Western Railroad Discussion > The last switch in Goleta Ca.

The Guadalupe Turn (I have to bite my tongue not to call it the Surf Turn back in SP days) picks up two empties from the once was County Lumber and now Hayward Lumber spur.

---

---

The old Espee 'Surf Turn" power never looked like this in the old days.

Thirty or more years ago, I recall roaring thru Goleta on the Daylight at full speed, in the open vestibule, one hand on my brakeman's cap, and looking out at the order board, which was Westward only. (No blade for an Eastward train) . Besides the lumber yard, there was a citrus packing shed and a warehouse for Sears. Sears used to receive carloads of merchandise from their huge transload facility at Olathe, Kansas. That facility would receive carloads of products made for Sears in the Southeast and Northeast US and distribute them to Sears stores all over the West. Most of the time, they used Santa Fe refrigerator cars which were returning to the West empty. It seems strange to recall when products were made in the USA, huh?

Norm

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar

IN the picture, the first few cars are pulled in to the switch lead, is that to clear a crossing behind and/or to prevent having to apply hand-brakes due to the hill?
Normally (in flat Florida) they leave enough head-room to avoid having to push-back on a "long" string to exit the lead (nobody wants to walk all the way back to spot).

Nice pic too!

The was also a beer distributor that handled Coors beer it was at the east end of Goleta

I worked the Ellwood local years ago out of Oxnard. The job would also spotted the Coors beer cars at Santa Barbara Distributers. The switch was located just east of the east switch at Goleta. On occasion would haul the LPG cars to Capitan. When the job was first put up for bid it was known as the Gaviota . When the job was rebulletined to Ellwood the name was changed.

Posted from Android

It looks like La Patera, just west of the west switch at Goleta. There was the Sunkist packing house(lemons), Sears, regular and LCL, and a lumber yard. Up towards the east end of the siding, the depot was on the ocean side at Kellogg Ave. There was a house track that crossed Kellogg Ave and went to the Southern Pacific Mining & Milling. There was also a spur that went around the back of the depot were the Walnut sheds were and it crossed Kellogg too. There was a derailment at the east switch one night in the early 60s. I think it was #91, and it tore things up. They used that spur in back of the depot for a shoo-fly for regular trains for a few days.

They put in a spur off the main east of the east switch for a beer distributor (Coors) in the 60's. It didn't last.

Spent some time at the depot picking up REA stuff for the ranch with my grandfather. Also riding #90 into Santa Barb for 27 cents and he would pick me up later in the day and take me back to the ranch.


Nudge