The line curves from northeasterly to east-northeasterly into the west end of the Yermo Yard (MP 162.0), which has twelve tracks east/south of the main line, a four-track on-line fuel rack on the main line, and eight tracks on the west/north side, east of the fuel rack. Near the east end of the yard, the community of Yermo appears on the north side, east of the USMC base that lies along the west side of the line, southwest of the yard. There is a grade crossing at Second Street in Yermo, MP 163.4, just east of the east end of the yard, and a little way west of the control point at East Yermo (MP 163.8, CP 164), where there are crossovers, a bridge over an arroyo, and a road alongside to the north. The UPLA Dispatcher’s control continues past the crossovers surrounding the grade crossing at Minneola Road (MP 166.4, CP 166), to the end of Two Main Tracks at Toomey (MP 168.7, CP 168), where the road is still alongside to the north in spite of those places being officially on the Cima Subdivision.
The line continues east-northeast as single track, CTC, speed limit 75 mph for expedited freight trains, past a grade crossing, MP 171, IS 171.x, MP 172, IS 172.x, a grade crossing and IS 173.x co-located, Harvard, the road still alongside to the north, a detector at MP 175.3, the 5,775 ft. north-side siding at Manix (MP 176.9 to MP 178.2), with an east-facing extra track to the north and a grade crossing within the extra track, the road still alongside to the north, a bridge over an arroyo, MP 179, a curve east, leaving that road behind, and then northeast past the 5,760 ft. north-side siding at Field (MP 181.7-MP 182.9), with a bridge over a culvert, and an east-facing extra track on the north side, with a decaying concrete platform on its north side, within the siding, a bridge over a culvert, and a curve east-northeast, past a bridge over an arroyo, and then northeast again past a cutting, the 9,529 ft. north-side siding at Dunn (MP 186.1-MP 188.0), where the speed limit is 65 mph, with a dirt road grade crossing, a west-facing spur on the north side, and dual-ended extra track on the north side, with a concrete platform and silos/tanks, all within the siding, a dual-ended extra track on the north side for a facility, and a cutting.
Then the line turns curvily east-southeast, past a bridge over a gulley, Intermediate Signals, and a turn more to the east, through the spectacular Afton Canyon, which it shares with the Mojave River, with colorful cliffs on the west side of the line and a detector at MP 190.4, where the speed limit is 45 mph, bridging over the river on a two-span through truss bridge, with the river now on its east side, past a turn even more curvily east-northeast, a dirt road to the north, an east-facing spur at Afton (MP 191.8), where the speed limit drops to 40 mph through the canyon, Intermediate Signals at MP 191.9, a cutting, and a slide fence to the north, before turning east, past Intermediate Signals, across the Mojave River on a two-span through truss bridge and past a cutting, a slide fence to the north, Intermediate Signals at MP 194.9, a bridge over a gulley, a slide fence to the north, a two-span through-truss bridge over the river, and a 6,196 ft. south-side siding at Basin (MP 196.3-MP 197.6), with speed limit returning to 75 mph, a dirt track grade crossing, and an east-facing south-side spur in the siding.
The line runs across a sandy plain that serves as the sink for the Mojave River (which in geological times flowed to Death Valley), where once there was a railroad crossing with the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad that had served the Death Valley mining boom, at the 5,775 ft. north-side siding at Crucero (MP 202.9-MP 204.2), named for that railroad crossing, with a west-facing north-side spur near the east end, Intermediate Signals, a detector at MP 209.2, tamarisk trees on both sides (planted to act as windbreaks), a 5.765 ft. north-side siding at Balch (MP 211.0-MP 212.2), with a dual-ended north-side spur within the siding, a turn east-southeast, Intermediate Signals at MP 214.x, a dirt track grade crossing, Intermediate Signals, a dirt track grade crossing, a 9,017 ft. south-side siding at Sands (MP 217.7-MP 219.5), where there is an old water tank on the north side and east-facing extra track on the south side, MP 220, tamarisk trees on both sides, Glasgow, a turn more to the east, MP 222, Intermediate Signals at MP 222.5, two dirt track grade crossings, and a turn east.
There is a 5,754 ft. north-side siding at Kerences (MP 225.4-MP 226.7), with a dual-ended spur on the north side within the siding, Kelso Dunes to the south, a bridge over an arroyo, tamarisk trees to the south, Intermediate Signals, Flynn (MP 230.3), Intermediate Signals, Intermediate Signals at MP 232.7, a turn east-northeast, a detector at MP 233.4, tamarisk trees on both sides, two extra tracks to the south, and the former helper station at Kelso (stucco mission-style depot on the north side of the line, east of the grade crossing in the sidings), where there are two parallel 9,190 ft. south-side sidings (MP 234.5-MP 236.5).
