Colton Crossing is a railway crossing situated in Colton , California, directly south of Interstate 10 . It is where the Sunset Route and the Southern Transcon intersect.
31-542: First built in 1883, it was the site of one of the most intense frog wars in railroad construction history, leading to a personal confrontation between famed lawman Virgil Earp and California Governor Robert Waterman . The crossing was the intersection of the tracks for the Santa Fe (ATSF) and Southern Pacific (SP) railroads. The tracks are now owned by the SP's and the ATSF's successors,
62-471: A court order on August 11, 1883, that would legally allow 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: I thought it advisable to have final order of court printed and each SP employee served. It
93-617: A projected cost of $ 202 million. Skanska was the lead contractor on this project. The Colton Crossing flyover project was completed in August 2013, with BNSF and UP each getting two tracks for their traffic. As seen from the image, a singular UP track was kept at grade to be used for emergencies, switching, and access to the West Colton yard (effectively keeping the last Colton Diamond intact). Innovative construction methods, including cellular embankments as well as low bid prices, were responsible for
124-667: Is also the president of the California State Senate. The official residence of the California governor is the California Governor's Mansion , in Sacramento. The mansion has served as the residence of 14 governors, while others have declined to reside in the mansion, preferring to arrange for private residential arrangements. It is also one of the official workplaces for the governor. The governor's primary official workplace
155-452: Is separately elected during the same election, not jointly as the running mate of the gubernatorial candidate. As such, California had governors and lieutenant governors of different parties for nearly 27 of the 33 years between 1978 and 2011, whereas previously, this had only occurred in 1875, 1887, 1895 and 1916–1917 due to the resignation or death of an incumbent governor or lieutenant governor. This occasionally becomes significant, since
186-691: The California Southern Railroad , a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF), was repeatedly interrupted by the Santa Fe's rival, the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP). In one instance, California Southern was set to build a level junction across SP tracks in Colton . California Southern engineer Fred T. Perris ordered the crossing built and acquired the track section for
217-710: The California State Guard . Established in the Constitution of California , the governor's responsibilities also include submitting the budget, ensuring that state laws are enforced, and making the annual State of the State address to the California State Legislature . The position was created in 1849, the year before California became a state. The current governor of California is Democrat Gavin Newsom , who
248-634: The Union Pacific (UP) and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroads respectively. The UP tracks run east–west at the crossing while the BNSF tracks run north–south (the BNSF tracks eventually head west to Los Angeles and Long Beach , parallel to the UP tracks). Metrolink trains and Amtrak 's Southwest Chief use the BNSF tracks through the crossing while Amtrak's Sunset Limited utilize
279-498: The California Constitution provides that all the powers of the governor fall to the lieutenant governor whenever the governor is not in the state of California, with the lieutenant governor sometimes signing or vetoing legislation or making political appointments whenever the governor leaves the state. In practice, there is a gentlemen's agreement for the lieutenant governor not to perform more than perfunctory duties while
310-552: The UP tracks. The UP tracks come from the east through the Coachella Valley and into the yard in West Colton (onwards to Los Angeles). On the other hand, the BNSF tracks from the indirect west ( Los Angeles ) and direct south ( Riverside and Corona ) continue through the crossing and on to the yard in San Bernardino , which then head up north to Cajon Pass and eventually Barstow on the journey to Chicago . Construction of
341-467: The ballot in California. The 2003 recall election began with a petition drive that forced Democratic governor Gray Davis into a recall election, which he lost. He was replaced by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger . It was the first time that a California governor was voted out of office. In addition to the successful 2003 recall, current governor Gavin Newsom faced a recall election in 2021 , which he defeated. The lieutenant governor of California
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#1732851139065372-472: The cab. The citizens of Colton supported 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
403-453: 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
434-578: The duties upon which I am about to enter. Governors take office on the first Monday after January 1 after their election. Two methods exist to remove a governor. The governor can be impeached for "misconduct in office" by the State Assembly and removed by a two-thirds vote of the State Senate . Petitions signed by California state voters equal to 12% of the last vote for the office of governor (with signatures from each of five counties equal to 1% of
