Nostalgia & History > Still More Old SP Stuff

More Southern Pacific from the past! Photography by Bernard Levine.

#1 #75 6448 Glendale 6-66

#2 #76 6003 Glendale 1966

#3 #76 6452 Glendale 1966

---

---

---

#4 #76 6000 Burbank Jct 1966

#5 #76 6453 Glendale 1966

#6 #76 5217 Glendale 1966 Pulling off last three cars for Officer Special

---

---

---

#7-8 6047 Glendale 1966 Officer Special

---

---

Looks like the switch engine just took the business cars off and the E unit and rider coach came up from LA. Interesting that Russell didn't start the inspection from LAPUD.

One solitary figure walking away from the Sunset with a hat on (standard dress requirement of management in those days). Probably Superintendent Long ( head is down, probably got a butt chewing from Russell on the trip down from SLO)

Power for Russell's specials was interesting in the 60s. If it was LA east, it was E units. On Donner and Shasta, it was PAs. He didn't use SDPs until they came on board in 1967. Sunset always traveled with the Del Monte or sometimes the Stanford.

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Looks like the switch engine just took the
> business cars off and the E unit and rider coach
> came up from LA. Interesting that Russell didn't
> start the inspection from LAPUD.

How well I remember these "Russell burners".

A yard job would bring the rider coach and E-unit (with outbound crew aboard) up the Slide from Top End of A Yard and wait for 76 to stop at Glendale. Then they'd reach out with their goat, pick up the business cars, double to the rider coach and E-unit, and set everything back to the main. By the time the air and steam lines were connected and an air test made, 76 was far enough ahead so the special could blast off on Greens.

And waste no time and make a left turn at the Shops ( East Bank Jct or Taylor Jct.. don't have a ETT in front of me). How Russellist.. waste no time, especially the Chairman's

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> And waste no time and make a left turn at the
> Shops ( East Bank Jct or Taylor Jct.. don't have a
> ETT in front of me).

Yup, East Bank.

> How Russellist.. waste no
> time, especially the Chairman's

Not to mention Mrs. R's special toilet paper in the 150.

What do you think the rider coach is full of?

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> What do you think the rider coach is full of?

Very nervous employees!

At least they had Mrs. R's toilet paper available for use.

May I ask what was so special about Mrs. Russell's toilet paper?

Tell 'em, Topper!

john1082 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> May I ask what was so special about Mrs. Russell's
> toilet paper?

Mr. Russell, and thus Mrs. Russell by default, was assigned business car "Sunset". All lavatories in the car had a built-in toilet paper roll dispenser.

It seems that at some point in time, Mrs. Russell developed a fondness for a particular band of toilet paper. Unfortunately, the roll it came on was too short to fit in the dispenser in the "Sunset". What to do, what to do...

So, the Car Department built a hand-operated jig that would transfer a fresh roll of Mrs. Russell's finest onto a spool that would fit the dispenser in the car. Before each trip, it was extremely important that enough rolls were created to assure that Mrs. R. wouldn't run out somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

It was an established practice that a carman would physically bring the rolls to the car, a Car Foreman would check to make sure it was done, and the Assistant Trainmaster would check on him. Woe to the employee who dropped the ball.

Or so the story goes...

topper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> It seems that at some point in time, Mrs. Russell
> developed a fondness for a particular band of
> toilet paper.

I gots ta know!
What was the official brand of SP DJ Russell TP?

The Driver for Russell (a PMT employee Bob Gordon) is friend of mine and had some colorful stories to tell about driving the SP brass in the bay area. He said Russell was VERY particular about alot of things.

Figures he would use a company (PMT) driver. Probably charged his limo hours off to the SP. So Dave, any stories?

dmaffei Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I gots ta know!
> What was the official brand of SP DJ Russell TP?

Wow. No idea. I could probably make up some names, though. I seem to recall she liked whatever it was because it was soft...which is actually more information that I'd want to know, come to think of it.

Well, when you live with an old hemorrhoid like DJR, you need something soft..

Wonderful images ! Thanks for posting his work. Also enjoyed the comments about DJR.