Nostalgia & History > a few from Watson 30 years ago

In keeping with the spirit of remembering the Harbor Sub in the "good old days", here are a few from the mid '70'2 at Watson yard not only remembering the Harbor Sub but the REAL Santa Fe as well.
top: switch power at Watson yard 7-75
middle: the "Wilmington turn" arriving Watson 4-76
bottom: the "Wilmington turn" departing Watson 5-76
As additional info the "Wilmington turn" operated out of San Bernardino daily to Watson and return. At the time it was the highest paying job in S Cal making 191 miles per trip [equivalant to 1.9 days pay].
JB

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A few more after departing Watson yard.
top: an eastbound Wilmington turn about to duck under the 110 Harbor Fwy looking a little like they might be exceeding the 20 mph speed limit?
middle: a cab hop Wilmington turn returning on a sunday 7-75 at MP 24
bottom: another eastbound "turn" from about the same spot as above apparantly with a different crew as it looks like they just might be keeping to the TT speed limit.
During this time period the "turn" was known to almost completely ignore the speen limit on the Harbor district so as to make it back to San Bernardino within the 12 hour working limit.
JB

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3rdswitch Wrote:

> top: an eastbound Wilmington turn about to duck
> under the 110 Harbor Fwy looking a little like
> they might be exceeding the 20 mph speed limit?

Interesting how much taller that SD45-2 is compared to the GP35 behind it.

What dictated the 20 mph speed limit on the Harbor Sub? Did Santa Fe just not maintain the track any better than Class 2, or were there other factors (proliferation of grade crossings, etc.)?

Nice series JB! Those early CF-7's were sure FUGLY.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
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> 3rdswitch Wrote:
>
> > top: an eastbound Wilmington turn about to duck
> > under the 110 Harbor Fwy looking a little like
> > they might be exceeding the 20 mph speed limit?
>
> Interesting how much taller that SD45-2 is
> compared to the GP35 behind it.
>
> What dictated the 20 mph speed limit on the Harbor
> Sub? Did Santa Fe just not maintain the track any
> better than Class 2, or were there other factors
> (proliferation of grade crossings, etc.)?


Evan-

I'll let Joe correct me if I'm wrong, but the lines' Maximum used to be 30. The photo of the 5664 in a cloud of dust at that exact location, was prophetic. That was a sag that went under the Harbor Freeway, and then climbed to go over Normandie. One day the eastbound Wilmington Turn put 'em on the ground right under the freeway. The cause was determined to be excessive speed.

To further the point, I lived within sight of the line, a block east of the at grade crossing with Crenshaw Blvd. BEFORE they installed gates, there was but two flashers. The crossing was at an angle, blind for northbound drivers and eastbound trains.

I remember one particular Hogger, back in the days when 6 GP-7's/9's were commonplace. He would notch up as soon as he crossed Torrance Blvd, and better than a block from Crenshaw, he would pull off two complete crossing whistle sequences.

As soon as he occupied the Crenshaw crossing, it was Katy bar the door - Run Eight. He wouldn't see another grade crossing for almost three miles.

Anyway, when the markers went by, the train was doing better than 40, and sometimes closer to 50.

Back to that derailment. Afterwards the line speed was reduced, and they watched the trains like never before, to make sure crews were compliant.

Take Care,

Bob

I don't have all my old timetables handy but I think the Harbor District/Sub had a few periods where it went back and forth being all yard limits and just partly yard limits. The all YL would have kept the max speed to 20 since there were no signals. I found TT No5 for Oct 25, 1987 and at that time it was TWC from Nadeau to Watson. Also shows Dennis Lusk as the Watson Trainmaster.

I see in System TT No 5 in 1995 that TWC only was in effect between Hyde Park and Lairport and everything else was rule 93 YL.

Hey Joe! You Da Man!

Question - in the 4th image, are those containers on the flat cars a ways back in the Wilmington Turn? They look like boxes on those flat cars.

- Kit

Yes there used to be container traffic on the "turns" but not sure where they were loaded? It was never more than a few cars but they were on the train none the less. Thanks for making me look. It appears the speed at the time could have been 30 and the rear has just cleared the last 10 mph crossing at MP 25.9. I will have to dig up at TT a little closer to the date of the photograph. Once the speed was dropped to 20 it was never higher. I will have to check and see just when it was changed. Never the less, no matter the legal speed, the Turns always did what they had to to get it "over the road".
JB

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Photo 5 was taken from my back yard when I lived on Fisk Court in Redondo Beach.
How did you ever get by my dog to get that pic? That photo had to have been taken on a Sunday.
Ron Wilson