Western Railroad Discussion > Rolling Thru A Foggy Weekend On The BNSF--A Bit Of Traction

It was another dark damp cold foggy day in Ritzville, WA on the BNSF Lakeside Sub. The high-low was 34-28. Fog is sticking around. Traffic is at 23 trains since midnight with more trains on the way. Here are some of this weekends trains. Lots of grain trains, also a bit if Traction.

1/15/2022

1. WB 1007am coal train with BNSF 6915-6419-9862 on the point with DPU.
2. Another shot of BNSF 9862 on same train.
3. DPU GECX Big Blue 2038 on same train. Haven't seen a Big Blue in a very long while.

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4. WB 1020am manifest train with BNSF 6147-6978-5290 on the pull with no DPU.
5. EB 1129am grain train with BNSF 4130-6874 on the point with DPU.
6. EB 1144am grain train with BNSF 4437-4623 on the pull with DPU.

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7. BNSF 486059 ATSF Heritage Hopper rolling in same train.
8. DPU BNSF 5068 on same train.
9. WB 249pm grain train with BNSF 6776-H1 1017 on the point with DPU

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10. BNSF 487836 CB&Q Heritage Hopper rolling in same train in low light.

1/16/2022

11. Loram Rail Grinder parked in backyard at 950am. Rolled in the early morning hours.
12. WB 951am grain train with BNSF 6605-4548 on the pull with DPU

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13. DPU BNSF 6044 on same train.
14. EB 1154am empty oil train with BNSF 4636-8323 on the point with DPU.
15. EB 1214pm grain train with BNSF 8017-5186 on the pull with DPU

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16. WB 1227pm grain train with BNSF 5534-7824 on the point with DPU.
17. DPU BNSF 7728 on same train.
18. EB 226pm empty oil train with BNSF 7799-H1 1052 on the pull with DPU.

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19. DPU BNSF 4594 on same train.

Now for a bit of Traction from the Andy Goddard collection.

20. Key System F train in Berkekey, CA in the mid 1950's.
21. LA PCC streetcar crossing over near Wilton Place in LA in the Mid 1950's. Anymore info Charlie?

That's it for today. Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. Thank you so much for looking!

Larry
Ritzville, WA

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Brrrr... Good football weather! With a big screen TV and yer toes curled up to the fireplace...

;^)

Nice trains Larry. Interesting the couple of toasted GEs and the Big Blue leasing unit.
Keep warm

Pedro

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

ritz,

thanks for the "mac" and the 2 heritage grain hoppers BUT that "big blue" was the catch of the week as far as i am concerned. 

i haven't seen a "big blue" in a loooong time.

wilton place brings up a few memories for me too.

thanks for the post.................

66

Photo 21: What I'm able to determine is that this PCC is eastbound on West 3rd Street in Los Angeles,
about to enter a wye that sat on one of the rare pieces of private right of way on the former Los Angeles Railway.
At one time, the tracks paralleled Wilton Place between 3rd St and 6th St on the 3 line.

Historically the 3 line ran between Central Station where steam roads SP and UP originated and terminated
their trains (until the opening of Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal in 1939), through downtown LA and
ended in the most well-to-do area on LARy's lines, at Larchmont Blvd and Melrose Ave in the Hancock Park area.
By 1954 this rail service was replaced by trolley bus but prior to that the 3 block private right of way had been
shortened to a "wye" that jutted southward off 3rd St only enough to accommodate the wye.

The standard railway cross-buck that we see just in advance of the rails and the position of the PCC leaning into
the curve indicate this car is headed to the wye in preparation to change direction. The letter "X" hanging over the
car has some significance but others familiar with traction signage may be able to tell us. I know those signs on PE
trackage would indicate the same as today, a public crossing requiring blowing of the whistle. Maybe it meant the
same here since crossing 3rd St traffic lanes were involved.

For reference, here is a link to Los Angeles Railway's Routes, both rail and bus in, I believe, 1938:
https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/50176/route-map-los-angeles-railway-electric-car-and-bus-routes-los-angeles-railway-corp

Charlie






 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/22 19:55 by cewherry.

Thanks everyone! Thanks Charlie for the always interesting information on LA Traction. I never know what pictures Andy will send everyday. Sometimes it's all buses since he restores buses. I don't think people here like buses much, lol.

Larry

A little more on Photo 21 -- the PCC in LA -- Charlie is totally correct on his comments.

A little more on that sign -- When the last narrow gauge cars had come to an end in LA in the early 1960s, the winning bid for all the overhead wires was awarded to  a little two man company named Meznik & Dean, a typical junkman with only junk equipment.  One of our museum's young kids was hired to help in their operations. All they were interested in was the copper wire, so our museum ended up with barrels of overhead parts, along with that sign. Since then it has been stored somewhere in one of our boxcars 

Also was the problem of disposing of the wooden poles, We took about two loads of poles for our museum. They pulled them and we trucked 'em.

That his been some sixty years ago and since many of us have passed on, I doubt there are very few that have any memory of that sign, or that we have it, tucked away in one of our box cars. We were young and energetic way back then -- not so now.

Thanks Charlie.

Watts local

 

Thanks Wattslocal for your added very interesting information, much appreciated! Maybe they will take that sign out of the boxcar someday.

Larry



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/22 19:57 by Ritzville.