Nostalgia & History > leaving Santa Clara Yard 1962

An Oakland bound train rolls out of Santa Clara Yard in the early 1960's with caboose 1488 bringing up the rear.

Robert Morris Photography
http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/index1.html

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With the dust, it looks like he's leaving the yard kinda fast. One time years ago, when I was firing on the Santa Fe, I was on an eastbound freight train, sitting at the old steps at the east end of the Wellington yard, on main 2. A train called ahead of us was out of the yard, but the power was hanging out on main #1 up near the signal. The outbound crew was taxied out, and apparently, the engineer forgot his train was in the yard instead of on Main 1. I watched out my windown as the train departed, but noticed it seemed to be going faster and faster. Finally I saw the caboose, in a cloud of dust, coming out on the lead going at least 30 mph on 10 mph yard tracks. It was swinging side to side, up and down, and end for end, all at the same time. Even the air hose was swinging all directions. The conductor was out on the rear platform hanging with both hands, his legs spread, just shaking his head.

Bob... Thanks for some more memories from my past. I have always
regretted never taking a photo of the mail crane that I used to
hang the pouch for #75 on so many days when I was young and working
at the Santa Clara post office. You captured it for me in this photo.
It was sure a lot easier to take photos then than it is now. I used
to spend a lot of hours at the base of the SC tower which is just out
of your photo. Thanks again...

Geez, forgot about the tilt-up looking warehouse to the left, it's where the cop-shop is now. Fed Ex and Costco on the right/far right. Didn't know about the mail crane, pretty cool.

Wonder why the signal doesn't have an "SA" plate--
was it not the last interlocking signal?

Any reason the top head was right of the mast?

Another awesome blast from the past.
JB