Nostalgia & History > SP Bakersfield Question

When I was in junior high school my pal Bob and I would buy tickets at Glendale (Ca.) and ride 51 to Bakersfield and 52 back to Glendale. I remember a deadline of 4400s and other steam engines across the street from the SP depot in Bakersfield. There was a small coffee shop on the other side of the street. We'd get a burger then go over and give the dead steamers a once over. We got up in the cabs and would just sit and check 'em out. Nobody ever bothered us and as a matter of fact one time an SP bull saw us and said just be careful and went on his way. Anyone here old enough to remember such? Those rides on 51/52 were always exciting. Sure would like to see that deadline again. Any pictures out there?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/14 18:05 by whistlepig.

E.K. Muller lived near Bakersfield in the early to mid-50's and took lots and lots of engine pictures in the deadlines. His negative collection is now at the Western Railway Museum Archives. Here are a couple from a visit in early 1955:

---

---

My dad grew up in Bakersfield and he mentioned the deadline of SP engines sitting in the yard. He said at one time there were lots of engines just parked, and that's his main memory of steam engines was the lines parked at Bakersfield. He was probably 10-12 then.

Nathan

Boy, do those pix bring back some memories. None of those engines were sealed up so you could get up in them and just take it all in. Like I said, nobody ever bothered us at all. Quite a time!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/14 08:10 by whistlepig.