rail cars around 1999-2000), Somerville Plywood in Hawthorne (now takes all deliveries by truck, rails pulled in 2001).

The neighborhoods that used to hear frequent train's blowing for road crossings far into the night now are mostly quiet once again. There have been rumors that BNSF would like to turn operation of the line over to Anacostia Pacific's Pacific Harbor Line, the operation that currently provides most switching support to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority intends to use the right-of-way for an extension of the Metro Green Line light-rail, though that is way off in the future, if it ever occurs. But what the future will bring, we will just have to wait to see.

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Update December 28, 2004