Nostalgia & History > SD7 on the Chino local in '87

During the 1980's I tried to photograph many of the branch lines here in Southern California, especially near home in the Inland Empire. During this time I was able to catch the Southern Pacific Chino local a handful of times and on January 8, 1987 I found SD7 1513 and GP9 3406 as they prepare to come off of the Chino Branch at Pomona. The train is about to enter UP rails at "WO Tower" where it will cross over onto the SP mainline for its trip back to City of Industry. Today, even though the branch is busier than ever (mostly at night), this view was obliterated by the large warehouse under construction at the time the photo was taken. Thank you for looking.

OYW



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/11 23:19 by oyw.

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The 1513 had a great sounding M3 on it. I remember it fondly.

This also must have been just before the Chino job sunk it the mud in that exact spot. Anyone have pictures of that day?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/11 00:24 by DRGW5502.

When they did the Reservoir bridge they widened that curve further east, the sound of the flanges on that curve was amazing. I used to chase that local on my bike as a kid. Got anymore pictures of the area, like the signals or the spring switch?

Sensible picture, sensible power for a branch, right? I wandered through there one day and sitting in the
Chino "yard" were a pair of SD40-T2's. What, Industry couldn't find anything else for a local?? While we're
on the spur thing, the line used to loop through Chino and run all the way back to SP mainline at Ontario.
Some maps even show a parallel UP line from the east ending in Chino though there's little evidence of
that. From the Chino yard a line branches south into the Industrial Park, an addition made I believe in
the early sixties.

DRGW5502 Wrote:
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> The 1513 had a great sounding M3 on it. I
> remember it fondly.
>
That M-3 was a real paint peeler.I recorded it quite a few times.I had Carl Rogoza's big home made foam block over my mike and Ralph, the hoghead that held that job for a while, must have recognized it as when he would see me at a crossing he would hardly put any air to that horn to ruin the recording. Well that didn't stop me. I just recorded him "Trainmaster Style" by hiding in the oleander bushes.I got some great recordings that way.On one of them you can hear Ralph yelling "Get A Life" at me when he saw me get him at the Park Ave crossing.

rehunn Wrote:
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> Sensible picture, sensible power for a branch,
> right? I wandered through there one day and
> sitting in the
> Chino "yard" were a pair of SD40-T2's. What,
> Industry couldn't find anything else for a local??
Early last year my wife and I were going west on Schaffer Ave and when we went over the grade crossing there was a four unit set of SD70ACEs south of the crossing.

The lead that curves from the old depot area into the wye and industrial park was originally the track to the sugar factory there that got the whole branch started. The leg to Ontario began as a separate narrow gauge line that also served the factory and was used to promote real estate sales in the early days--S.P. acquired the n.g. and standard gauged it, supplementing its own track. Lotsa history all 'round there, and fun to see the modern evolution. I just read elsewhere on this board or another that Metrolink has placed a derail on the north side of the diamond in Ontario since Sunkist closed the plant on the east leg.

Steve Donaldson
Pacific Grove, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/11 13:31 by SteveD.

Steve, that's interesting on the sugar mill, never knew it existed. That piece of track was new in the
late sixties having been upgraded to handle the inbound lumber business.

Fredo Wrote:
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On one of them you can hear Ralph yelling
> "Get A Life" at me when he saw me get him at the
> Park Ave crossing.

So you "got a life" by hiring out on the UP? You're one sick puppy, Fred.-BMT