Nostalgia & History > Gilroy CA - 1983

SP caboose 4350''s conductor grabs his orders from the train order stand in Gilroy CA on March 30, 1983. The venerable caboose is bringing up the markers of the LAOAT. (© KPR Media Services, all rights reserved)

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I loved those 3 position train order holders. Used to watch them at Fruitvale Tower in Oakland when I was in my teens. You knew what type of train was coming.
Top position for the engineer, middle position for Amtrak conductor and bottom position for the freight train conductor. I was a bit too young then and never got any shots of the crew grabbing the orders.

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/14 14:38 by SN711.

Twas a nice, civilized way to grab orders - much less nerve-wracking than trying to reign-in orders while dangling from the back steps of a swaying cupola caboose doing 60mph through a cloud of dust and grit because the engineer was too lazy to slow down for the TO post.

-E.O.

SN711 Wrote:
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> I loved those 3 position train order holders. Used
> to watch them at Fruitvale Tower in Oakland when I
> was in my teens. You knew what type of train was
> coming.
> Top position for the engineer, middle position for
> Amtrak conductor and bottom position for the
> freight train conductor. I was a bit too young
> then and never got any shots of the crew grabbing
> the orders.
>
> Gary

If you were in a helper district the third set of forks was for the helper crew.

>If you were in a helper district the third set of forks was for the helper crew.

Actually, until 1950, or so, there was a helper district between Gilroy and San Jose.

-E.O.

hogheaded Wrote:
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> Actually, until 1950, or so, there was a helper
> district between Gilroy and San Jose.
>
> -E.O.

For what reason? Nice shot BTW, thanks for sharing.

Kent in CArmel Valley

DynamicBrake Wrote:
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> hogheaded Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Actually, until 1950, or so, there was a helper
> > district between Gilroy and San Jose.
> >
> > -E.O.
>
> For what reason? Nice shot BTW, thanks for
> sharing.

There actually is a "hill" between Gilroy and San Jose at Morgan Hill (a town named after its founding father, not a geographic feature), with .6% grade (Am I right guys? I gots no timetable stuck in my back pocket.). This isn't much for diesels - SP regularly ran trains over it using only .6 horsepower per ton of train, but steam was another matter. I have several train orders (inconveniently 2400 miles away) that show 2-8-0's being used as helpers in the late 1940's, but have never seen a picture of this.

-E.O.

So... What happens if the conductor missed and didn't grab the hard copy orders??? Or... Do they just back up the train for a second shot at it??? ;0)

SPboy Wrote:
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> So... What happens if the conductor missed and
> didn't grab the hard copy orders??? Or... Do they
> just back up the train for a second shot at it???
> ;0)


Back up and get them. You won't read the end of it from your crew and fellow rails