About SideTracked
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breathtaking view. It's simply a cache-and-dash distraction for the weary public transport user, which can be found at or near train stations, former train stations, and miniature railroads. There are currently over 4,500 SideTracked caches in more than 30 countries around the world. More information can be found on the SideTracked series website.
This cache was placed in honor of the SideTracked series' 16th anniversary on Aug 10.
About This Station
The Irwindale station is part of the A Line of the LA Metro Rail System from Pasadena to Azusa. An extension to Pomona is expected to be completed in 2025, with further extension to Montclair by 2028. Passenger service to Irwindale began on March 5, 2016.
The station is located east of Irwindale Avenue and is accessed via Avenida Padilla Street. The side platform station has tracks in the middle and entrances to the platform from the west.
Station artwork is by Robin Bralsford, the inventor and patent holder of LithoMosaic, where vast mosaics are cast within monolithic concrete pours. The technique lends the color and beauty of mosaic to the scale and durability of traditional concrete.
Pioneros de la Rivera de San Gabriel honors the original Sonoratown founders and their heirs. Amazingly, the vast majority of the 350 families living in Irwindale today are related to the founders. The last names of all the citizens from the city’s centennial survey are included in railings leading to and from the platforms. The names represent a diverse base of ethnic origins from all over the world.
Axis Mundi, a song for Irwindale, was written to capture the history of these people and to acknowledge the unique geology that makes Irwindale what it is now and was then. It is set in the guard rail sections of both platforms and can be read as a round, front to back, or back to front.
The reference to alluvial fans and family trees is blended into one abstracted image that denotes the similar growth patterns and relationship of each to the other. The tree (sprouts) are green and the river blue. Like a snowflake, flowing river, or growing family, each individual paver is unique.
About This Cache
The cache is just off Metrolink property, per SideTracked guidelines. You shouldn't have any trouble grabbing it if you have 5-10 minutes to spare before your train arrives.
