Nostalgia & History > E.K. Muller: Tanks!

Among the E.K. Muller negatives at the Western Railway Museum are these three showing some interesting tank car moves in California's San Joaquin Valley in 1955.

1. May 28, 1955 was a good day for tanks.  Muller started the day with this westbound "switch run of empty oil tankers," which he caught on the west side of Bakersfield (the buildings in the background still exist).  Did SP actually move crude oil in the Bakersfield area at this time, or would these tanks more likely be on their way to be loaded with refined products?

2. Later in the day at Fresno, Muller caught another SP 0-6-0 switching a pair of Hercules Powder Co. tanks near the freight house as a flagman guards what appears to be the Tuolumne St. crossing (which by the early 1960's had been replaced by a bridge).  I'm kind of curious what Hercules was shipping in tanks.  The lettering under the company name on HPCX 6072 just says "Home Office: Wilmington, Delaware."

3. A few months later, Muller caught an eastbound extra move at Burling, CA (just south of Tulare) consisting of 10-wheeler 2325, a single US Army tank car, and a caboose.  No indication where it came from, where it was going, or what it was hauling.

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Wonderful Espee memories. I enjoy seeing Mr. Muller's images.

Pic 2 is a historic feast for the eyes ....

Ten-wheeler #2345 at Bayshore deadline.

Ed

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My childhood travels through Bakersfield around 1955 and earlier left me with memories of thin forests of tall oil derricks. That was a heavy crude oil producing area, unlike today's small numbers of operating grasshopper style pumps. Seeing a busy 0-6-0 on SP's mainline was not unusual. These pictures are great and the fact that they are crisp makes them even greater.

Evan_Werkema wrote:

> 1. May 28, 1955 was a good day for tanks.  Muller started the day with this westbound "switch run of empty oil tankers," which he caught on the west side of Bakersfield (the buildings in the background still exist).  Did SP actually move crude oil in the Bakersfield area at this time, or would these tanks more likely be on their way to be loaded with refined products?

The most likely scenario for this photo is that Bakersfield yard engine 1213 is taking empty tank cars to Oil Junction for the Santa Fe, the operator of the Oil City branch in 1955, to pick up and take out on the branch (this was the standard interchange procedure between the SP and Santa Fe for the branch that lasted until the San Joaquin Valley Railroad took over the branch in 1992.  The SP and the Santa Fe for one-year periods alternated operating the branch).  

Not quite true the location is "on the west side of Bakersfield."  It's actually not far north of downtown Bakersfield.

Most of the tank cars were probably destined for three refineries on the Oil City branch (only one exists today).  However, there may have been several places on the branch in the '50s where crude oil was loaded into tank cars.  There was a loading facility immediately east of Airport Drive along the branch not far from where I lived which was removed sometime in the latter half of the '50s.  I don't know for sure that crude oil was loaded there but I assume so, since there was no refinery anywhere close to it.

I believe the tank cars with silver ends (first and fourth cars) were used for diesel fuel service by the SP.

No. 1213 was an 0-6-0 switcher assigned to Bakersfield.  For a photo of the engine at the SP's Bakersfield yard, go to the November 22, 2011 thread, http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,2619041,2619622 (disregard the location initially stated in that Nov. 2011 thread).

Prior to its Bakersfield assignment, 1213 was apparently used at Los Angeles.  It can be seen in the 1955 Kirk Douglas western "Man Without a Star" in scenes filmed at Cantil on the Owenyo branch.

Westbound wrote:

>My childhood travels through Bakersfield around 1955 and earlier left me with memories of thin forests of tall oil derricks.  That was a heavy crude oil producing area, unlike today's small numbers of operating grasshopper style pumps.

While some declining oilfields in the Bakersfield area, such as the Fruitvale field, may have "small numbers of operating grasshopper style pumps," this is not true of the Kern River field (the field that was served by the Oil City branch).  Driving through the Kern River field on China Grade Loop, I am almost amazed at the number and density of the operating grasshopper pumping units.  It wasn't like this several decades ago.

John Sweetser



 



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/15 12:55 by johnsweetser.

I just greatly revamped my earlier post (I had failed to pay heed to the words "westbound switch run").