Western Railroad Discussion > Plaster City, CA Photos - US Gypsum Narrow Gauge

Here are some US Gypsum narrow gauge photos taken recently in Plaster City.

This location is just off the public roadway.

JMW

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Nice series of images, JMW. Thanks for posting.

Ryan

After looking on Google, is this a DL535E? aka RSD35.
Nice shots.
Thanks for sharing.
Todd Montgomery
Eugene OR

I think it's considered a DL535E(W), but the additional W may just be a railfan addition.

Nice shots - about what time of day was this? When I was out there some years ago, it didn't come back until after dark.

erielackawanna Wrote:
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> I think it's considered a DL535E(W), but the
> additional W may just be a railfan addition.
>
W for Weird? Wicked? Why? As in, WHY would they do that to that nice locomotive? <lol>

Very interesting shots, however!

Here's what I think happened--corrections are welcome!
Ordered by the freight era White Pass & Yukon and built but never delivered by MLW to the WP&Y. So, options being somewhat limited for a seriously oddball locomotive like that, MLW sold them to USG. I imagine the tourist-hauling version of the WP&Y wishes they had these nice motors to run their trains with...not that the shovelnose GE's are bad (or the steam engine isn't either)!

Sure glad they'r equipped with that large "snowplow" for those heavy Plaster City winters.

Here's a sister on the WPNY.

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Any problems with the security guys at USG? When I was there a few years ago, they got very excited about me waving a camera in the direction of their facility, even from the side of the public road. Nice shots, though. I love the DL535Ws, so it's good to see they're still working them.

History of these units: MLW built four for the WP&Y (111-114) but were never delivered. They were stored at Soulanges Industries, Ltd, Cedars, Quebec. In March 1991 USG took delivery of 112 and 113. 113 was later damaged beyond repair in a mishap at the mine loadout so 111 was purchased in Feb 1993 as a replacement. 114 eventually found its way to the WP&Y.

Builders plates for 111-114 are stamped "DL535E, M-5123-01 through 04, dated 7/82. 1200 hp."

There's a recent photo of #112 at Plaster City (on RP) with no prime mover or generator and the hood removed.

Is it being used as a parts source, or where its innards shipped off somewhere for repair?

I like the air conditioners that were added by the USG. We have kits for these locomotives in S scale. I will have to post a picture of a built up kit in the Model Railroad group.

Jeff Smith
Lakewood, CA
RailMaster Hobbies

NDHolmes Wrote:
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> Any problems with the security guys at USG? When
> I was there a few years ago, they got very excited
> about me waving a camera in the direction of their
> facility, even from the side of the public road.
> Nice shots, though. I love the DL535Ws, so it's
> good to see they're still working them.

You're kidding? Security at Plaster City? I know they have some but really...They should be HONORED to have anyone there taking pictures. Plaster City is quite unique- I don't believe there are any houses or a post office there. It does have a zip code 92269 according to my undated zip code directory I used at work at USPS when I was a Bad Zip clerk in the big hair 80's. Any corrections will be appriciated. I will have to make a Plaster City run while it's still cool and ask somebody if there are any houses there...Steve the ex-Expediter



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/11 11:34 by the_expediter.

If that line were any cooler it'd be illegal!! Sex is here, that narrow
gauge is about right there.

I had some folks come up to me and ask what I was doing when I was there a couple years ago. I had already gone into the front office however and told them what I was there for and gotten their okay, so when I told people that, they were all fine with my waiting.

My only big issue was that I waited for something along the lines of three hours or so, only to have the dang thing come back after the sun went down.

The scenery is better at the other (mine) end. I had the MOW super come
up and ask what I was doing, talked for a couple minutes and turns out
when I dropped my US Gyp buddies' name it turns out he was the one who
hired the MOW supervisor. Another glaring example of "It's not what you
know, it's who you know".

rehunn Wrote:
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> The scenery is better at the other (mine) end. I
> had the MOW super come
> up and ask what I was doing, talked for a couple
> minutes and turns out
> when I dropped my US Gyp buddies' name it turns
> out he was the one who
> hired the MOW supervisor. Another glaring example
> of "It's not what you
> know, it's who you know".


Is that end accessible? I haven't found any recent pics taken there and I can't figure out a logical way to get there looking at maps, but maybe I'm not trying hard enough.

Yup, the road ends at their gate and the loading area is nine iron
away. The track parallels the road for about a half mile and is very
accessible. When I say accessible I'm talking luxobarge and not Hummer.

rehunn Wrote:
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> Yup, the road ends at their gate and the loading
> area is nine iron
> away. The track parallels the road for about a
> half mile and is very
> accessible. When I say accessible I'm talking
> luxobarge and not Hummer.


Are they as open to photographers on the mine side as the plant side?

Thanks for the info... just Google Mapped and saw... I think that the last time that I looked for it the railroad wasn't on Google Maps... now with it there, it's easy to see.

I bought a motorcycle (Suzuki DRZ-400) some time ago and one of my personal missions was to travel the road next to the railroad and document what I saw. Firstly, the maps show that this *is* out of the bombing range... Yup, let that soak in a bit... So I ventured out into the desert one saturday morning. I went quite a ways out, found a large trestle that looked intriguing, and as there were lots of tracks in the sand I felt safe. I stopped, and in the distance I heard that weird Alco horn heading N from Plaster City, so I waited, and waited, walked around looking for shade... Then I got that first video I captured on YouTube, and the engineers were all too happy to wave at me and entertain with *perfect* horn calls, and then the **PERFECT** Alco smoke as they climbed the slight grade!
http://www.youtube.com/user/tmeatzie?feature=mhum#p/a/u/1/CTubi5Hwjro
Then I paused and partook of the sound as the train headed north to the mine, I listened to the wind, and I thought I heard something else, what the heck was it? Deedlee deet deet deedee... And I look off into the desert and I saw the most unbelievable thing, an ICE-CREAM truck looking to service desert campers! What the HECK?!?!
I got that video too, CRAZY!
http://www.youtube.com/user/tmeatzie?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/xt3nwFi98iQ
Then I headed north. The road got rougher, the tracks in the sand more infrequent, and after paddling through the sand for awhile with both throttle and feet, I came to a spot where I could take a break and stop for water. As I'd been there for a bit at a place where there was a building just off in the distance, with a fence between me and it, making me feel once again like I was on *public* road, I was strafed by a non-USA aircraft at I **GUARANTEE** you it was flying at less than 100foot off the deck! He passes me and lets loose 2 bombs into the hill in front of me at *maybe* a mile away!! Scared the crud out of me!! I hopped on my bike and made the remaining mileage to the mine in record time....