Nostalgia & History > Santa Fe Dash 8's running as intended

I know it's a little early for Warbonnet Wednesday but here are three scans of Santa Fe Dash 8's running during the prime of their lives before fading and turning to pink. I think most of the 6-axle units have been retired or sold off by BNSF while the majority of the"B's" are still in local service but not looking too good. All taken in Cajon Pass during a time when I was not very good at keeping records so all I have to go by is the date stamped on the slide mounts.

1) Keeping it simple, the first shot was taken from the easy to get to Swarthout Road crossing near Blue Cut in December of 1993. A pair of Dash 8's, 861 and 890, lead a westbound stack train down the south track long before construction of the third mainline.

2) Once again at Blue Cut, just west of photo # 1, two eastbounds pace each other up the Pass. Santa Fe 928 on the north track is about to be outrun by sister 897 on this November 1994 morning.

3) This last one was taken in October of 1995. An "A-B-A" set of sorts with Dash 8-40BW 521, a GP60B and an SD40-2 on a San Bernardino bound vehicle train at MP58. If I remember correctly, the fire in the background was started by a vehicle on the freeway but never reached any railroad right-of way. Note the fire truck stuck at the crossing waiting for the train to clear.

Not to beat a dead horse, some may argue, but this was probably one of the best era's to be trackside and I thank you all for looking back.

OYW



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/15 23:05 by oyw.

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Thanks for the pristine warbonnets !

Three excellent photographs.  Nice work to make them that way OYW.  Of course you had wonderful subjects!

Marty Bernard

Very nice, the way it was and I wish still were.
JB

3rdswitch Wrote:
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> Very nice, the way it was and I wish still were.
> JB

Amen to that!  Great shots OYW!  

Nice shots!  Thanks for posting.

Randy Lundgren 
Elgin, TX

Appreciate the great looks back. The red and silver we see today, it is hard to imagine they once appeared like these beauties.
Brian Stevens

OYW wrote ".  .  .  one of the best era's to be trackside .  .  ."  Most definately.  Sure do miss those days that don't seem that long ago.  Nice pics, Bob, and thanks for posting.

Gary  

Nice scenes Bob! An era that I missed out on:{

I was trackside at Cajon a lot during this time. When the new Warbonnets we're announced it just kept getting better and better with each new model starting with the classic repainted SDP-45's.

The sound and the overall spectacle was not to be repeated. As with steam, we thought it would never end, but too soon the last Warbonnets turned its final wheel into corporate oblivion.
I have many pictures of this era and will get around to scanning and posting them.
Cajon offered me many early morning starts listening to the long haul truck drivers shows on the radio while leaving in the dark to be trackside with wonderful early morning side light. A water bottle, a cold sandwich of sorts and a good cigar.....the frequent trains provided the rest of this now wistfully recalled scenario.

George Andrassy

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/15 10:25 by Auburnrail.

Yawn, how can those compare to today's stream of yellow SD70s??

Out

Wow, great bunch Bob!

Rich