Nostalgia & History > SP at Sargent

Here's one of my favorite modern SP locomotives. A northbound morning stack train exits the canyon near Sargent, California in June of 2000. Volunteer lillys are growing in the middle of the unused sugar beet track.

Sam Reeves
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http://www.samreevesphoto.com

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[img::]https://cdn.trainorders.com/attachments/thumbs/145000/CN35000607_7.jpg[/img]

Nice shot, Sam. I think your lillies are actually a species of Datura, or Jimpsom Weed, otherwise known in the vernacular as Loco Weed. Though the Loco Weed name could seem to be appropriate for a plant growing between the rails, another sense of the word Loco is intended - as in being nuts. But I suppose one could twist that again into a more favorable sense, such as being nuts for trains, thus the plant could be called Foamer Weed too.

All in a name. A diesel by any other name would probably pull with just as much tractive effort through the canyon at Sargent.

- Kit

LOL! Kit I need to hire you as my new caption writer.

Sam Reeves
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http://www.samreevesphoto.com

Yep that's Jimson/Locoweed. Those wide cabs sure looked good in Bloody Nose. They reeked of brute power.

          No photo other than the little tea kettle 1298.