Nostalgia & History > SP SLO Turntable

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SLO Tribune
January 29, 1994
SLO loses a railroad artifact.

Historic turntable torn out after city failed to protect it.
by David Eddy


SAN LUIS OBISPO — Just as civic groups were gearing up to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the city’s first train, Southern Pacific tore out one of the most important historic artifacts.
The old turntable located along the tracks at the end of Roundhouse Avenue was quietly removed in November. The action shocked railroad buffs and city officials, who weren't notified by Southern Pacific and didn't find out until several weeks later.
“It happened right under our noses,” said city planner Jeff Hook. “It’s quite a loss to the city.”
The turntable, built in the early 1900′s to direct the old steam locomotives was a key piece to a sort of outdoor rail museum the city had been informally planning for many years said Hook.
But in an ironic twist, it was likely a city action that led to the turntable’s destruction.
And one railroad historian from Southern California said the city got just what it deserved, because it has never taken steps to protect the turntable.
Though Southern Pacific could not be reached for comment, it appears that the turntable’s removal was set in motion last June, when the city Utilities Department found that oil in the area was draining into the sewage system.
The department sent Southern Pacific a letter stating that the oil had to be stopped. There were other ways to take care of the problem, said Utilities Director John Moss, but he said they apparently chose to simply remove the turntable. The Utilities Department did not ask Southern Pacific to leave the turntable in place, he said, as the department’s role is simply to stop the contamination.
However, at the request of the city’s Cultural Heritage Committee, the Community Development Department did inform Southern Pacific of the city’s interest in preserving the turntable, said Hook. After city officials expressed concern about how the oil problem would be handled, a consultant hired by Southern Pacific assured Planners the turntable would not be removed.
“So it’s especially annoying…to have them turn around and remove it,” said Wendy Waldron, a member of the Cultural Heritage Committee.
And it is particularly frustrating because the city is planning a centennial celebration this spring to commemorate the arrival of the railroad to San Luis Obispo. The first Train Arrived May 5, 1894, and was greeted by the biggest crowd that had ever gathered in the city, according to Loren Nicholson’s book, “Rails Across the Ranchos.”
The town’s residents had waited many years to see this tangible connection with the rest of the world.
Benjamin Brooks, then editor of the San Luis Obispo Tribune, wrote of that day: “In the history of San Luis Obispo, then its next chapter is written, the bage which will stand out in gold will be that devoted to the Fifth of May, 1894.”
The turntable, said Hook, was a vivid reminder of that time, as it was the last working element in the city that was used during the steam engine era.
It was also one of the few remaining turntables in the state, said Waldron.
“It was one of the most significant features of the rail yard,” she said. “It would have been a key feature of the museum.”
Daniel Marnell, a member of the San Diego Railroad Museum’s Board of Trustees, couldn’t agree more about the turntable’s value. That’s why he is disgusted that the city or some private group didn’t take charge and preserve the turntable.
“There’s been a lot of bashing of SP over the years up there (in San Luis Obispo),” he said. “But it was the failure of your own people to save the artifact, to save their heritage.”
Hook said the city has made some efforts at preserving its rail heritage, such as purchasing the old water tower near the Amtrak station from Southern Pacific. But with the budget being trimmed over the last several years, preserving the railroad artifacts slipped well down the list of priorities.
Marnell is very familiar with the turntable because he tried to acquire it several years ago for the San Diego Railroad Museum. He said he went so far as to send engineers up to San Luis Obispo to figure out how to bring it back to San Diego. But he was blocked by the city, and ended up buying one in Fresno.
Southern Pacific could not be be expected to leave it there forever, he said, because it represented an attractive nuisance, and the company could have been sued if, for instance, a child were injured while playing on it.
Marnell said he understands why the city wanted to keep it, but they should have protected it.

Read more here: http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/slovault/2009/09/roundhouse-demolished/#storylink=cpy

And now we have threads here titled things like "Where was the SP yard in SLO?"

I would say that the SLO rail heritage group is doing exceptionally poorly if rail buffs can't locate the remains of the major rail infrastructure in the city.

BTW, do they still have the "preserved water tower" that the article mentions? I can't immediately see anything like that using Google Earth.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/14 01:33 by lwilton.

From what I remember, there were several groups trying to buy it and move it but SP cut it up on the spot and scrapped it.

I have to wonder if, in addition to remediate-or-else threats from the city, if they had just received a new enhanced property tax bill for about 5 times what they had previously been paying.

The SLO railroad museum is doing a great job of preserving what is left. They have restored the SP freight house with the help of the city and the water tower is part of the preservation effort. The also have a piece of track with SP caboose and other equipment and building a HO railroad display in the freight house depicting Surf to Santa Margarita. Try googling it! And the SLO yard is still there, although it is just two mainline tracks and a siding; you are pretty dumb if you can't that!
Peter Arnold


lwilton Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And now we have threads here titled things like
> "Where was the SP yard in SLO?"
>
> I would say that the SLO rail heritage group is
> doing exceptionally poorly if rail buffs can't
> locate the remains of the major rail
> infrastructure in the city.
>
> BTW, do they still have the "preserved water
> tower" that the article mentions? I can't
> immediately see anything like that using Google
> Earth.

Posted from iPhone

lwilton Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And now we have threads here titled things like
> "Where was the SP yard in SLO?"
>
> I would say that the SLO rail heritage group is
> doing exceptionally poorly if rail buffs can't
> locate the remains of the major rail
> infrastructure in the city.
>
> BTW, do they still have the "preserved water
> tower" that the article mentions? I can't
> immediately see anything like that using Google
> Earth.

The tower is there, directly across the tracks from the Amtrak station.

The turntable and many of the extra tracks were removed by the SP because the then Mayor of SLO, Peg Pinard, was giving the railroad a lot of grief about parked rolling stock being an "eyesore." There were many in SLO city government at that time who wanted to preserve the railroad heritage, but she wasn't one of them. For what's going on now go to http://www.slorrm.com
Bill Pyper
Salem, OR
Formerly of SLO

pismopete Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The SLO railroad museum is doing a great job of
> preserving what is left. They have restored the SP
> freight house with the help of the city and the
> water tower is part of the preservation effort.
> The also have a piece of track with SP caboose and
> other equipment and building a HO railroad display
> in the freight house depicting Surf to Santa
> Margarita. Try googling it! And the SLO yard is
> still there, although it is just two mainline
> tracks and a siding; you are pretty dumb if you
> can't that!
> Peter Arnold


My, My, My.

coastdaylight Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> pismopete Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The SLO railroad museum is doing a great job of
> > preserving what is left. They have restored the
> SP
> > freight house with the help of the city and the
> > water tower is part of the preservation effort.
> > The also have a piece of track with SP caboose
> and
> > other equipment and building a HO railroad
> display
> > in the freight house depicting Surf to Santa
> > Margarita. Try googling it! And the SLO yard is
> > still there, although it is just two mainline
> > tracks and a siding; you are pretty dumb if you
> > can't that!
> > Peter Arnold
>
>
> My, My, My.


Wow, I certainly agree with you, coastdaylight.

For those of you on this list who think the local SLO rail group aren't doing anything so that "rail buffs" can find the yard and promote local RR history.

Peter Arnold

This very nice museum now has $30,000 in new funds from the Phillips 66 Corporation to devote to exhibits. This was in response to the Museum’s request for a grant. Here is a link to the news story:

http://pasoroblesdailynews.com/slo-railroad-museum-receives-30000-donation/30267/ http://pasoroblesdailynews.com/slo-railroad-museum-receives-30000-donation/30267/

Each fall the Museum has been an anchor point for the Central Coast Railroad Festival. Along with the exhibits the volunteers are building a 1,200 square foot HO scale layout which embodies of the rail industry in San Luis Obispo as it looked in the early part of the Twentieth Century. Trains will wind their way through Central Coast towns with local landmarks and topography modeled in careful detail. Part of the grant will help fund this exhibit.
This model railroad seeks to demonstrate the life and times wherein the railroads were directly involved in the economic vitality of local communities and provided the majority of transport for people and freight. This model railroad will depict portions of the Southern Pacific and the entire Pacific Coast Railway as they operated along the California Coast from Gaviota to Paso Robles.
I expect that the Museum and its model railroad will be open next October as part of the Central Coast Railroad Festival/Model Railroads of Southern California layout tour.

Museum Website: http://slorrm.com/ http://slorrm.com/

Bob Chaparro

Moderator

Model Railroads of Southern California

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Model_Railroads_Of_Southern_California/info https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Model_Railroads_Of_Southern_California/info