Nostalgia & History > 4 Different GUM's at County Lumber,Goleta Ca.

All Westbound servicing the lumber yard. Mid 90s.

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Conrail horn on the 7115?

Please advise, what does "GUM" mean when applied to SP trains on the Coast Line? We're obviously not talking about the product that made the Wrigley family wealthy or the big department store in Moscow USSR/Russia.

Sorry, it was the Guadalupe manifest.It was our local through here that served customers from LA to Guadalupe.

spsniper Wrote:
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> Sorry, it was the Guadalupe manifest.It was our
> local through here that served customers from LA
> to Guadalupe.


What work did this local do between LA and GDLP?

V

SLOCONDR

You tell me,you were on the train I was only trackside in my 20s didn't know squat.

When I worked the job back in the 80's, we were primarily a "Hauler". We would pick up and set out at GEMCO and Oxnard Yard. The only two industries we worked were County Lumber at La Patera, located just beyond the west switch of Goleta siding, and a beer distributor (I can't recall the name of) east of Goleta siding which we would switch periodically. When we got to Guadalupe, we would pull the train into an empty track...cut off the power and tie up.

spsniper Wrote:
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> You tell me,you were on the train I was only
> trackside in my 20s didn't know squat.


Nope, I wasn't on the train. The "GUM" belonged to the LA folks if I remember correctly.I never worked it and that is why I asked the question. And thanks for the answer Jeff.

V

SLOCONDR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/12 20:05 by SLOCONDR.

Sorry slocndr wernt sure if you were being sarcastic.In the 90s the only place in the Goleta area they switched was County Lumber and the beer distributer at Patterson Ave.

I think the GUM locals dropped a cut of cars for Oxnard(yard and Ventura RR), switched a few sidings in Ventura and then hit the beverage plant and County Lumber in Goleta. Not much to switch between Goleta and Guadalupe except for a few occasional loads to Vandenburg. Seems like the main drop off points for cars were Oxnard and Guad but I am not totally sure myself. Sometimes the train was big thru Goleta and sometimes it was really small so there never seemed to be a pattern in the early to mid ninties. It was a great local and always had an eclectic mix of geeps and older power from the LA Basin!

SLOCONDR Wrote:
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> spsniper Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You tell me,you were on the train I was only
> > trackside in my 20s didn't know squat.
>
>
> Nope, I wasn't on the train. The "GUM" belonged to
> the LA folks if I remember correctly.I never
> worked it and that is why I asked the question.
> And thanks for the answer Jeff.
>
> V
>
> SLOCONDR


No problem, Virlon...A lot of memories, good and bad, working that job. When working with Dick ("Joy Boy") Hadley you had to be constantly vigilant, if you know what I mean...LOL!

spengr80 Wrote:
>
When working with Dick
> ("Joy Boy") Hadley you had to be constantly
> vigilant, if you know what I mean...LOL!


Boy, isn't that the truth!!

V

SLOCONDR

You guys talking about old man Hadley who worked the Medfly for a number of years? Use to forget where he was when he couldn't see the main streets from the lounge window?

espee99 Wrote:
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> You guys talking about old man Hadley who worked
> the Medfly for a number of years? Use to forget
> where he was when he couldn't see the main streets
> from the lounge window?


Yeah, uh uh, that's Hadley.

V

SLOCONDR

One of the last true SP legends...

spengr80 Wrote:
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> One of the last true SP legends...


You bet!! Character he he was..
I know I've told this story before but I'm going to tell it again in case some didn't read it before.

Quite a few years ago Hadley and his Engineer left SLO heading to Los Angeles. This was during the days of DTC block authority. After several hours on the road Dick was asleep on the Conductor's side of the engine. The dispatcher called the train to have the Conductor release the blocks behind them. Well, the Engineer had to wake Dick up and tell him the Dispatcher was requesting the blocks behind them. Dick jumps up, grabs the radio and says"Yeah, yeah, you got 'em all Dispatcher"!


V

SLOCONDR

Yeah...that's "Joy Boy" alright. I can still hear his Montana Cowboy drawl...(He did own a ranch in Montana by the way).
More times than I can remember, we were working the coast at night, and he would be in the middle of giving the blocks back to the DS, but because of his poor eyesight, as well as the dim reading lights in the cab, he would get to the part where he was to give the time released, and couldn't see his watch...he would say (asking me) "Goddamn It!!! What the hell time is it?" Unfortunately, he still had the radio mic keyed, so it all went out over the air. LOL! Those were good times...