Western Railroad Discussion > One night in Fullerton (night photo contest)

Ahhh...milepost 165 before it was the railfan Mecca it is today. As a teenager, Fullerton Station was my favorite hangout. Day or night, there was always something there for this die hard Santa Fe fan.

On this particular night, the 24th of October in 1980, I decided to bring my camera and tripod, something I rarely did. Usually I just sat and watched the night action but for some reason, I was hell bent on recording night action on film this particular year. I was 16 years old.

Fullerton was Santa Fe paradise in the late 70s and early 80s. There was still an operator in the station and plenty of locals that went on duty there. You could always find a GP9, CF7, GP30 or 35 idling away, usually with a caboose. There were two mains back then. No overpass or platform on the South track. Just an old drill track there where they usually parked local power or MofW equipment right across from the depot.

The UP depot had been moved into it's new location by this time but it was still up on wood blocks and far from becoming an Old Spaghetti Factory as it is today. Most of the parking lot was still dirt and Lemon Avenue still crossed the main at grade just East of the depot. A patient fan would sometimes be rewarded by the UP Fullerton Local as it trundled past just South of the Santa Fe main.

On this particular night, GP35s 3412 and 3416 (still in original blue/yellow paint) and CE1 caboose 999008 made up the "Fullerton Switch" consist for the night. The crew had just finished their spots West of the station and stopped on the North main in front of the depot to get the work order for their pulls for the evening. Here you see the 3412 parked on the North track with the Santa Fe station to the right and the UP depot up on blocks in the background.

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Back to back to the 3412 was the 3416, still in it's original blue and yellow paint scheme.

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And bringing up the rear was Ce-1 #999008.

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A little while later the L.A. to San Diego manifest showed up and stopped to pick up it's orders. I don't remember the official name or symbol, the crews called it the "Dago" or "Diego". GP35 3350 and two trailing GP30s had command of the train.

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Same train, different angle. Train order hoop was set up on the platform for the rear end crew.

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The 3350 waits patiently for her crew.

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Passing over the Lemon Avenue grade crossing, the "Dago" crosses over from the North main to the South and prepares to diverge onto the San Diego sub. Bringing up the rear was yet another ubiquitous Ce-1 caboose. And for awhile, all was quiet again at milepost 165.

Enjoy

Mike the Trainjunkie

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Great pictures!! In the last shot, there are crossing gates. Is that where the UP line diverged south to meet the other line into Orange? When was this removed?

-Martin from the OC

The crossing gates are indeed from the UP Anaheim Branch crossing at Walnut Avenue. If you look today, right where that open field is south of the pedestrian bridge, you can make out where the right-of-way used to be. The track crossed Walnut Avenue, then paralleled the Santa Fe south to Anaheim. Today, the diagonal parking spaces east of the pedestrian bridge (south of the tracks, of course) are located where the right-of-way used to sit. Going on memory, I think UP discontinued service in 1992 or 1993 and removed portions of the track soon thereafter. However, the crossing gates in the picture remained until 1995 or so.

Thanks for the response to my thread.

Before anyone brings it up, I didn't realize until now that there is a Nostalgia & History board. My shots here, while western in nature, are from 1980 and probably more appropriate for that board. I have posted some of my other vintage stuff over there. My apologies.

Mike the Trainjunkie

Awesome pictures! I wish I would have been taking great pictures like this when I was 16. Great stuff. I enjoyed each one.

Sal Garcia
Pico Rivera, California

The LA to San Diego freight was known as the Night Coast or by its old number 136. The LASan Diego freights were numbered 135 and 136 and known as the Night Coast. Over the years there were different ways the trains were operated. The both numbers were listed in the timetable or perhap only one way and an extra the other. For a period of time only the LA-San Diego train ran with the westbound power from the previous days Night Coast turning as the first SBX to San Berdoo.