Western Railroad Discussion > Plaster City locos

Here's all of the different types of locomotives that you might find at Plaster City, CA. (this is the eastern most end of the line through Carrizo Gorge) Slide one is the infamous SoCA2000 engine that someone lost a year or so back. Second slide is the newly aquired GulfColorado engine that was wandering around for awhile on the UP(?) system. It finally found it's new home! I didn't get a full shot at it, it was doing "undercover" work for US Gypsum. Lastly, we have the narrow gauge engine #111 just having come in from the desert. I guess I'm incorrect in that that's all of the locos you might find here, the first two never leave the property! UP actually comes to them to recover the goods! (Didn't get a shot of them here today...)

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Nice! It's gotta be cool enough to make another run out there again soon.


TCS - miss the SP cruds running next to the narro guage in the plant.

Nice pictures, but I’m confused. Is this railroad narrow gauge or standard gauge, or both? If both, which part is narrow and which part is standard gauge and why two gauges?

Actually, you missed one. USG narrow gauge also has a twin to 111, no 112. It must have been out on a mine run when you were around, or in its shop building. Gp-7 # 4303 is parked where it is, to keep out of our way, untill we need it. Basically, its a backup to our Socal 2000, should it need maintenance, or other downtime.

The USG RR is indeed a narrow gauge road, making the trip the 20 something miles out to the mines, and back to the dumpers with its unit train of Gypsum cars, while the Socal RR is a standard gauge operation located at milepost 130-131 on the old SP mainline (basically abandond west of plaster city). UP interchanges once a day with us, running out of El Centro CA to pull loaded cars off us, and bring empty cars to spot.

TR
El Centro CA

Remember when ShortlinePrez came on here
a few years ago and asked for help finding
his engine that was being transported to
Plaster City? Is one of those the long lost
diesel? I know its not the middle one though.
Do I detect a tear in the corner of homesick
Gulf Colorado & San Saba's window ?

When (and where) did USG get the new ribside dump cars? I only remember the smooth side ones...

The UP local runs out of El Centro in the afternoons and will also switch out the hay stacks at Seeley.

The narrow guage engines with USG were originally ordered for the White Pass & Yukon railroad in 1982. The railroad ceased operations just before the locomotives were to be delivered.
After operations began again in 1988 as a tourist railroad, engine #114 was delivered to Skagway. Engines #111, #112, and #113 were purchased by USG and went to California. I believe one was totalled in an accident. Engine #114 continues to operate on the WPYR as a MOW locomotive.

I've heard about this accident where #113 was totalled, but what exactly happened? All I've ever managed to find out was that "there was an accident" - not terribly helpful.

Also, is there any way to get photos of these units out on the line between Plaster City and the mine? I was out there a couple years back, but my poor little rental car had suffered enough that day, so I didn't go exploring.

Nathan
http://www.drgw.net

>>Also, is there any way to get photos of these units out on the line between Plaster City and the mine? I was out there a couple years back, but my poor little rental car had suffered enough that day, so I didn't go exploring.


Yes, there is a real crappy dirt road that follows the tracks from plant to mine. Dirt is an understatement as the road is really all sand. I was able to make it out the first mile on the road north of the plant in my truck a few years back. The mine is mostly (all?) unaccessible.

If a remember correctly, I think that the 113 ran into the loader at the mine and got totalled.

Peter Arnold

Argyle, I assure you that 4303 is not homesick, but is very happy in her new home. She will be well taken care of, and is happy to be doing some light switching, instead of tugging at a heavy train up all those hills in TX. Also, I hear she is looking forward to enjoying El Centro's Carne Asada festival this year, a much more tempting fare than Brady TX's GOAT festival!!!! (Jeez, do texans eally eat that stuff???)
Incedentally, next time anyone is out shooting in the plaster city area, stop by and say hi, were a pretty friendly crew, and would like to have some quality pictures taken. Take care not to go on USG's property, or into the plant, but I think the access road to where we tie down the engine most nights is not part of the plant property. (Where the first photo of #2000 was taken) tmengineman, sorry we missed you the day you shot those pics, but we just didn't notice you. We were relaxing while waiting for the local to bring us our cars.
TR
El Centro CA

Sure we eat goat in Texas--not any wierder than that squid scoffed down by Californians<LOL>.

BTW, what is the operational pattern for these RRs? I'll be motoring to CA in late Jan and would like to see and photo it.

Nice shots, and especially nice scans... What scanner do you use? Or are they PhotoCD?

Dave D.
Los Angeles, CA

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NormSchultze wrote:

> Sure we eat goat in Texas--not any wierder than that squid
> scoffed down by Californians<LOL>.

Cabrone!!! La cabeza es muy sabrosa.

The mine area is accessible from the road leading to it but it's a looooong drive around to get there and once the train leaves, it's pretty much dead. Best bet is to shoot from the Plaster City end.


TCS - waited an hour at the mine for such a train....once.

Pismopete is right. The USG crew (so I'm told) lost control of their train about 1993 and ran #113 into a loader.

I was a Officer at the nearby Centinela State Prison at the time. I have slides of the wrecked unit taken the next day, but I have no way to scan them.

John Maky
spdonner@dialup.ws

pismopete wrote:

> If a remember correctly, I think that the 113 ran into the
> loader at the mine and got totalled.
>
> Peter Arnold
>
> [%sig%]

Travis,
sorry I didn't stop by and say "Hi". I was the weirdo in the Jeep with the righteous new dual suspension Cannondale on the roof. That was my gift from Hilton Honors program for being away from home for a year! (cost me 250,000 points, leaving me still with 90,000+)
You guys have got to have the best setup going. Switch cars around in the yard basically, cars parked nearby, boombox on the roof! Sweet! ;-)
I went to check out ElCentro (haven't railfanned that area before, lots of traffic in the middle of town. The town looks to be slightly smaller than El Paso was... should have taken the time to head south and check out Calexico/Mexicali area, next week maybe... (I'm tenatively looking at Thurs / Fri / maybe Sat too) How often does traffic interchange between Mexico?
My bike was itching to head out into the desert though... Next week I may leave bikes behind (sacrilidge!) and just do some hiking. There's some trails over the top of the mountains (illegals use these mostly) that I've been wanting to document with my GPS and maps...
Mr. Dodds,
I don't use a "scanner" of the film type (have a HAM radio though) and all pics are digital. I shoot mostly a Canon Pro90 and overall I'm pretty happy with it!
Here's another pic showing about a 3/4 mile of spines awaiting loading of all of the plasterboard that's made out there. (do they make anything else?) The rubble pile off to the right is defects I'm told. This is the line coming in from my favorite place, Carrizo Gorge!
Enjoy!

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Uhmm, that ain't Dodds, you can tell by the syntax. Dodds goes by UPee4265 or some such SD-70M number


TCS - .