Steam & Excursion > Quite The Contrast In Motive Power Caught On The Highline-1949!

The transition from steam power to diesel power caused some stark contrasts in motive power scenes back in the day.  However when modern mainline diesel power met active steam power from logging lines that contrast became even more dramatic.

An example of this pint is the 1949 scene I have attached from the mill yards at Westwood, California in 1949.  We see Western Pacific's modern F-unit diesel power in the process of dropping of a few box cars for use by the neighboring Fruit Growers Supply Company mill.  These streamlined units were now the pride of the WP.

Waiting on the adjoining tracks we find 2 of the logging lokies that FGS inherited from the Red River Lumber Co. when they bought out RRL in 1944.  #103 and #32 look on as the gleaming WP units go about their business gleaming in the bright sun.  Perhaps the broken rear pilot beam on #103 gives away the fact that the logging lines days are numbered and all too soon one of these modern WP diesels will arrive only to add the logging steam post to the consist for the last long trip to the scrapper.

For now, however both forms of motive power work side by side showing how far railroading has come in just a few years.

Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/15 03:26 by LoggerHogger.

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Unusual to see an elesco feedwater heater on a logging engine.

The locomotive numbers atop the 909 are interesting. I've not seen that before.

Was that unique to the WP?

OCV



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/15 09:23 by CharlesVarnes.

The WP added the roof number boards and ex steam headlights on the roof of the B units for back-up lights.
Steve

CharlesVarnes Wrote:
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> The locomotive numbers atop the 909 are
> interesting. I've not seen that before.
>
> Was that unique to the WP?
>
> OCV