Nostalgia & History > Eastbound lumber loads at Grass lake

I think it was back in the late 80's when the SP would run lumber loads down the Siskiyou Line then turn left at Black Butte and head for Klamath Falls and out the Modoc Line. I believe this train would have normally ran down to Roseville and then over Donner. I dont think this train ran for long. I remember only seeing it a few times. Of course now the Modoc Line is history and the fate of the Sisikiyou Line from Medford to Black Butte is on the line. Man how times change.

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Thats a cool SP pic but that "gumball machine" replacing the Gyralight doesn't cut it with me.

Phil

It was after Anschutz reopened the Modoc in the fall of 1988 and the train was a connection to the EUASM at K. Falls. Your right Bob, it didn't last long. Too little, too late.

WAF Wrote:
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> It was after Anschutz reopened the Modoc in the
> fall of 1988 and the train was a connection to the
> EUASM at K. Falls. Your right Bob, it didn't last
> long. Too little, too late.

This was actually a revival of a long-standing practice that ended about 1971. In pre-TOPS days, the SP symbol for the loads out of Ashland going to the Ogden Gateway was the SOS (Southern Oregon Special).

Best regards,

Rob L.

Now it's the SOL.

Phil Wrote:
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> Thats a cool SP pic but that "gumball machine"
> replacing the Gyralight doesn't cut it with me.
>
That Santa Fe number don't make it in my book either. This is the period when they were renumbering for the "never to happen" SP-SF merge.

Nice one Bob...

Got any Cajon Pass stuff????
;>)

Dave

SOS and its opposite empty sysmbol KFA, ran into the 70s until the economic downturn of 1974. BTW, TOPS was around in the late 60s. To be more accurate, the SOS and other "pet" symbols of the transportation department changed in Feb, 1974 when symbols went alpha with the cutover of a newer, larger mainframe computer the SP put into operation. Also, it allowed the customers to understand what the symbol meant with its easy two alpha character orgin/destination

IIRC, this train was the MEKFM.

rob_l Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WAF Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It was after Anschutz reopened the Modoc in the
> > fall of 1988 and the train was a connection to
> the
> > EUASM at K. Falls. Your right Bob, it didn't
> last
> > long. Too little, too late.
>
> This was actually a revival of a long-standing
> practice that ended about 1971. In pre-TOPS days,
> the SP symbol for the loads out of Ashland going
> to the Ogden Gateway was the SOS (Southern Oregon
> Special).
>
> Best regards,
>
> Rob L.

What's interesting is that the Condensed Perishable, Merchandise, and Manifest Train Schedule No. 26 of April 1, 1971 (ATK day) does not list the SOS (Siskiyou-Oregon Special), but the CP, M, & M No. 27 dated January 1, 1973 does. Was there a recession in '71 and not '73? The SOS was scheduled out of Ashland at 2:00PM. Arrival in KFalls 3:00AM.

I understand that in the 50's & 60's perishables (pears) out of Ashland did the same.

I recalled a small recession in 1970 and the big one in 74-75. BTW, Amtrak day was May 1, 1971

WAF Wrote:
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> I recalled a small recession in 1970 and the big
> one in 74-75. BTW, Amtrak day was May 1, 1971


Oppps. Conrail was April 1st.

1976

That's not a "Santa Fe" number... this unit went through the GRIP program, and the 6700s and 6800s were the assigned series. This rebuilding occurred at the same time as the proposed merger, but otherwise had nothing to do with it.