Nostalgia & History > Santa Fe Red & Silver in South Pasadena, CA - 1992

Not sure if I've posted this here before, at least not recently. Here's one of a westbound ATSF piggybacker (possibly the hot 198 train from Chicago) around mid-day as the train enters into South Pasadena city limits after crossing under Fair Oaks from Pasadena about 1/4 mile to the north. Dash 8-40BW 553 is still looking new as I snapped the shutter on July 24, 1992. Photo taken from the old pedestrian footbridge just north of the Pasadena freeway. The American Legion building is just to the right.

For a 'then and now' comparison, here's a southbound LAMTA Gold Line train on the now double-tracked route from March of 2005.

Thanks for looking,

Rich

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Nice pic, Richard. Like the "then" better than the "now"!

espeejimmy Wrote:
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> Nice pic, Richard. Like the "then" better than the
> "now"!


I couldn't agree more. The 1st image is much more classy than the second one is, but this ain't any reflection on your efforts though.

Con

you post some of the best, rich! eljay

Where did those mountains in pic 2 come from?????? <G>

Perhaps there was too much smog to see the mountains in the first picture.

TexBob Wrote:
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> Where did those mountains in pic 2 come from??????


You've never heard of the Magical San Gabriel Mountains, they appear and disappear from time to time? Mostly appearing in the winter!
The clearing to the left of the tracks looks like it could be the old UP Pasadena branch ROW.-BMT

That's funny! I didn't even notice the stealthy San Gabriel mountains when I was posting the pictures. But yes, they can become quite invisible in the summertime with a combination of haze/smog. However, I hear that the smog was much worse here in the 50's and 60's.

And yes, that would be the former UP Pasadena Branch (ex-LA Terminal Railway) ROW to the left in both pictures. The old viaduct I was standing on was built to clear both lines.

Rich


UPNW2-1083 Wrote:
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> TexBob Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Where did those mountains in pic 2 come
> from??????
>
>
> You've never heard of the Magical San Gabriel
> Mountains, they appear and disappear from time to
> time? Mostly appearing in the winter!
> The clearing to the left of the tracks looks like
> it could be the old UP Pasadena branch ROW.-BMT

nice 13 year now and then photosRichPac! My my how things have changed in just over a decade. The beautiful Santa Fe turned into the ugliest of ugly mega-merger orange RR. What was once a scenic round about mainline right-of-way turned into a bustling double track light rail line. Good ol' L.A. smog, dig those magical disappearing and reappearing San Gabriel mountains!

What was track speed in SF days? The Gold Line is way too slow.

millerdc Wrote:
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> What was track speed in SF days? The Gold Line is
> way too slow.

As slow or slower. between 15 and 25 I believe. The 55 MPH section thru So Pas and Highland Park thru Olga and over the Arroyo Seco on the Gold line was 15-mph in the Santa Fe days. So there is an improvement.

More Red & Silver in So. Pasadena.

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UPNW2-1083 Wrote:
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> TexBob Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Where did those mountains in pic 2 come
> from??????
>
>
> You've never heard of the Magical San Gabriel
> Mountains, they appear and disappear from time to
> time? Mostly appearing in the winter!
> The clearing to the left of the tracks looks like
> it could be the old UP Pasadena branch ROW.-BMT

Yes the UP used those tracks for parking cars once in a while.

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millerdc Wrote:
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> What was track speed in SF days? The Gold Line is
> way too slow.

The maximum authorized speed for passenger trains on the Second District/Subdivision/Pasadena Subdivision between San Bernardino and Los Angeles was 65MPH. At Pasadena for both passenger and freight, the limit was 20MPH, increasing to 30MPH west of the depot through to west of Olga.

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Nice picture of the one-eyed U36C at Olga, Herb.

Rich

BlackWidow Wrote:
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> Perhaps there was too much smog to see the
> mountains in the first picture.


Air with an attitude.


TCS - if you can't see it, maybe it's not there at all

PasadenaSub Wrote:
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> Nice picture of the one-eyed U36C at Olga, Herb.
>
> Rich


Thanks Rich! Appreciate you starting this thread with some fine images, especially the Warbonnet. I haven't done any Gold Line photography, but probably will at some point revisit some of my favorite locations from ATSF days. What's the status of construction at the former Pasadena depot site?

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HUSKERHERB Wrote:
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> millerdc Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What was track speed in SF days? The Gold Line
> is
> > way too slow.
>
> The maximum authorized speed for passenger trains
> on the Second District/Subdivision/Pasadena
> Subdivision between San Bernardino and Los Angeles
> was 65MPH. At Pasadena for both passenger and
> freight, the limit was 20MPH, increasing to 30MPH
> west of the depot through to west of Olga.


Are you sure that speed for passengers wasn't higher in some areas? I seem to recall seeing some passenger trains hitting much higher than 65 in and around Monrovia.

n6nvr Wrote:
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> HUSKERHERB Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > millerdc Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > What was track speed in SF days? The Gold
> Line
> > is
> > > way too slow.
> >
> > The maximum authorized speed for passenger
> trains
> > on the Second District/Subdivision/Pasadena
> > Subdivision between San Bernardino and Los
> Angeles
> > was 65MPH. At Pasadena for both passenger and
> > freight, the limit was 20MPH, increasing to
> 30MPH
> > west of the depot through to west of Olga.
>
>
> Are you sure that speed for passengers wasn't
> higher in some areas? I seem to recall seeing
> some passenger trains hitting much higher than 65
> in and around Monrovia.

Yes, I'm actually quoting direct from ATSF timetables dated 1982-1989. Perhaps someone can speak to the era of the 1950s during the heyday of the ATSF passenger streamliners. Even during the steam era, there are accounts of passenger trains that were turned lose without restriction that clocked over 120MPH on the ATSF in the San Joaquin Valley!

My first trip into LA in 1990. We were there 3 days before I discovered the San Gabriels were there.

Go Smog!