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Coordinates: 33°46′42″N 118°14′40″W / 33.77833°N 118.24444°W / 33.77833; -118.24444
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{{Short description|Switching railroad in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California}}
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{{Infobox rail|
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
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railroad_name=Pacific Harbor Line|
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{{Infobox rail
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logo_filename=PHLlogo1.png|
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|railroad_name=Pacific Harbor Line
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logo_size=100|
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|logo_filename=PHLlogo1.png
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system_map=|
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|logo_size=100
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map_size=|
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|system_map=
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map_caption=|
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|map_size=
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image=PHL_SD20-2_45.jpg|
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|map_caption=
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image_caption=An [[SD20-2]] engine owned by Pacific Harbor Lines works at [[Long Beach, California]].|
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|image=PHL_SD20-2_45.jpg
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old_gauge=|
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|image_caption=An [[SD20-2]] engine owned by Pacific Harbor Lines works at [[Long Beach, California]].
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marks=PHL|
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|old_gauge=
length={{convert|18|mi|abbr=on}}|
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|marks=PHL
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locale=[[Port of Los Angeles]]/[[Port of Long Beach]], California|
|length=
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start_year=1998|
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|locale=[[Port of Los Angeles]]/[[Port of Long Beach]], California
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end_year=present|
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|start_year=1998
gauge={{RailGauge|sg}} ([[standard gauge]])|
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|end_year=present
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hq_city=[[Wilmington, California]]|
|gauge={{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}}
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website=[http://www.anacostia.com/railroads/phl http://www.anacostia.com/railroads/phl]
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|hq_city=[[Wilmington, Los Angeles|Wilmington]], California
}}
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|website={{URL|http://www.anacostia.com/railroads/phl | anacostia.com/railroads/phl}}
|parent_company=[[Anacostia Rail Holdings Company]]|linelength={{convert|18|mi|abbr=on}}|tracklength={{convert|59|mi|abbr=on}}}}


The '''Pacific Harbor Line''' {{reporting mark|PHL}} was formed in 1998 to take over the [[Harbor Belt Line]] (HBL). In 1998, the [[Alameda Corridor]] was nearing completion, allowing for a massive amount of railroad traffic from the largest harbors in the Western hemisphere: [[Port of Los Angeles]] and [[Port of Long Beach]].
The '''Pacific Harbor Line''' {{reporting mark|PHL}} was formed in 1998 to take over the [[Harbor Belt Line]] (HBL). In 1998, the [[Alameda Corridor]] was nearing completion, allowing for a massive amount of railroad traffic from the largest harbors in the Western hemisphere: [[Port of Los Angeles]] and [[Port of Long Beach]].


The railroad has 18 route miles with a web of 59 miles of track.
The railroad has {{convert|18|mi||adj=pre|route}} with a web of {{convert|59|mi}} of track.


== Overview ==
== Overview ==
The PHL, privately owned by the [[Anacostia Rail Holdings Company]], operates on tracks and facilities owned by the ports. The PHL is a neutral [[switching railroad]] that serves shippers at this large port complex. PHL handles 40,000 carloads of freight a year, excluding intermodal traffic. The [[Alameda Corridor]] provides rail service to the port complex through the [[BNSF Railway|BNSF]] and [[Union Pacific Railroad]].
The PHL was formed to create a level playing field for shippers. Up to that time, the HBL was owned and operated by the major railroads in Los Angeles; the [[Southern Pacific Railroad|Southern Pacific]], the [[Santa Fe Railway]] and the [[Union Pacific]]. The PHL, in contrast, is privately owned by the [[Anacostia and Pacific Company|Anacostia & Pacific Company]]. It operates on tracks and facilities owned by the ports.


