Nostalgia & History > few SP Torrance . .

. . all in downtown Torrance, CA within a half mile of each other.
top: a sunday afternoon "Torrance Hauler" is "into beans" in the middle of Border Ave in downtown Torrance 5-73.
middle: a normal weekday "Torrance Hauler"is "into beans" adajacent the ARMCO steel fabrication plant in downtown Torrance along Border Ave 7-76.
bottom: the Torrance Switcher is also in downtown Torrance in the middle of Border Ave 12-91.
JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/12 08:49 by 3rdswitch.

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i spent a moment behind the throttle of the 2526 once.

what's the you-pee caboose doing there in '76 in the second photo?

cabanillas Wrote:
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> what's the you-pee caboose doing there in '76 in
> the second photo?


Every once in a while we would have a foreign line caboose on the locals around Los Angeles.

V

SLOCONDR

cabanillas Wrote:
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> what's the you-pee caboose doing there in '76 in
> the second photo?


Every once in a while a UP caboose would show up at Taylor Yard. Since the UP and SP pooled power and also cabooses.. or is the plural cabeese ? The crews loved the UP cabooses because they rode really nicely.. cement floor and great trucks.. The caboose would go back to Taylor and be placed on another train..

As I remember, there was a UP25705 caboose that cost the SP a few bucks in fines. For several weeks it was working the LAWCY - WCLAY hauler turns. The marker lights were b/o for both ends. Turned in numerous times, out of both terminals... not repaired. I had several signed statements, and passed them on to the FRA. Turns out, I was called for a train with the UP25705. At the parking lot at Taylor, I noticed an FRA inspector I had worked with in the past, Bob Futrell, sitting in his car. I told him about the on-going problem with that caboose. He said he would watch us, and monitor the radio. We told the AGYM that the marker was b/o, and it needed to be repaired. We were told to "Take it, and hang a lantern on the back porch. We'll let the UP fix it when it gets back to them."

As you may know, an originating train needs to be 100%... everything working correctly. We left L.A. out the State Street Line, down the middle of the I-10 freeway. It was near dusk, so I went out to hang my lantern. I left the red flag we had placed, in the knuckle. A few minutes later, past Fremont Avenue, Mr. Futrell drove along side, and honked. He gave me a 'thumbs-up' and drove off ahead. After we got off of that caboose at West Colton, I didn't see it for a couple of weeks and I figured the SP had gave it back to the UP. Well, if they did, or didn't, I gave it a 'roll-by' a couple of weeks later... and it had a proper marker! About 3 months later, I ran into him and he said that he had heard that the SP had agreed to a $10,000 fine for all the marker-less incidents.

Did the SP finally fix it? Did the UP fix it? I don't know, never got on it again to check the repair card. I do know that was an expensive "caboose rental" for the Southern Pacific!

Take Care, Stay Safe, Have Fun!

Larry

That's the Torrance I remember.
Tom