The line then turns northeast, onto the climb up from the Mojave Desert floor by way of the long Cima Hill, past the 5,780 ft. siding at Hayden (MP 238.7-MP 240.0), the 9,025 ft. siding at Dawes (MP 242.0-MP 243.9), the 5,780 ft. siding at Elora (MP 246.7, where the speed limit is 45 mph, to MP 247.9, where it is back to 75 mph and the line turns north-northeast, and the 5,765 ft. siding at Chase (MP 249.8-MP 251.1), where it turns curvily north.
There is a short segment of Two Main Tracks, CTC, with both a 9,862 ft. siding and a 5,266 ft. siding, between MP 252.6 and MP 254.6 (covering the longer siding), with speed limit 45 mph from MP 252.6 to MP 253.3 (Cima, the latter beginning the shorter siding), as the line heads east-northeast, past a detector at MP 256.0, and the 5,066 ft. siding at Joshua (MP 257.2-MP 258.5), turning east to the 5,751 ft. siding at Brant (MP 262.8-MP 263.9), east-northeast past the 9,835 ft. siding at Ivanpah (MP 266.0-MP 268.0), where a Santa Fe branch once crossed at grade, and the 5,765 ft. siding at Moore (MP 271.8-MP 273.0), where the line turns north past a detector at MP 273.7, north-northwest past the 5,767 ft. siding at Nipton (MP 276.9-MP 278.2) and Desert, and then northwest.
The line turns north-northeast and comes alongside Interstate 15 at the 8,791 ft. siding at Calada (MP 287.0-MP 288.8), crosses the California-Nevada state line, and passes Roach, a detector at MP 292.7, the 5,792 ft. siding at Borax (MP 295.8-MP 297.0), the 5,721 ft. siding at Jean (MP 300.7-301.9), where a narrow gauge line once headed northwest to the Yellow Pine Mine, Sutor, a detector at MP 307.0, and the 8,843 ft. siding at Erie (MP 308.1-MP 310.0). The line then turns curvily north to the 6,282 ft. siding at Sloan (MP 314.0-MP 315.3), where the speed limit is 40 mph on the curves, and turns northeast, south-southeast, northeast, north and northwest to Bard, then north-northeast again to the 8,467 ft. siding at Arden (MP 321.3-MP 323.9), where the speed limit has increased to 70 mph and a branch heads northwest to the Blue Diamond Mill, a detector at MP 324.2 and Pierce.
Two Main Tracks, CTC, begin at Maule Avenue (MP 326.4, CP 326), as the line continues north-northeast past Boulder Junction (MP 327.8), where the branch to Henderson (and, once, Boulder City), departs to the east-southeast at a wye on the east side), crossovers at Tropicana Avenue (MP 328.6, CP 329), Bracken, crossovers at Sands Avenue (MP 330.5), crossovers at Wyoming Avenue (MP 332.7, CP 333), where the remains of the Las Vegas Yard begin on the west side, the former location of a wye on the west side where the erstwhile Las Vegas & Tonopah left to the northwest, and Las Vegas (MP 334.3), where the speed limit is 20 mph, there are Three Main Tracks, and the depot is in the Union Plaza Hotel on the east side of the line.
The speed limit increases to 30 mph to the end of Three Main Tracks at Stewart Avenue (East Las Vegas, MP 334.5), and then 70 mph on the Two Main Tracks, CTC, north to Owens Avenue (MP 335.3, CP 336), where single track, CTC, resumes, on the descent from Las Vegas to Moapa, northeast past the 8,974 ft. siding at Wann (MP 337.8-MP 339.7), the spur into the Nevada Industrial Park (MP 340.0) on the northwest side, the 9,232 ft. siding at Valley (MP 341.6-MP 343.5), where a spur heads southeast to Nellis AFB, Lovell (MP 344.6), where a spur once headed southeast to Lake Mead Base, a detector at MP 344.8, the 6,156 ft. siding at Dike (MP 346.1-MP 347.3), where the track turns east, across the concrete bridge over a road, to the 6,074 ft. siding at Apex (MP 351.4-352.7), where it turns northeast and a spur from the Pabco Gypsum Mine trails in on the east side.
