Nostalgia & History > SP Train Master 4813 as an honorary steam engine

I had to dig into the way back machine to come up with this shot. Another one of my early slides from my Argus C-Twenty. I took this along Seventh St in San Francisco in 1959. This was before the Seventh St Engine Facility had been built and the commute power spent the day up at Mission Bay. Here we find 4813 carrying train #134 numbers passing a San Jose bound train as it backs down to the Third & Townsend Station to pick up its train.

Robert Morris Photography
http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/index1.html

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The 4813 must have just come out of the paint shop, mega shine and no sign of road grime. Cool shot.-BMT

Wow! That's about all I can come up with at the moment. Just "WOW!"

It's interesting that the train leaving town has the 4812. I never got to run the 4812 or 4813. By the time I was able to get behind their throttles they were 3032 and 3033. Loved the sound of those opposed piston engines in run 8. Also loved the sound they made when making transition.

Great shot.

~Ryan

Don't think its steam. Looks like the typical FM exhaust after sitting for a while. Nice pic.

Nudge

There's that orange-ish red again. I remember a PA you shot Bob, that featured it is well. We talked about it at the time.

Love the Trainmasters!

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Santa Fe used H16-44's on the locals between Emporia & St. Joe. and they ran within a block of where I grew up in Pauline. I watched or listened to them (& rode a few) from the mid 50's until they were retired. I clearly remember that drummning sound, and all that characteristic white smoke when they reved up.

ATSF100WEST Wrote:
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> Love the Trainmasters!
>
> Bob
>
> ATSF100WEST......Out

Interesting statement. Personally I never met a Trainmaster I cared for. On the other hand, Those Fairbanks Morris Train Master locomotives are really fantastic.

I love these Trainmasters.... Thanks for taking the time to post this great picture...

leroy

spnudge Wrote:
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> Don't think its steam. Looks like the typical FM
> exhaust after sitting for a while. Nice pic.
>
> Nudge

Nugent is right. That's exhaust from idling all day. Any steam would be coming out from below, not on top.

Bob's original intent as "Honorary steam" had to do with the smoke plume and nothing in the world to do with steam at the time of the shot.

Interesting shot. Train #134 was the southbound (eastward) and turned right at California Ave in Palo Alto and ran down the Vasona Branch through Los Altos, Simla, Cupertino, Campbell and in to the depot in San Jose. Train #129 was the morning opposing move. The Vasona Branch was cut just south of Simla Jct, where the spur to the Kaiser Permanente Cement Plant was located. Just about where Homestead Road intersects Foothill Expressway was a stop for the commuter trains morning and evening. Good memories, thanks!

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

mojaveflyer Wrote:
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> Interesting shot. Train #134 was the southbound
> (eastward) and turned right at California Ave in
> Palo Alto and ran down the Vasona Branch through
> Los Altos, Simla, Cupertino, Campbell and in to
> the depot in San Jose. Train #129 was the morning
> opposing move. The Vasona Branch was cut just
> south of Simla Jct, where the spur to the Kaiser
> Permanente Cement Plant was located. Just about
> where Homestead Road intersects Foothill
> Expressway was a stop for the commuter trains
> morning and evening. Good memories, thanks!

Would Vasona Branch be the former Los Gatos Branch? The photo tells me all I need to know about why I hate the bloody nose scheme....it killed the Black Widow, and the Daylight too. Thanks Bob for sharing more of your photo treasure trove. AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

The 'Vasona Branch' came off of the Peninsula mainline at California Ave in Palo Alto, curved towards the foothills and followed what is now Foothill Expressway through Los Altos crossing El Monte Road, stopping at El Rancho shopping Center, Loyola Corners, crossing St Joseph Road and the siding for the branch that ran up the hill to the Permanente Cement Plant was south of the St Joseph Road crossing. The 'Simla Jct' station was no more than the road crossing where Homestead Road intersected what is now the expressway. If you travel north on I-280 from the interchange with Hwt 85, to the right you can see what appears to be a large water pipe and I believe the girders for the old rail line were still there. The other siding switch for the siding was just north of the creek. When the 280 went in, they curved the old mainline to the new alignment to reach the plant, it ran along the edge of the 280 under Foothill Expwy where it rejoins the original alignment of the line up to the cement plant. Shortly after the new expressway and freeway opened they had a runaway train that killed a brakeman on the Permanente Local who rode the top of the cement cars trying to tie down the brakes.

I think the Los Gatos Branch came off the Vasona line somewhere near Campbell. I think I have most of the locations right, it's been close to 50 years since I was a young kid intrigued by railroading. An old time conductor (R.L. 'Dick' Smith) who was the conductor who allowed me to ride the train up to the cement plant a few times in the caboose. I was hooked! He even alowed me to ride up to Los Altos to make a set out at Los Altos Lumber a couple of times.

agentatascadero Wrote:
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> mojaveflyer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Interesting shot. Train #134 was the southbound
> > (eastward) and turned right at California Ave
> in
> > Palo Alto and ran down the Vasona Branch
> through
> > Los Altos, Simla, Cupertino, Campbell and in to
> > the depot in San Jose. Train #129 was the
> morning
> > opposing move. The Vasona Branch was cut just
> > south of Simla Jct, where the spur to the
> Kaiser
> > Permanente Cement Plant was located. Just about
> > where Homestead Road intersects Foothill
> > Expressway was a stop for the commuter trains
> > morning and evening. Good memories, thanks!
>
> Would Vasona Branch be the former Los Gatos
> Branch? The photo tells me all I need to know
> about why I hate the bloody nose scheme....it
> killed the Black Widow, and the Daylight too.
> Thanks Bob for sharing more of your photo treasure
> trove. AA

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer