Nostalgia & History > some street trackage in Porterville, Ca.

Here are three right of way shots in Porterville on the old Success Branch,1983/1984

The first shot is looking east at the wye off the Exeter Line. In 1983 this branch was out of service and the SP made sure by removing a section of rail behind the photographer ME

Down at the other end of the street trackage looking West just past the crossing of the Santa Fe's Porterville-Orosi District. The street name was Locust Ave.

And the wig wag signal was at South Main Street and Locust. Sure looked good for being out of service and if you look closely I even got the MP location on the base of the wig wag. 275.2

Once again I wish I had seen trains on these rails but I just got there too late. I am happy I got these pictures.

I hope they are of interest


Jay

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Thank you for those photos. Porterville is, and was, too far for me to make a regular trip to film the old SP in the area so I appreciate seeing what was once there.

The track curving off the SP at the Santa Fe crossing in the second photo was the connection that the SP used to get on the joint track between Poterville Junction and Ducor. The SP called the joint track the Minkler Southern Branch.

The was a nice black and white round grade crossing Warning sign supplied by the Auto Club on the line near the mainline junction in Porterville. It was one of those with the vertical and horizontal black line type.

Cliff

A diamond in a public street must be quite the rarity.
...Lorenzo

567Chant Wrote:

> A diamond in a public street must be quite the rarity.

They weren't all that rare in urban industrial areas in California where street running spurs crossed each other. A few still exist, though the tracks are mostly out of service.

Berkeley 2nd & Hearst, both lines abandoned: http://goo.gl/maps/s92Xe

Oakland Wood St. & 26th: two diamonds within 100 feet of each other. Only the diagonal track in the first shot is still used:
http://goo.gl/maps/mcWxg
http://goo.gl/maps/Eg3Vr

Turlock 5th and F, not sure if it's still in service:
http://goo.gl/maps/d40Sy

A couple of other diamonds in the street that are gone now include SP Oakdale branch crossing the WP main line at Weber and Union St. in Stockton, CA, and the Tidewater Southern main crossing the M&ET at 9th and B St. in Modesto, CA.

And of course, they weren't rare at all where transit lines crossed "steam roads" or each other. Some San Francisco examples:

Cable cars, Powell & California: http://goo.gl/maps/1KlBB
MUNI and UP, Cargo & 3rd: http://goo.gl/maps/087wQ
MUNI and UP, Carroll & 3rd: http://goo.gl/maps/AjyYu

Great shots, Jay. I didn't start 'fanning until 1987, so I have no pictures from this era. But it sure brings back the memories. Also, loved the Santa Fe stuff in the previous thread.

Tom