Nostalgia & History > UP Wartime Cajon Pass

This 1943 scene of a westbound UP passenger train should get the nostalgia going in everyone. In the background on the left, is a Santa Fe refer block headed back east on the north track.
Back then no one dreamed of the endless stream of double-stacks or of the UPS trailers that would be rolling over this same right-of-way day in and day out.

Check out shorpy.com for lots of vintage photos.


Adam

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Gorgeous - Thanks for the post. Wasn't color film hard to come by in those war years? --- --- - --- JLH

Looks like the Challenger; interesting to see a full, lightweight train in Pullman green! Thanks for a nice view. Kurt.

FYI this is a Jack Delano photograph made for the Office of War Information.


Ray

Yes. The website also had his shot of a ATSF Chief at ABQ taken during the war.

Adam

Set the air and drag 'em down the hill! If you did that today, you'd be fired. Great shot from a time when very few photos were taken and even fewer in color.-BMT

Finally an interesting Cajon shot.

No dynamics on that UP steam loco!

STG6199 Wrote:
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> No dynamics on that UP steam loco!


Only dynamic augment.

JDE

UPNW2-1083 Wrote:
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> Set the air and drag 'em down the hill! If you did
> that today, you'd be fired.

And if you didn't do it then, you'd be dead.

However, I wonder if it's being "dragged" down the hill since passenger had graduated braking.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/09 08:03 by BCHellman.

Gorgeous colors in a well planned photo. What would be the more specific location at Cajon?

highgreengraphics Wrote:
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> Wasn't color film
> hard to come by in those war years? --- --- - ---


Everything was hard to come by, but Delano was working for the government's War Office, so he was well supplied.

We are so fortunate that someone in the office had the inspiration and foresight to arrange for this epic journey on the Santa Fe from Chicago to Los Angeles in March 1943.

It looks like where highway 138 crossed the lines.

Steve

Like they said, looks like Hwy 138 back there,
so the passenger train must be on this curve

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=34.310618,-117.478673&spn=0.003864,0.006877&t=k&z=17

So those would be the Mormon Rocks...

AJnCorrie Wrote:
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> So those would be the Mormon Rocks...


Correct.

Looks like Hwy 138 was still a dirt road. If my eyes see rightly, there aren't even wig-wags to go with the crossbucks at the crossing.

There would be two gas stations and a Subway in the view at the right edge today.

Thanks for posting that! What a view!

Kit Courter
Menefee, CA
LunarLight Photography