The La Habra Branch runs east from Los Nietos and heads through Whittier. At one time, the line was jointly operated by both Union Pacific and Southern Pacific. The SP's branch is the one that begins at Los Nietos. UP's had the more scenic branch through Uptown Whitter, passing over a spectacular bridge at Whittier Boulevard lettered for its "Salt Lake Route" subsidiary. The bridge is still there, although the rails are gone. The UP and SP had joint trackage through Whittier and La Habra, with the UP line splitting off and heading toward Fullerton and the Hunts Foods plant. SP's line continued into Brea on former Pacific Electric trackage. The line's traffic is relatively sparse now, although a local is operated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They still serve a few lumber yards and a food processing plant in Fullerton.
The local passes thorough Whittier, running along Lambert Rd. for a couple of miles.
You'd never know all that graffitti was there if you saw the other side!
This part of the line is the last remnant of a Pacific Electric line that went to Fullerton. The tracks end a few hundred feet behind me, and they remain in service for a lumber yard at the end of the line. This is in La Habra, crossing Imperial Hwy.
Despite the rural-looking scene here, the train is actually passing though suburban Fullerton.
This is just before the train enters the industrial complex in Fullerton. The tracks cross Malvern and then descend a steep grade into the complex. They usually spend a couple of hours switching and then head back.
A note about the Brea portion of the line: The ex-PE/SP "Brea Branch" is also served by this local, although very infrequently. I have never seen a train on this part of the line, although I believe it's still in service. Most of the trains switch the lumber and food processing plants in La Habra and Fullerton.