There is a detector at MP 353.1, and the line passes Arrholme (MP 353.8), the 8,774 ft. siding at Garnet (MP 356.0, where the speed limit is 40 mph, to MP 357.8, where it is again 70 mph), turning north-northeast and then climbing up in sight of Lake Mead, turning northeast again at the 5,094 ft. siding and extra track, with a water tank on the west side, at Dry Lake (MP 362.6-MP 363.9), past a detector at MP 368.4 and the 6,101 ft. siding at Ute (MP 373.1-MP 374.4), curving east-northeast and then northeast again, across the Muddy River and past the 8,919 ft. siding at Moapa (MP 382.6-384.4), at an elevation of 1,663 ft., where a line southeast to Mead Lake departs from the east side on a wye. From Moapa, the line climbs over 4,300 ft. in 110 miles to Crestline.
The line turns north-northwest through the Meadow Valley Wash, past Acton, a detector at MP 388.2, Guelph, the 6,066 ft. siding at Farrier (MP 392.4-MP 393.7), where the wash enters a canyon which it occupies all the way to Caliente, and the 6,660 ft. siding at Rox (MP 397.5, where the speed limit is 55 mph, to MP 398.8, where it is 60 mph), and north-northeast, across the wash on a through truss bridge, to the 8,839 ft. siding at Hoya (MP 401.6-MP 403.4), where the canyon widens briefly and the speed limit is 75 mph, past a through girder bridge as it turns northeast, into the most difficult portion of Meadow Valley Wash, site of numerous washouts during the early days of the line, a detector at MP 404.5, where the speed limit is 30 mph, a through girder bridge at the west end of the 6,145 ft. siding at Galt (MP 407.7-MP 408.8), where the speed limit is 35 mph, a through girder bridge and then a through truss bridge, and the 6,083 ft. siding at Vigo (MP 412.7, where the speed limit is 30 mph, to MP 414.0, where it is 35 mph), turning north, still along the wash, past a deck bridge, the 8,927 ft. siding at Carp (MP 417.5, where the speed limit is 30 mph, to MP 419.3, where it is 45 mph), Cloud, a detector at MP 423.0, where the speed limit is 60 mph, a spot where the canyon is over 2,000 ft. deep, the 5,957 ft. siding at Leith (MP 428.5-MP429.7), where the speed limit is 55 mph, and a former detector at MP 432.3, where the canyon broadens out again for a short distance.
Crossing the wash again as it turns northwest, the line passes through 1,226 ft. Tunnel 4 (MP 433.6), passes the 8,832 ft. siding at Kyle (MP 433.8-MP 435.6), where the speed limit has fallen to 35 mph again, and a detector at MP 436.1, crosses back over the wash on a through girder bridge and then a through truss bridge, and turns north at the 6,160 ft. siding at Elgin (MP 437.8-MP 439.0), with a water tank to the west and extra track to the east, passing a deck bridge, 600 ft. Tunnel 5 (MP 441.9), a detector at MP 442.9, a through truss bridge, the 8,820 ft. siding at Boyd (MP 444.6, where the speed limit is still 35 mph, to MP 446.4, where it is 30 mph), where the line enters Rainbow Canyon for the rest of the way to Caliente, a detector at MP 448.7, 456 ft. Tunnel 6 (MP 449.0), the 5,978 ft. siding at Stine (MP 449.2-MP 450.5), where the speed limit is 35 mph and 431 ft. Tunnel 7 (MP 450.9), which appears wide enough to have been built for two tracks, bridging over the wash again on a deck bridge, and passing 264 ft. Tunnel 8 (MP 451.3), 612 ft. Tunnel 9 (MP 453.3), the 6,098 ft. siding at Etna (MP 454.2, where the speed limit is 40 mph, to MP 455.5, where it has risen to 75 mph), 745 ft. Tunnel 10 (MP 455.9), and a detector at MP 456.3.
Two Main Tracks, CTC, begin at MP 458.2, as the line heads northeast to the wye at Caliente, Nevada (MP 459.7), where the Mission Revival style depot is on the east side of the line, south of the wye, the speed limit is 50 mph, a branch once headed northeast to Panaca, Pioche and Prince and the main line turns east with the east apex of the wye at MP 461.0, where the speed limit is 40 mph, past 1,324 ft. Tunnel 11 (MP 462.7) and 502 ft. Tunnel 12 (MP 463.2), both of which, in 1991, were double track tunnels with only a single track through them, to Eccles (MP 463.9-MP 466.9), where the speed limit is 45 mph and the track singles at the latter milepost (in 2005), turning southeast along the north side of Clover Creek, and climbing up the narrow Clover Creek Canyon at a 2% grade (to tunnels 15 & 16), the steepest portion of the line, past Minto (CP 467), a through truss bridge at MP 468, a through girder bridge, and the 5,876 ft. curving and twisting siding at Richmond (MP 470.0, where the speed limit is 25 mph, to MP 471.3, where it is 20 mph).