== History ==
One of the problems with the HBL arrangement was that a shipper could have problems getting their goods to or from the port depending on where an individual railroad's track ended.
The original Harbor Belt Line was formed in 1929 by a joint agreement of the city of Los Angeles and four major railroads: the [[Pacific Electric]] (PE) lines, the [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]] (SP), the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe Railway]] (ATSF) and the [[Union Pacific]] (UP). Each railroad agreed to supply a quota of employees and equipment to provide switching services within a "unified zone" containing {{convert|117|mi}} of track. In 1959 the employees of the Harbor Belt Line filed a dispute with the National Railroad Adjustment Board arguing that the employees of the [[Pacific Fruit Express]] were performing work on the line which was designated as word for the employees of the Harbor Belt Line.<ref name="NationalRail">{{cite book | title=Awards of the Second Division, National Railroad Adjustment Board, with Index | issue=v. 42, nos. 4151-4220 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=adJZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA553 | access-date=2024-06-22 | page=553}}</ref> The railroad also operated a joint freight agency for handling smaller [[railroad station|station]] shipments.<ref name="PEmag">{{cite journal |title=PE and the HARBOR BELT |journal=Pacific Electric Magazine |date=July 1947 |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=2, 8 |url=https://libraryarchives.metro.net/dpgtl/employeenews/PE_Mag_1947_Jul-Aug.pdf |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref> PE merged into SP in 1965,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lennon |first=J |title=Establishing Trails on Rights-of-Way |publisher=[[United States Department of the Interior]] |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |page=51}}</ref> leaving three railroads to operate the HBL. The ATSF would also be part of a merger in 1996, forming the new [[BNSF Railway|Burlington Northern & Santa Fe]] (BNSF), and the SP and UP would merge into the current Union Pacific in February 1998.


Also in 1998, the HBL was re-organized as the Pacific Harbor Line to create a more even distribution system for shippers using the ports and the two surviving railroads (BNSF and UP). Although HBL's switching operations had been handled jointly, shippers could have problems getting their goods to or from the port depending on where an individual railroad interchanged with the HBL. The PHL aimed to resolve these issues.
The PHL hailed itself as a ''neutral'' [[switching railroad]] that could reliably serve shippers at this large port complex. PHL handles 40,000 carloads of freight a year excluding intermodal traffic.


Pacific Harbor Line was named the 2009 [[Short Line Railroad of the Year]] by ''[[Railway Age]]'' magazine.<ref name=railway-age-blet-pact-2020>{{cite web |author1=Marybeth Luczak |title=Pacific Harbor Line Signs 5-Year Union Contract |url=https://www.railwayage.com/freight/short-lines-regionals/pacific-harbor-line-signs-5-year-union-contract/ |website=Railway Age |access-date=2 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724143150/https://www.railwayage.com/freight/short-lines-regionals/pacific-harbor-line-signs-5-year-union-contract/ |archive-date=July 24, 2021 |date=September 21, 2020}}</ref>
PHL was the first railroad to have its locomotive fleet composed only of Tier II and Tier III "clean diesel" locomotives.


In July 2013, Pacific Harbor Line signed a new five-year [[collective agreement]] with the [[Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen]] (BLET), which has represented workers at the company since PHL was formed in 1998.<ref name=railway-age-blet-pact-2013>{{cite web |author1=Douglas John Bowen |title=Pacific Harbor Line, BLET sign pact |url=http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/short-lines/pacific-harbor-line-blet-sign-pact.html |website=Railway Age |access-date=July 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828214105/https://www.railwayage.com/news/pacific-harbor-line-blet-sign-pact/ |archive-date=August 28, 2020 |date=July 15, 2013}}</ref> A new five-year contract was signed and took effect in September 2020.<ref name=railway-age-blet-pact-2020 />
Pacific Harbor Line was named the 2009 [[Short Line Railroad of the Year]] by [[Railway Age]] magazine.


On March 31, 2020, Eduardo Moreno attempted to crash a PHL train into the hospital ship {{USNS|Mercy|T-AH-19|6}}, which was in the Port of Los Angeles to provide Los Angeles with additional hospital capacity during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in California]], but the train stopped approximately {{convert|250 |yards}} from the ship.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abc7.com/usns-mercy-coronavirus-train-crash-derailment/6069395/|title=Prosecutors: Engineer deliberately ran train off tracks in attempt to smash the USNS Mercy|publisher=KABC-TV |date=April 2, 2020|access-date=April 3, 2020}}</ref>
In July 2013, Pacific Harbor Line signed a new five-year [[collective agreement]] with the [[Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen]] (BLET).<ref name=railway-age-blet-pact-2013>{{cite news

|url=http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/short-lines/pacific-harbor-line-blet-sign-pact.html
PHL was the first railroad to have its locomotive fleet composed only of Tier II and Tier III "clean diesel" locomotives. An [[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]] Joule Battery Electric Locomotive arrived in 2023 for testing and demonstration purposes for 2 years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lustig |first=David |date=April 21, 2023 |title=EMD Joule Battery Electric Locomotive arrives in Southern California |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/train-basics/abcs-of-railroading/emd-joule-battery-electric-locomotive-arrives-in-southern-california/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref>
|title=Pacific Harbor Line, BLET sign pact
|last=Bowen
|first=Douglas John
|date=July 15, 2013
|work=Railway Age
|accessdate=July 17, 2013}}</ref> BLET has represented workers at the company since PHL was formed in 1998.<ref name=railway-age-blet-pact-2013 />


