Western Railroad Discussion > Alco Adventures on the San Francisco Belt Railroad

Today SFBRR's S2 #23 ventured out of the "Dirty Dirt" yard and across the newly completed Islais Creek draw bridge. Resplendent in her fresh paint, #23 sounds just as good as she looks. It was a sight to see a living, breathing S2 mix it up with modern day automobiles, and muni LRV's.

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Back across Islais Creek, then on to Quint Street

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Awesome shots! So what exactly did the build this bridge for? Is there more dirty dirt on the other side of the Islais, or any new industries?

Heading home....

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Alco Sunset....

I'm gonna try and get a few more SFBRR images posted, if you are interested you can check me out on pbase.

http://www.pbase.com/bythabay

Thanks for looking

Kevin Sheridan

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Really nice and sharp series of images Kevin.

I've been wondering the same thing.

Nice photos! Wish I knew about that.

nickrgeorge Wrote:
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> Awesome shots! So what exactly did the build this
> bridge for? Is there more dirty dirt on the other
> side of the Islais, or any new industries?

Kevin, also, what fuel are they running? Maybe biodiesel??

So why the move across the bridge - or to the mainline for that matter? Just stretching the legs? Were any cars moved?

Nate

Islais Creek bridge was built to connect the Quint Street lead with Illinois Street. There is a new lead the goes into the Pier 80 complex, and from what I've been told there are hopes of revitalizing a train to ship connection at the Port of SF. Illinois street trackage continues to 16th street, but muni has said they are not will to install any diamonds to allow freight traffic to cross the leads going into the Muni Metro East Facility.

Do not worry, if there is a very big business that would like to set up on Pier 80, and if the politicians want the big business, then MUNI will allow the diamond.

bythabay Wrote:
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> Islais Creek bridge was built to connect the Quint
> Street lead with Illinois Street. There is a new
> lead the goes into the Pier 80 complex, and from
> what I've been told there are hopes of
> revitalizing a train to ship connection at the
> Port of SF. Illinois street trackage continues to
> 16th street, but muni has said they are not will
> to install any diamonds to allow freight traffic
> to cross the leads going into the Muni Metro East
> Facility.


Strange that MUNI has 2 freight diamonds in the area (the old Hunter's Point lead and the lead into Pier 96) on their main trackage, but are objecting to a diamond on the track into their maintenance facility.

Z

Damn, those are nice photos. Interesting to see a BNSF "no trespassing" sign: did BNSF (as opposed to ATSF) ever operate in San Francisco, or did they just put in new "no trespassing" signs along an already-abandoned ROW?

- Loleta Fernbridge

Here's the one in between, posted before, taken early sixties. What became of #24?

Ed

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loleta Wrote:
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> Damn, those are nice photos. Interesting to see a
> BNSF "no trespassing" sign: did BNSF (as opposed
> to ATSF) ever operate in San Francisco, or did
> they just put in new "no trespassing" signs along
> an already-abandoned ROW?
>
> - Loleta Fernbridge

Apparently BNSF owns the section of track, more info in http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1583630

Awesome photos! Thanks for sharing! I see the #25 is back in service with the #23, too? Did this locomotive go back into Belt hands when GGRM left Hunter's Point? How great it is to see it still in operation. The #25 and I go way back. In 1976, the Pacific Locomotive Association sent its ex-Central Pacific 2-6-2T #233 over to SF via the Santa Fe car ferry to be on display with other Bicentennial units gathered along the Embarcadero. My dad and I were there to make sure the #233 arrived ok. At one point, my dad asked the engineer on the #25 if I could ride in the cab for a little while (I was 12). He said sure, then the crew proceeded to go switch their customers in town and didn't get me back to the Embarcadero for what must have been several hours. I still vividly remember us sitting at a street corner, blowing the horn at about 8:00am to get a guy down out of his apartment to move his car off the track. The car owner and the conductor exchanged pleasantries then he moved the car with the #25 riding his bumper. What fun! Many years later, around 1992 I guess it was, the company I was working for, Western Plant Services, was asked by the City of SF to help them get some switching done as they didn't have an FRA approved operator. An agreement was reached, and we headed over to the south of Market to meet with a City rep. The City needed one or two carloads of fish meal, I think it was, moved from a loading site to the SP interchange track (and empties back in). I recall it was only a once a week for three or four weeks kind of thing. Nothing long term. We walked the track to look for problems, then asked what we were going to use to move the cars. The rep said they had a Trackmobile, or we could use the locomotive. Having had plenty of fun with a Trackmobile already under another contract, we asked to see the locomotive. At that time both the #23 and the #25 were stored on a dock next to a large warehouse, although only the #25 was serviceable. After making sure the blue card was up to date, my partner and I crewed on the #25 for several weeks, taking turns being switchman and engineer. I remember the SP i/c track was long, straight and flat, and we had not trouble getting the #25 into second transition. Boy could she fly! Ahh, those were the days.

Brian Wise
Eatonville, WA

The Port of San Francisco never let go of the 23 & 25. They only loaned them to the museum. The four idler flats did get spread out. The one that was built from a reefer went to Perris to be "reunited" with a reefer body. The other three went to the Double T in Stevinson (spelling is correct) California. One was given to Tony Avazeno and the other two are available for repatriation to the Bay Area should a home arise. I have no Idea what happened to the self propelled crane.

Bill Kaufman

I was wrong about the flat built from a reefer. Still chasing it.

Bill