Nostalgia & History > Cadillac on the Lompoc in '90

In July '90, SP's Lompoc local was headed for Lompoc, CA, about half way between Surf and Lompoc.
JB

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The job has arrived Lompoc and is into beans at the yard in Lompoc before heading up the White Hills branch to switch Johns Manville.
JB

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Cool pics 3RD SWitch, wish I had the chance to shoot those "caddys" when I was in high school!

the job is shown switching the expansive Johns Manville facility a few miles out of Lompoc on the White Hill branch.
JB

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Another view of the local inside the plant.
JB

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Great set of photos.

The last picture wasn't in the plant. It was in the tiny yard we had below the plant. The track to the left went up into the warhouses, through the parking lots. It was great before radios. They had car markers below the yard. You would pull down 10 car lengths, stop and then start shoving. If you were not far enough, they would open an angle cock to slow you and you would stop. Then you would go back again and add 5 cars and do it again. I have a nice tank hook that was left on that right fence for years after the steam days, even got painted silver by JM. Many a cold, foggy night spent switching that joint.

It was funny though. We were always able to make Surf and just get back to Lompoc before we died. The old SDs were nice, they DB. They used SW1500 for awhile and you had to set the air and pull them down the hill.

One last thing, I always felt they needed to rename the station on the branch from Broda to Pillar. Then we could have run from Pillar to Post. (ugh :()


Nudge

this was last November when I should of been in class...

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What is a tank hook? Is it used for releasing air on freight cars?

Great thread, old and new (almost).
 

•       I asused the 'tank hook' was used the reach the water valve in steam days. Possibly to also pull the spout down to the tender.