== References ==
== References ==
⚫
*{{cite book | author=Fickewirth, Alvin A.| title=California railroads: an encyclopedia of cable car, common carrier, horsecar, industrial, interurban, logging, monorail, motor road, shortlines, streetcar, switching and terminal railroads in California (1851–1992)| publisher=San Marino, CA: Golden West Books| year=1992| editor=| isbn=0-87095-106-8}}
*{{cite book | author=Robertson, Donald B.| title=Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History – Volume IV – California| publisher=Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers, Ltd. | year=1998| editor=| isbn=0-87004-385-4}}
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*{{cite book | author=Stindt, Fred A. | title=American Shortline Railway Guide – 5th Ed.| publisher=Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing Co.| year=1996| editor=| isbn=0-89024-290-9}}
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*{{cite book | author=Walker, Mike| title=Steam Powered Video's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America – California and Nevada – Post Merger Ed.| publisher=Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom: Steam Powered Publishing| year=1997| editor=| isbn=1-874745-08-0}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
⚫
*{{cite book | author=Fickewirth, Alvin A.| title=California railroads: an encyclopedia of cable car, common carrier, horsecar, industrial, interurban, logging, monorail, motor road, shortlines, streetcar, switching and terminal railroads in California (1851–1992)| publisher=San Marino, CA: Golden West Books| year=1992| isbn=0-87095-106-8}}
*{{Robertson-Western Railroad}}
⚫
*{{cite book | author=Stindt, Fred A. | title=American Shortline Railway Guide |edition=5th | publisher=Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing Co.| year=1996| isbn=0-89024-290-9}}
⚫
*{{cite book | author=Walker, Mike| title=Steam Powered Video's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America – California and Nevada – Post Merger Ed.| publisher=Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom: Steam Powered Publishing| year=1997| isbn=1-874745-08-0}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{Portal||Railways}}
{{Portal|Trains}}
*[http://www.anacostia.com/railroads/phl PHL Official Website]
*{{Official website|http://www.anacostia.com/railroads/phl}}
*[http://www.trainweb.org/richard/APTA/APTA_Page_1.html About PHL founding]
*[http://www.trainweb.org/richard/APTA/APTA_Page_1.html About PHL founding]


{{s-start}}
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{{Commons|Pacific Harbor Line}}
{{s-bef| before=[[Twin Cities and Western Railroad]] }}
{{s-ttl| title=[[Short Line Railroad of the Year]]| years=2009 }}
{{s-aft| after=[[Greenville & Western Railway]]}}
{{end}}


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{{Commons|Pacific Harbor Line}}
{{coord|33|46|42|N|118|14|40|W|display=title}}
{{California railroads}}
{{California railroads}}
{{APRail}}
{{APRail}}
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[[Category:California railroads]]
[[Category:California railroads]]
[[Category:Switching and terminal railroads]]
[[Category:Switching and terminal railroads]]
[[Category:Companies operating former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway lines]]
[[Category:Companies operating former Southern Pacific Transportation Company lines]]
[[Category:Companies operating former Union Pacific Railroad lines]]

Latest revision as of 01:37, 22 June 2024

Pacific Harbor Line
An SD20-2 engine owned by Pacific Harbor Lines works at Long Beach, California.
Overview
Parent companyAnacostia Rail Holdings Company
HeadquartersWilmington, California
Reporting markPHL
LocalePort of Los Angeles/Port of Long Beach, California
Dates of operation1998–present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length18 mi (29 km)
Track length59 mi (95 km)
Other
Websiteanacostia.com/railroads/phl

The Pacific Harbor Line (reporting mark PHL) was formed in 1998 to take over the Harbor Belt Line (HBL). In 1998, the Alameda Corridor was nearing completion, allowing for a massive amount of railroad traffic from the largest harbors in the Western hemisphere: Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach.

