Western Railroad Discussion > Not the Santa Fe "Chief"--today in Irwindale CA

I was checking on the Gold Line Foothill Extension project in Irwindale CA (just west of Azusa on the former ATSF 2nd District) and saw this unusual "train" heading east past the future site of a Gold Line station. It was moving empty bulkhead flats for pickup by the "Pasadena Turn". A cut of three or four bulkhead flats loaded with concrete ties was observed west of the brewery.

1) The man on the front car was sounding a horn powered by a can of compressed gas. The shadow is from the Irwindale Ave. overpass. Directly behind the photographer is the Miller-Coors brewery, the reason for the railway here.

2) Pushing in the rear was this Pettibone machine. It looks rather strange in motion because the tractor tires spin in the opposite direction to power the railroad wheels.

3) Not rail related, but the products of this building will be seen by millions all over the world on New Years Day (and sometimes the floats feature trains or streetcars depicted in flowers).

---

---

---

Wow, and you've also just posted the first images here of the new signal at Irwindale Avenue. It appears to be a double-headed type. In the photos posted by member TC here of the test train on Sunday, the new eastbound signal at San Gabriel Ave. appeared to be red for the approaching train, so I'm guessing they're not hooked to any system yet.

I hope the 3-4 old ABS signals soon to be pulled from service here are set aside for saving, like those in the Monrovia/Duarte area (now stored in Arcadia behind the Kiewit fencing).

I was a float driver for 10 years for Fiesta Floats when they were still in Duarte on Buena Vista adjacent to the tracks. I was recruited by a neighbor of my mother's who was at the time a SP engineer. My first year I drove the large rear unit of the Rain Bird float. That year we had for units. Tow small units basically built on quad-cycles, a larger unit, and then my very large main unit. The railroad connection is all the drivers and observers on all the units were rails. The only non-rails were the audit and animation operator and myself.

Greg

Greg Ramsey
Las Vegas, NV