465-426: The first railway, depending on who employs the signalman . In the early days of the oil industry, most oil traveled by rail. As oil pipelines became more common, railway companies often saw them as threats to their business and refused to grant permission for pipelines to cross their tracks. Abraham Lincoln participated in a celebrated court case that decided that railways had as much right to bridge rivers as
496-589: The following oath: I (Governor) do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California, that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that I will well and faithfully discharge
527-449: The governor is away from the state: this agreement was violated when Mike Curb was in office, as he signed several executive orders at odds with the Brown administration when Brown was out of the state. Court rulings have upheld the lieutenant governor's right to perform the duties and assume all of the prerogatives of governor while the governor is out of the state. The lieutenant governor
558-474: The last vote for governor in the county) can launch a gubernatorial recall election . The voters can then vote on whether or not to recall the incumbent governor, and on the same ballot can vote for a potential replacement. If a majority of the voters in the election vote to recall the governor, then the person who gains a plurality of the votes in the replacement race will become governor. Only two governor recall attempts have ever gained enough signatures to make
589-401: The opposing railway. It is generally the case that the second railway to arrive at an intended crossing has to bear the cost of the special trackwork needed to cross the first. This includes the cost of any interlocking tower or signal box . The latter is not necessarily to the disadvantage of the second railway, since it can signal its trains through the junction ahead of those belonging to
620-436: 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. Southern Pacific had hired the lawman Virgil Earp to guard its tracks in Colton and he rode in
651-583: The project coming in eight months ahead of schedule and significantly under budget, with the final cost being $ 93 million versus the budgeted $ 202 million. The completion of the project has resulted in greatly reduced congestion, leading to reduced travel times, a 31,000-ton drop in annual greenhouse gas emissions, and $ 241 million saved in time spent traveling. 34°03′56″N 117°19′41″W / 34.065565°N 117.328124°W / 34.065565; -117.328124 Frog war A frog war occurs when one private railway company attempts to cross
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#1732851139065682-464: 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
713-562: The right-angle crossing on a daily basis. 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 prepared a report on a proposed north–south flyover to the south of Colton Crossing to reduce train crossing conflicts and hours-long congestion. The report
744-499: The riverboat had the right to navigate those rivers. Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Canal was rendered useless by a railway bridge built across it in 1870. Note: The first railroad line built is the first one named. Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California . The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and
775-556: The tracks of another, and this results in hostilities between the two railways. It is named after the frog , the piece of track that allows the two tracks to join or cross and is usually part of a level junction or railroad switch . A frog war usually begins with legal actions, such as filing lawsuits and appealing to civic transportation authorities. But often the situation escalates into physical actions, with companies pitting their workers against one another with construction projects and train movements intended to frustrate or challenge
806-539: 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
837-561: The walls of the car so as not to be seen. Governor of California 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
868-605: Was also asserted that headquarters at San Francisco had not received the final order. The danger of a riot was so imminent, by legal advice I had the order telegraphed to the Sheriff at SF to serve on the President or Secy. ... In the meantime the Sheriff [in Colton] had organized a posse, with arms and was waiting for order of court to clear the track, on our application. Perris' crew was ready to install it as soon as SP's Overland Mail passed
899-564: Was evaluated by ACTA, UP, BNSF and the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG). SANBAG conducted community outreach meetings to assist the project team with selecting the final build option. In November 2011, work began on the grade separation project, with the final design being a 2.2-km east–west flyover of the Union Pacific tracks over the north-south BNSF tracks. Work was initially expected to take four years at
930-426: Was inaugurated on January 7, 2019. A candidate for governor must be a U.S. citizen and a registered voter within the state, must not have been convicted of a felony involving bribery, embezzlement, or extortion, and must not have served two terms since November 6, 1990. Governors are elected by popular ballot and serve terms of four years, with a limit of two terms, if served after November 6, 1990. Governors take
961-514: Was installed), and the first train to San Bernardino arrived just over a year later on September 13, 1883. The City of Colton was the site of the Colton Crossing, an at-grade crossing where two primary rail routes serving Southern California intersected. Prior to the completion of the flyover project, the crossing was responsible for significant congestion on the main lines of the Union Pacific (UP) and BNSF railroads, with over 110 trains utilizing