The railroad has 18 route miles (29 km) with a web of 59 miles (95 km) of track.

Overview

[edit]

The PHL, privately owned by the Anacostia Rail Holdings Company, operates on tracks and facilities owned by the ports. The PHL is a neutral switching railroad that serves shippers at this large port complex. PHL handles 40,000 carloads of freight a year, excluding intermodal traffic. The Alameda Corridor provides rail service to the port complex through the BNSF and Union Pacific Railroad.

History

[edit]

The original Harbor Belt Line was formed in 1929 by a joint agreement of the city of Los Angeles and four major railroads: the Pacific Electric (PE) lines, the Southern Pacific (SP), the Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) and the Union Pacific (UP). Each railroad agreed to supply a quota of employees and equipment to provide switching services within a "unified zone" containing 117 miles (188 km) of track. In 1959 the employees of the Harbor Belt Line filed a dispute with the National Railroad Adjustment Board arguing that the employees of the Pacific Fruit Express were performing work on the line which was designated as word for the employees of the Harbor Belt Line.[1] The railroad also operated a joint freight agency for handling smaller station shipments.[2] PE merged into SP in 1965,[3] leaving three railroads to operate the HBL. The ATSF would also be part of a merger in 1996, forming the new Burlington Northern & Santa Fe (BNSF), and the SP and UP would merge into the current Union Pacific in February 1998.

Also in 1998, the HBL was re-organized as the Pacific Harbor Line to create a more even distribution system for shippers using the ports and the two surviving railroads (BNSF and UP). Although HBL's switching operations had been handled jointly, shippers could have problems getting their goods to or from the port depending on where an individual railroad interchanged with the HBL. The PHL aimed to resolve these issues.

Pacific Harbor Line was named the 2009 Short Line Railroad of the Year by Railway Age magazine.[4]

In July 2013, Pacific Harbor Line signed a new five-year collective agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), which has represented workers at the company since PHL was formed in 1998.[5] A new five-year contract was signed and took effect in September 2020.[4]

On March 31, 2020, Eduardo Moreno attempted to crash a PHL train into the hospital ship USNS Mercy, which was in the Port of Los Angeles to provide Los Angeles with additional hospital capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic in California, but the train stopped approximately 250 yards (230 m) from the ship.[6]

PHL was the first railroad to have its locomotive fleet composed only of Tier II and Tier III "clean diesel" locomotives. An EMD Joule Battery Electric Locomotive arrived in 2023 for testing and demonstration purposes for 2 years.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Awards of the Second Division, National Railroad Adjustment Board, with Index. p. 553. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  2. ^ "PE and the HARBOR BELT" (PDF). Pacific Electric Magazine. 28 (1): 2, 8. July 1947. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  3. ^ Lennon, J. Establishing Trails on Rights-of-Way. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Interior. p. 51.
  4. ^ a b Marybeth Luczak (September 21, 2020). "Pacific Harbor Line Signs 5-Year Union Contract". Railway Age. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Douglas John Bowen (July 15, 2013). "Pacific Harbor Line, BLET sign pact". Railway Age. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  6. ^ "Prosecutors: Engineer deliberately ran train off tracks in attempt to smash the USNS Mercy". KABC-TV. April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Lustig, David (April 21, 2023). "EMD Joule Battery Electric Locomotive arrives in Southern California". Trains. Retrieved April 24, 2023.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Fickewirth, Alvin A. (1992). California railroads: an encyclopedia of cable car, common carrier, horsecar, industrial, interurban, logging, monorail, motor road, shortlines, streetcar, switching and terminal railroads in California (1851–1992). San Marino, CA: Golden West Books. ISBN 0-87095-106-8.
  • Robertson, Donald B. (1998). Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History. Vol. IV. Caldwell, ID: Caxton Printers. ISBN 0-87004-385-4. OCLC 13456066.
  • Stindt, Fred A. (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide (5th ed.). Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing Co. ISBN 0-89024-290-9.
  • Walker, Mike (1997). Steam Powered Video's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America – California and Nevada – Post Merger Ed. Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom: Steam Powered Publishing. ISBN 1-874745-08-0.
[edit]
Preceded by Short Line Railroad of the Year
2009 		Succeeded by
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33°46′42″N 118°14′40″W / 33.77833°N 118.24444°W / 33.77833; -118.24444

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