Nostalgia & History > SP in Tucson in the early 1990s.

Flipping through some scans from my early days of photography (I was a teenager shooting with my Dad's camera). I found this shot taken from the yard tower at Tucson, AZ. I was given a ride on that switcher set later...what a great time to be a railfan. Very friendly guys!

Ryan Wilkerson
Fair Oaks, CA

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Thats the way it was.I used to let any railfan who caught my eye come up for a visit or ride. When I was kid the SP crews did that for me.
Tom

Nice rememberances indeed.  I wish today for the young railfans those courtesies could still be possible.
Brian Stevens

I remember when I was up to the age of five we lived in San Jose and my father was a signal maintainer for the Southern Pacific, and periodically he would take me down to the yard where he and I would ride around in the cab of the switch engine as they did their work. Also as an employee he had a free pass and sometimes we would ride the commuter train up the Peninsula. It seems as though he knew everybody as they were all greeting him by first name. He quit after 20 years in 1958 to go cattle ranching with my grandfather, which in later years I think he regretted because he was always talking about his time with the SP in all of his coworkers. He had many fond memories!

Jan Austin
Chico, CA
J.G. Austin Photography