Steam & Excursion > Royal Hudson 2860 at Jack London Sq, March 1977

When the Royal Hudson came to town, March 1977

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Drew, for photograph from 1977, sure is clean and bright. What film?

Kodachrome 25, best film ever made.

drew1946 Wrote:
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> Kodachrome 25, best film ever made.


It is a nice shot but the blacks are blocked up was it the scan or the shot?
its one thing i don't miss about film. Richard

It is the scan---just had a hard time balancing it, but it was one of my first with my current scanner

I wanted to see a bit more of the train that day so had gotten on the eastbound Nimitz Freeway (that's what it was called then)and was rolling down the overpass just east of downtown Oakland where the freeway drops back down to ground level next to the SP mainline. It was a fairly cool day and the steam coming from that accelerating locomotive was spectacular. As the special burst from under the overpass and alongside freeway traffic, some of the motorists just about lost control in their surprise at seeing the sight. No accidents, just several near misses. If I have the day right, the train was headed to San Jose where it was put on public display.

After leaving Oakland, it went to Newark and crossed the SP's Dumbarton Bridge to Redwood City and then up to SF where it went out on the State Belt and was displayed at Aquatic Park. After that, it ran down the Peninsula to San Jose, then South down the Valley to Bakersfield. Details other than that are sketchy in my memory

Boy that brings back memories. In chasing it over to Stockton, somewhere around Middle River, there was paving going on and along backup. What to do? Just drive through the barrier onto the new pavement for about a half mile.....I was cleaning tar off my car for a few days after that. Wouldn't try it today..

drew1946 Wrote:
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> After leaving Oakland, it went to Newark and
> crossed the SP's Dumbarton Bridge to Redwood City
> and then up to SF where it went out on the State
> Belt and was displayed at Aquatic Park. After
> that, it ran down the Peninsula to San Jose, then
> South down the Valley to Bakersfield. Details
> other than that are sketchy in my memory

Between the State Belt yard and their engine house,she was "temporarily displayed" before going out to Aquatic Park.I remember that they spotted right by a hydrant (or maybe it was a water truck...can't remember due to something I had smoked) and hooked up a hose to quench her thirst and hearing that the crew walked across the street to grab a crab cocktail or crab sandwich...can't remember which.She was clean as a whistle compared to what I remember the Southern Pacicific steamers condition (except for the Daylight GS-4's) as a kid when we (my late father and my 2 brothers) visited the Mission Bay Roundhouse with our neighbor;Mr. Lawson, who was an SP Conductor.

2472Don