Nostalgia & History > mundo: Santa Fe steam 1950-51

Got to meet Ed Von Nordeck, TO user mundo, in person on Saturday, and we spent a delightful day talking trains and scanning slides.  Below are a sample of his Santa Fe steam slides from the early 1950's.

1. Stack extension raised, 4-8-4 #3782 rolls into Fullerton, CA westbound in 1950 flying green flags for a second section. 
2. Santa Fe 2-10-2 #3894 rolls past the Corona, CA water tanks and 2-8-2 #3151, which was local power for the Elsinore Branch, 1950. 
3. The last 4-8-4 Santa Fe bought, #2929, powers a Pacific Railroad Society special westbound past the water tanks and depot at Corona on September 23, 1951.  The late morning lighting fits with the routing John Sweetser suggested for this trip from Los Angeles to San Diego, CA via San Bernardino in this old thread:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,1562309

In 1951, the Main St. crossing in Corona was at grade and protected by an upper quadrant wigwag in the median!

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Outstanding!  Thank you for posting these and I hope they are just the tip of the iceberg.  So much to see in these slides.

Great photos.  Thanks for scanning them and thanks to Ed for making them available.  Wonderful views from the past.

As a boy at that time, I just did not see ATSF steam in Northern California. Santa Fe's blue & yellow FTs seemed to handle all freight and then they were gone, replaced by the b & w zebra painted GP7s. Passenger power was always red & silver F units, although I recall seeing what must have been the mail train with FTs. Perhaps what was powering trains north of Fresno was different from Southern California or perhaps it was just the timing of my twice a week views of the mainline. So good to see these fine examples of Santa Fe's best.

Oh Boy, great show for all of us! Thank you Evan and mundo. wag216

Great photos at location not often seen.

Cliff Prather

Another treasure trove !  Thanks Ed and Evan ! That comment in the first pic about the green flags and the second section following
is not totally accurate as I believe the green flags only indicate another section of that schedule is following. We don't know
how many sections of that train were being operated that day.  More than two sections were not unusual, I am told.

The two 4-8-4's have silver lettering.  It appears the 2-10-2 might have white lettering.

I am guessing the first photo is the Grand Canyon, which ran on the old Third District through Riverside.  The Grand Canyon and the Fast Mail (WB only) were the only long-dastance trains using the Third District.

Both 4-8-4 were the Grand Canyon,  which about every day in summer ran in FOUR sections and on Wednesday, was five section the weekly group tour train Chicago - LA,operating via the Grand Cayon.
 

Stock cars.

Fantastic images!  Thanks Ed and Evan!