Nostalgia & History > So you like Santa Fe F45s?

I apologize for the horrible lighting for this picture. However, I was not going to wait 10 hours for the sun to swing around for late afternoon light.

The scene is early on a very warm August morning in 1975 at Barstow, CA. As I crossed the bridge over the yard tracks, I knew that I had to park and walk back just for this shot for historical purposes.

The main subject is the endless line of F45s in storage. It is impossible to count them! Next to the F45s are a dozen or so SD24s. They may be waiting to be upgraded to SD26s. I'm just not sure on that account.

Looking back now, it is even interesting just to look at the facilities that are no longer there, let alone motive power.

Great shot! My favorite road and a trackload of one of my favorite locomotives. Any idea why they were being stored at this time?

alligatorfan Wrote:
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> Any idea why they were being stored at this time?

All I can figure is that there must have been a downturn in traffic. Yet, why store relatively new power? I do not recall a mechanical problem with the F45s.

Anything to add, Evan?

Great shot that cannot be repeated. Glad you turned around. What about the other direction? Did you cross and take that shot?
JB

Fuel guzzlers

At the time the photo was taken, I was cut off in the car dept in Topeka, and bumped in at Argentine for three months before I got called back. They had similar lines there, but mostly the big GE's. Shoulda took a picture or two.

Love the Siberia shot. They probably put them back in service in matched sets out of Barstow. Would have been nice to catch some three, four or five unit sets.
JB

Super_C Wrote:

> The main subject is the endless line of F45s in
> storage. It is impossible to count them! Next to
> the F45s are a dozen or so SD24s. They may be
> waiting to be upgraded to SD26s. I'm just not
> sure on that account.

There is a similar shot of the Barstow storage lines in February 1975 on p.50 of Joe Shine's Santa Fe 1987 Motive Power Pictorial. He gives "a downturn in business" as the reason the units were stored. Thanks for posting!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/10 03:52 by Evan_Werkema.

The recession of '74/'75 - the one that cost me my job with Santa Fe. Almost as bad as the one we are in now.

All F and FP45's were stored, along with B/O e'd SD45's and remaining SD24's awaiting the re-instatement of 2nd and 3rd shifts at the San Bernardino shops.

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Great Siberia shot.

Interesting to note the variety of fans on the radiators. Some with caps and others without. The order changes also if you compare the first two F-45's in the photo from the bottom. The SD24's also have a variety of fans per unit.

Thomas