Union Pacific MRVLB Detour On The Antelope Valley Line (1/2/26)

On January 2nd 2026, I was given the rare opportunity (Only my second chance in this channel’s entire existence) to chase a manifest reroute on Metrolink’s scenic Antelope Valley line. This was caused by an early morning washout on the Union Pacific Mojave Subdivision at milepost 422 on the Palmdale cutoff. All 3 Southbound manifests were affected and in the area when the warning was broadcast, and dispatcher 250 had to quickly make plans for how he was going to handle the blockage.

The MRVWC was under 15 miles from the washout at the time, 250 slid him into the siding at Denis and unfortunately found out the train was simply too large for Metrolink to be comfortable accommodating on its weekday schedule, so it had to tie down and wait. The MRVEP wound up being reversed from Fleta back up to Mojave and was taken over the BNSF Mojave through Barstow and up Cajon, eventually rejoining the Mojave at Silverwood. This train was lucky enough to have both crewmembers qualified for this routing so that option was exercised.

Last up was this tiny MRVLB, with only 40 loads and 5 empties stretching out to a mere 3291 feet, this train wound up being a perfect fit for the Antelope Valley line option. Upon being given the go, the manifest charged up through scenic Soledad Canyon in a scene rarely repeated since the SP relinquished ownership of the line to Metrolink in 1992. While not nearly as impressive as the monster that I filmed detouring in July, the novelty of this train was enough for me to make a chase all the way down to Newhall, despite the poor weather. I hope you enjoyed!