Western Railroad Discussion > My Friend: The Redding Turn

Everyone has their favorite trains. Since coming north to Chico (California) in 1980 from the Los Angeles basin, my favorite has been the Redding Turn. This train, running two or three units of power, moves cars from the Roseville Yard to Redding (CA) and points in between. It is your quintessential local train. Its normal schedule has the Turn running from Redding to Roseville on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; with return runs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

I think that my fondness for the Redding Turn comes from my youth, with summers well-spent rail fanning on the ATSF in Claremont CA. When I was ten, I spent nearly every summer day watching the switch engines move iced refrigerator cars full of wooden crates of oranges and lemons. Claremont, in the heart of Southern California’s citrus country, had at least three large packing houses and one block ice facility whose primary product daily would crash into the overhead ice racks of ATSF and PFE refrigerator cars. The Local would then pick them up for assembly in San Bernardino and further movement to the rest of the nation.

1)The Redding Turn heading north from Richvale (CA) at MP 170 on the UP Valley Sub with the Southern Pacific 1482 in the lead.

2)Crossing Butte Creek, the site of yesterday’s post with Bevis and Butthead.

3)The Redding Turn also represents real Heritage.

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Can you say "Espee" with a nose like that?

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I too love to chase them around......the guys are friendly and it's always a surprise as to what power they will have. Here are a few of my favorites of the Redding turn. Photos 1 and 2 are just south of Red Bluff at Red Bank. This is where they store, pick up and set out cars. Photo 3 is where they park the power in Redding.

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You didn't see any YELLOW in my photos...('cept for the unwelcome patch)

I got it today too. Its been running without UP yellow for a while now.
Back in the SP days, there were two a day...one each way.

Adam

Great shots Ron and Alan! Ya'll have fun while I'm in school! One of these days I'll make it back out there to see ya Alan.

When I commuted between Rocklin and Oroville, I'd always see the Redding turn switching the GP plant just north of Lincoln which was a nice detour from my trip. Or better yet, get stuck waiting for it at the Sheridan 65 crossing. I don't think I ever recall seeing it with any armour yellow units, true heritage indeed.

I remember when it used to be GP9's & SD9's parked at that spot in Redding.

Can't see 'em all.......but no yeller here!!!!

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I could say SP with a better nose - one with a pair of horizontal headlights but that'll have to do.
My fave memory of the turn was one afternoon during a thunderstorm waiting to shoot lightning behind the power in front of the station (no bus depot back then), the brakeman simply walked by and pushed the emergency fuel cut-off and split. A couple minutes later the unit (GP-38-2) began to slowly chug and started blowing smoke rings as the diesel starved from lack of fuel. Took it almost 5 minutes to completely stop but it was interesting to watch and hear - that puppy wasn't gonna quit til every drop it had left was burned.


TCS - yeah, not a great lightning shot but it's enough.

Actually there's more variety now than years ago. The Redding switcher used to be the same unit for like 15 years
(yuk-yuk) at a time (remember when inspections were actually done in the field). The same road set ran back and
forth as well. When the KF was handling the traffic they were running with a really funky assortment of four axle stuff
largely to get in and out of L-P. Then the Redding switcher took that over and they upgraded the trackage to handle
six axle as needed.

It would be interesting to see how many mills have shut-down in the area. There are quite a few sites that look like they had been a mill of some sort. Would make an interesting article in the SPH&TS.

Yah I'd like to slap Art Marr for not shooting pictures of the log train turns out
of Fruto that headed to Diamond in Red Bluff, course he was like four years old.
The Diamond Lands mill at Red Bluff (now SPI and LP) and the Kimberly-Clark/Roseburg
facility at Anderson were both huge but you're right, there were tons of little
mills. There used to be track all over Redding.