The line continues southeast past a through girder bridge at the west end of 571 ft. Tunnel 13 (MP 471.2), a spur at Little Springs (MP 472.0), where the line turns south, a through girder bridge over the creek, 694 ft. Tunnel 14 (MP 472.7), east past a slide fence on the south side, 228 ft. Tunnel 15 (MP 473.9), southeast past 376 ft. Tunnel 16 (MP 474.2) and 300 ft. Tunnel 17 (MP 474.6), the three of which all look like they were built for two tracks although only one is present, east past the 8,539 ft. siding at Islen (MP 475.0, where the speed limit is 20 mph, to MP 476.7, where it is 30 mph), and then northeast past a detector at MP 479.6, Barclay, the 6,034 ft. siding at Acoma (MP 483.6, where the speed limit is 60 mph, to MP 484.8, where it is 55 mph, 292 ft. Tunnel 18 (MP 487.8) and the 6,013 ft. siding at Brown (MP 489.0-MP 490.3), where the speed limit is 35 mph, turning curvily north to a summit at over 6,000 ft. in elevation at the 8,811 ft. siding at Crestline (MP 495.8, where the speed limit is 55 mph, to MP 497.6, where it is 60 mph), east past Lien and a detector at MP 499.0, and northeast, across the high desert, into Utah.
There is a 6,007 ft. siding at Uvada (MP 500.5-MP 501.8), where the speed limit is 65 mph, after which it rises to 75 mph across the sparsely populated Escalante Desert floor, past the 6,000 ft. siding at Modena (MP 509.6 to 510.8), a turn north and then northeast to the 8,854 ft. siding at Heist (MP 515.6 to MP 517.4), a turn east past a detector at MP 520.8 to Yale, a turn east-northeast past the 5,972 ft. siding at Beryl (MP 525.6-MP 526.9), the 6,006 ft. siding at Zane (MP 531.1-MP 532.4), and Ford, and a turn northeast again, with mountains to the southeast, to the 9,100 ft. siding at Lund (MP 540.9-MP 542.8), where the line to Cedar City heads away south-southeast from a wye on the east side of the line.
The line continues northeast past Kerr, a detector at MP 546.5, the 5,982 ft. siding at Latimer (MP 550.0-MP 551.3), Nada, the 8,737 ft. siding at Thermo (MP 560.3-MP 562.1), a detector at MP 566.4, and Laho, turning north-northeast past the 6,026 ft. siding at Upton (MP 570.8-MP572.0). Two Main Tracks, CTC, run from Milford (MP 576.7), where a branch from Copper Gulch once trailed in from the northwest, there is a yard and shuttle-enabled rail-served destination grain elevator, and the speed limit is 35 mph,, past a grade crossing and the Amtrak station (stucco depot on the west side), CP C577, and crossovers at CP C578, bridging across the Beaver River to East Milford (MP 579.0), where the speed limit is 55 mph and becomes 70 mph on the resumed single track, CTC, heading north.
There is a detector at MP 583.5, a 5,995 ft. siding at Murdock (MP 584.1-MP 585.4), a 5,996 ft. siding at Read (MP 589.3-MP 590.6), and a 6,022 ft. siding at Black Rock (MP 598.9-MP 600.2), a curve north-northeast across the Beaver River, and northeast past Pumice and a detector at MP 604.6, north-northeast again past the 8,862 ft. siding at Cruz (MP 609.1-MP 610.9), the 5,969 ft. siding at Bloom (MP 616.7-MP 617.9), a spur at Continental Lime (MP 618.0), a detector at MP 623.4, Neels, a bridge over the Beaver River, the 5,900 ft. siding at Clear Lake (MP 630.7-MP 631.9), Jerome, the 5,997 ft. siding at Van (MP 639.2-MP 640.4), a detector at MP 644.0, and Oasis.
The line then passes a 9,049 ft. siding (MP 647.9-MP 649.6), where an erstwhile wye on the east side once led to a line southeast to Filmore, and a 6,069 ft. siding (MP 649.6-MP 650.9) at Delta, where a line once headed west to Erwin, Lucerne and Hinckley, bridges over the Sevier River and turns east and then northeast again, past the 5,989 ft. siding at Strong (MP 657.7-MP 659.0), a spur at Cline (MP 661.2), a detector at MP 663.0, and Lyndyll, where a spur from the Intermountain Coal Plant trails in from the west at MP 664.2, the Sharp subdivision to Provo departs to the east-northeast at MP 665.7, and there is an 8,804 ft. siding (MP 665.7-MP 667.5).