Nostalgia & History > Three SP from Goleta

The SP Goleta station, which was West of Santa Barbara, was one of my favorite train watching haunts. In the late '60s we lived only a couple blocks from it. Here are 3 photos taken there.

1 - GP35 #6513 leads train #2-829 past the station. Taken in September 0f 1966 from the top of a freight car parked on the spur track to a couple of businesses.
2 - The lead FP-7 leads SP train #98 past the depot on the way to its next stop at Santa Barbara. Photo taken in April of 1967 also from the top of a boxcar on the station spur track.
3 - Photo of the depot with my wife Kay near the loading dock looking East. Photo taken on July 10th, 1971 from the ground, for a change.

C.C.Chas.

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FANTASTIC PICTURES! They bring back a lot of GREAT memories of working on the Coast Line!!

Steve

Neat to see it as it stood back then. I have only seen it in the restored/moved condition.

Thanks for posting,

Dave

Wow, one of the Rarest of Rare Top Shots of the passenger Fs! Excellent!

~ BZ

The hours I spent with my grandfather picking up LCL and REA at the depot, taking it back to the ranch. Sitting up on the hill in the main house and watching the wig-wags at Fairview and mars lights at night. Talking to the agent Al Singleton. Riding #90 into SBA for 29 cents.

And then years later a Fireman then Engineer on the Coast/Western. Running trains SLO to SBA and on to LA on the run thru freight. And 98-99 and then ATK to Santa Barb and back to SLO.

Memories are wonderful to have. That was railroading, train orders, ABS and fast as the wheels would go round. The times we had, getting over the road.

Thanks,

Nudge

Love the down angle on the F-unit!

Cheers,
Jack

Some photos of it now:

http://rrmuseum.smugmug.com/Goleta-Depot-History/Exterior/Exterior-Views-After-1985/5130442_dQg7xp#!p=1&n=16

Mark

A zillion years ago they evacuated half of Goleta for a leaking SP tank
car, looked like sulphric acid, turned out to be moloasses. Town has
somewhat (??!!??) changed since then.

Fast forward to today...

CCC would have been called-in, arrested, and would be sitting in Get-mo right now for taking those photos! (Great shots!)

Take Care, Stay Safe, Have Fun!

Larry

Thanks for the comments and will post a few more from Goleta when I get the chance. Those were fun times for me and my family as I have a lot of great memories of the SP at Goleta as well as Santa Barbara.

C.C.Chas.

What is the story behind the ugly steel shed on the east end of the Depot.

Did it replace the original wood freight shed due to fire or some other reason?

Gary

choochoocharlie Wrote:
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> Thanks for the comments and will post a few more
> from Goleta when I get the chance. Those were fun
> times for me and my family as I have a lot of
> great memories of the SP at Goleta as well as
> Santa Barbara.
>
> C.C.Chas.

Please do, Choochoo. These are my memories of the Coast Line, too.
I spent much time sitting on the rotting platform of the
similar station just south in Carpinteria. Your photos bring back
the smell of creosote and the Pacific Ocean.

-Tom

The old waiting room was rented out to the Walnut Assn. but the agent lived upstairs. I think the metal building on the end of the dock was the Walnut Assn too. I know there was a big building just south of the depot (towards town) that stored walnuts. There was a track between that building and the depot that connected to the house track on both ends with a spur that went over to Southern Pacific Milling. That gravel spur was out of service in the 60s. The track around the depot was used as a shoo-fly when 91 went in the ditch at the east switch in the 60s.

It was discontinued as a train order station in the early 60s and both boards were removed along with the delivery post. The delay of trains sitting at West Santa Barbara waiting for an eastbound prompted them to re-establish Goleta as a TO station for westbound trains and the westbound board was replaced in the signal. A portable TO hoop was used but they put in a regular delivery post that you see in the picture. They even added a operator for 3rd trick. That didn't last too long and it was discontinued as a TO office in the late 60s. I was stuck there on a work train a few months before the depot was closed and got a helping order from the agent. Like a fool, I didn't save it.

In SBA we started running thru SBA to LA, everything was moved to the passenger station from the freight office and a TO signal installed. There were no more crews to call so they started throwing out all stuff. I got the call book that had every ones name and phone number and where they could be found, etc. I was even listed from 1969. It also had contact names for cattle shipments to points between SBA and Surf. Even the old ring codes for "Guards" at different bridges left over from WWII. Goleta was 2 long and 2 shorts I think. I gave that to the depot folks when they moved the building to its present location. Also station plot blue prints for Bradley and San Ardo and blue prints for the depot in Lompoc. Hope they still have them. That call book makes interesting reading on what and where crews were doing many moons ago,


Nudge

Where specifically was the station located? And where has it been moved?

The original location of the station was just West of Kellogg Rd. on the south side of the tracks. The Fairview Rd overpass was about one mile West of the station. The new location is about 2 plus miles to the West and on the Northside of the tracks and Highway 101 at Los Carneros Rd. Please correct me if I am wrong, but these should be pretty accurate directions.

C.C.Chas.