Nostalgia & History > AMTRAK #11 in the 1970's from Paso Robles to SLO.

Nothing special here other than the fact I played hide a seek with the conductor and brakeman to shoot this series from the dutch door. Gt some nice shots of the turntable and the helper power along with a shot passing number #14.

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I realize that i might have the north and southbound trip here, so cut my some slack on the locations and whether its 11 or 14.

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Text and Photos COPYRIGHT, 2014.

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Thats all for now folks!

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Someone want to tell me the location of the last shot with the Stanford bringing up the markers? There is a Mission in the background. Also shots one and two might be Santa Susana Pass.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/14 20:50 by weather.

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Is that last one San Miguel, CA? Can't quite make out the details in the photo.

Santa Margarita.

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Thanks, Mike, for those nice pix of the Starlight.
Such fascinating equipment back then!

trainjunkie Wrote:
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> Is that last one San Miguel, CA? Can't quite make
> out the details in the photo.


I second that being Mission San Miguel.

Gary

Great stuff Mike!! Tx.
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

weather Wrote:
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> Also shots
> one and two might be Santa Susana Pass.


The very first shot is eastbound at tunnel 26. The other two tunnel shots are tunnel 27. All Santa Susana.

Nice series. Last one is Cuesta.

Sphogger

Mike,

Thanks for sharing your trip on the "Starlight" with us. It appears that you had a former ATSF (Santa Fe) Pleasure Dome running as the lounge car along with the conventional vista-dome coach forward in the train. The air conditioning would fail on occasion, and the dome windows frequently featured cloudy and scratched Lexan (plexiglass windows), but the "Coast Starlight" of the late 1970's was a very fun train to ride, with good food and lots of character which today's Superliners have never quite been able to match. Thanks for bringing back memories of my own trips in that era, which also included vestibule shots while eluding the operating crew...

ShastaDaylight

Is the turntable/roundhouse in San Luis Obispo? Don't think I've ever seen photos of it before. Nice series of photos, I still need to ride the Coast Starlight one of these days.

Nathan

In this order Mike, the first eight are on Train 12, then 13-13-12-12-13-12-12.

I would say the meet was at San Miguel with Number 12 ( Business Car on rear)

As always, are work from you



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/14 08:42 by WAF.

Yes, that's SLO.
The roundhouse is long gone, even in these photos, and now the turntable is gone too. But it's very evident today where everything was. If you ever get out here and ride 11 or 14, this area is just south (RR east) of the depot on the west (ocean) side of the mainline. Very easy to see from the train.




atsf121 Wrote:
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> Is the turntable/roundhouse in San Luis Obispo?
> Don't think I've ever seen photos of it before.
> Nice series of photos, I still need to ride the
> Coast Starlight one of these days.
>
> Nathan

Looks to me in the one set of pics, You are going east, you just came out of Tunnel 26 and are going into Tunnel 27. The poor signal was always taken apart when kids would party inside # 27. They had to build a box around the head which can be seen in the distance. The other picture, the one with the Stanford, looking west at Guadalupe. If in fact it was San Miguel, the Stanford would have backed in on the house track that was on the ocean side. The siding was on the land side. The house was usually full with open hopper cars being stored or used in lime service for the beets in Guadalupe. For some reason, ATK was only allowed in regular sidings, not house or team tracks.

Nudge



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/14 13:24 by spnudge.

spnudge Wrote:
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> Looks to me in the one set of pics, You are going
> east You just came out of Tunnel 26 and are going
> into Tunnel 27. The one with the Stanford is
> Guadalupe.
>
> Nudge


Ya sure, Nudge? I don't remember overpasses in GU or a curve. