Colton Crossing
Encyclopedia
The Colton Crossing is an "at grade" Railway Crossing situated in Colton, California
, directly south of the Interstate 10
freeway. First built in 1883, it was the site of one of the most intense Frog war
s in railroad construction history leading to a personal confrontation between famed lawman Virgil Earp
and California Governor Robert Waterman
. The crossing is the intersection of the tracks of the BNSF
and Union Pacific
(UP) railroads. Union Pacific track runs east-west at the crossing while the BNSF track runs north-south. The Metrolink
trains and Amtrak
's Southwest Chief
also use the BNSF track through the crossing while Amtrak's Sunset Limited
uses the UP tracks. The Union Pacific track comes from the east through the Coachella Valley
and into the yard in West Colton. The BNSF track from the south continues through the yard in San Bernardino
and up Cajon Pass
.
, a subsidiary
of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
(now part of BNSF), was repeatedly interrupted by Santa Fe's rival, Southern Pacific Railroad
(SP). In one instance, the California Southern was set to build a level junction
across the SP tracks in Colton
. California Southern engineer Fred T. Perris
ordered the crossing built and acquired the track section for the railroad. When the track was delivered to National City
in July 1883, SP officials hired the sheriff there to seize the track section and prevent its installation. The sheriff kept the track under 24-hour guard, but Perris's men were able to retake the track while the sheriff napped, loaded the track on a flatcar
and started northward with it toward Colton, where it was to be installed.
Perris obtained a court order on August 11, 1883 that would legally allow the California Southern to install the new track section.
Jacob Nash Victor
, a California Southern construction engineer, was the foreman at Colton. In a letter that Victor wrote to Thomas Nickerson
, then president of the California Southern, he stated:
Perris' crew was ready to install it as soon as SP's Overland Mail passed the point of intersection between the two railroads. However, at that moment an SP locomotive
arrived at the scene pulling a single gondola
and stopped. The engineer of the SP locomotive then drove the train back and forth slowly at the crossing point in an effort to prevent the California Southern crew from installing the crossing. The Southern Pacific had hired famous lawman Virgil Earp
to guard its tracks in Colton and he rode in the cab.
The citizens of Colton supported the Southern Pacific, but Southern Pacific had bypassed nearby San Bernardino
and its residents were upset. They hoped the California Southern line would put their city back on the map. On the morning of September 13 events reached a head in a confrontation that was quickly dubbed the "Battle of the Crossing". Citizens from Colton and San Bernardino gathered on either side of the tracks—San Bernardino residents on the north and the citizens from Colton on the south—with the Southern Pacific locomotive between them. Men on both sides carried picks, shovels, shotguns and revolvers. Virgil Earp stood in the gangway between cab and tender facing the San Bernardino mob, his revolver in hand. It was believed that the gondola held a number of SP men with rifles and other weapons who crouched below the walls of the car so as not to be seen.
Governor Robert Waterman
ordered San Bernardino County Sheriff J.B. Burkhart to enforce the court order. Burkhart deputized 10 dependable men and personally escorted the governor to the crossing site. Waterman stood between the SP locomotive and the San Bernardino mob and read the court order. The governor said the locomotive must be cleared away at once. He told Virgil Earp that if he made any move with his six-shooter, Burkhart and his deputies were authorized to shoot. The tension between the crowds, lawmen, and governor made a gun fight likely—perhaps bloodier than his Tombstone shootout. Earp realized that further resistance was hopeless and would lead to bloodshed. He holstered his weapon and ordered the engineer to move the locomotive.
The track was cleared and the crossing was installed. The first train from San Diego arrived in Colton on August 21, 1882 (before the crossing was installed), and the first train to San Bernardino arrived just over a year later on September 13, 1883.
In December 2006, the Alameda Corridor Transit Authority (ACTA)
presented a feasibility study to analyze alternatives and costs for design and construction of an east-west structure, which would grade separate the BNSF and UP main line tracks at Colton Crossing. In addition, ACTA is preparing a forthcoming future report on a proposed north-south flyover
to the south of Colton Crossing to reduce train crossing conflicts, which report will be evaluated by ACTA, UP, BNSF and the San Bernardino Associated Governments
(SANBAG). SANBAG is conducting community outreach meetings to assist the project team with selecting the final build option.
Colton, California
Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The city is located in the Inland Empire region of the state and is approximately 57 miles east of Los Angeles. The population of Colton is 52,154 according to the 2010 census, up from 47,662 at the 2000 census.Colton is the...
, directly south of the Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
freeway. First built in 1883, it was the site of one of the most intense Frog war
Frog war
In American railroading, a frog war occurs when a private railroad company attempts to cross the tracks of another, and this results in hostilities, with the courts usually getting involved, but often long after companies have taken the matter in their own hands and settled, with hordes of workers...
s in railroad construction history leading to a personal confrontation between famed lawman Virgil Earp
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
and California Governor Robert Waterman
Robert Waterman (governor)
Robert Whitney Waterman was an American politician. He served as the 17th Governor of California from September 12, 1887 until January 8, 1891.-Early years:...
. The crossing is the intersection of the tracks of the BNSF
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
and Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
(UP) railroads. Union Pacific track runs east-west at the crossing while the BNSF track runs north-south. The Metrolink
Metrolink (Southern California)
Metrolink is a commuter rail system serving Los Angeles and the surrounding area of Southern California; it currently consists of six lines and 55 stations using of track....
trains and Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Southwest Chief
Southwest Chief
The Southwest Chief is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 2256-mile BNSF route through the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. It runs from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California, passing through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California...
also use the BNSF track through the crossing while Amtrak's Sunset Limited
Sunset Limited
The Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental...
uses the UP tracks. The Union Pacific track comes from the east through the Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
and into the yard in West Colton. The BNSF track from the south continues through the yard in San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
and up Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass
Cajon Pass is a moderate-elevation mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in the United States. It was created by the movements of the San Andreas Fault...
.
History
Construction of the California Southern RailroadCalifornia Southern Railroad
The California Southern Railroad was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between what has become the city of Barstow and San Diego,...
, a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
(now part of BNSF), was repeatedly interrupted by Santa Fe's rival, Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
(SP). In one instance, the California Southern was set to build a level junction
Level junction
In U.S. railroad practice, a level junction is a railway junction that has a track configuration in which merging or crossing railroad lines provide track connections with each other that require trains to cross over in front of opposing traffic at grade In U.S. railroad practice, a level junction...
across the SP tracks in Colton
Colton, California
Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The city is located in the Inland Empire region of the state and is approximately 57 miles east of Los Angeles. The population of Colton is 52,154 according to the 2010 census, up from 47,662 at the 2000 census.Colton is the...
. California Southern engineer Fred T. Perris
Fred T. Perris
Fred Thomas Perris was Chief Engineer of the California Southern Railroad, a company chartered to build a rail connection between the present day cities of San Diego and Barstow, California. Perris oversaw construction of the railroad through Cajon Pass, a route that is still in use by BNSF...
ordered the crossing built and acquired the track section for the railroad. When the track was delivered to National City
National City, California
National City is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 58,582 at the 2010 census, up from 54,260 at the 2000 census. National City is the second oldest city in San Diego County and has a historic past.-History:...
in July 1883, SP officials hired the sheriff there to seize the track section and prevent its installation. The sheriff kept the track under 24-hour guard, but Perris's men were able to retake the track while the sheriff napped, loaded the track on a flatcar
Flatcar
A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...
and started northward with it toward Colton, where it was to be installed.
Perris obtained a court order on August 11, 1883 that would legally allow the California Southern to install the new track section.
Jacob Nash Victor
Jacob Nash Victor
Jacob Nash Victor was a civil engineer who worked as General Manager of the California Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
, a California Southern construction engineer, was the foreman at Colton. In a letter that Victor wrote to Thomas Nickerson
Thomas Nickerson (ATSF)
Thomas Nickerson was the eighth president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway between 1874 and 1880. He was also president of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad....
, then president of the California Southern, he stated:
Perris' crew was ready to install it as soon as SP's Overland Mail passed the point of intersection between the two railroads. However, at that moment an SP locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
arrived at the scene pulling a single gondola
Gondola (rail)
In railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-top type of rolling stock that is used for carrying loose bulk materials. Because of its low side walls, gondolas are used to carry either very dense material, such as steel plates or coils, or bulky items such as prefabricated pieces of rail...
and stopped. The engineer of the SP locomotive then drove the train back and forth slowly at the crossing point in an effort to prevent the California Southern crew from installing the crossing. The Southern Pacific had hired famous lawman Virgil Earp
Virgil Earp
Virgil Walter Earp fought in the Civil War. He was U.S. Deputy Marshal for south-eastern Arizona and Tombstone City Marshal at the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the Arizona Territory. Two months after the shootout in Tombstone, outlaw Cowboys ambushed Virgil on the streets of...
to guard its tracks in Colton and he rode in the cab.
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
and its residents were upset. They hoped the California Southern line would put their city back on the map. On the morning of September 13 events reached a head in a confrontation that was quickly dubbed the "Battle of the Crossing". Citizens from Colton and San Bernardino gathered on either side of the tracks—San Bernardino residents on the north and the citizens from Colton on the south—with the Southern Pacific locomotive between them. Men on both sides carried picks, shovels, shotguns and revolvers. Virgil Earp stood in the gangway between cab and tender facing the San Bernardino mob, his revolver in hand. It was believed that the gondola held a number of SP men with rifles and other weapons who crouched below the walls of the car so as not to be seen.
Governor Robert Waterman
Robert Waterman (governor)
Robert Whitney Waterman was an American politician. He served as the 17th Governor of California from September 12, 1887 until January 8, 1891.-Early years:...
ordered San Bernardino County Sheriff J.B. Burkhart to enforce the court order. Burkhart deputized 10 dependable men and personally escorted the governor to the crossing site. Waterman stood between the SP locomotive and the San Bernardino mob and read the court order. The governor said the locomotive must be cleared away at once. He told Virgil Earp that if he made any move with his six-shooter, Burkhart and his deputies were authorized to shoot. The tension between the crowds, lawmen, and governor made a gun fight likely—perhaps bloodier than his Tombstone shootout. Earp realized that further resistance was hopeless and would lead to bloodshed. He holstered his weapon and ordered the engineer to move the locomotive.
The track was cleared and the crossing was installed. The first train from San Diego arrived in Colton on August 21, 1882 (before the crossing was installed), and the first train to San Bernardino arrived just over a year later on September 13, 1883.
Proposed Grade Separation and Flyover
Colton Crossing is the location where the two main rail routes serving Southern California cross at-grade in the City of Colton. Most trains leaving or entering Southern California use this at-grade rail crossing, which is a significant cause of congestion on the main lines of the UP and the BNSF.In December 2006, the Alameda Corridor Transit Authority (ACTA)
Alameda Corridor
The Alameda Corridor is a 20 mile freight rail "expressway" owned by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority , connecting the national rail system near downtown Los Angeles, California to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, running parallel to Alameda Street...
presented a feasibility study to analyze alternatives and costs for design and construction of an east-west structure, which would grade separate the BNSF and UP main line tracks at Colton Crossing. In addition, ACTA is preparing a forthcoming future report on a proposed north-south flyover
Overpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
to the south of Colton Crossing to reduce train crossing conflicts, which report will be evaluated by ACTA, UP, BNSF and the San Bernardino Associated Governments
San Bernardino Associated Governments
San Bernardino Associated Governments is an association of local San Bernardino County governments. It is the metropolitan planning organization for the county, with policy makers consisting of mayors, councilmembers, and county supervisors, and the funding agency for the county's transit...
(SANBAG). SANBAG is conducting community outreach meetings to assist the project team with selecting the final build option.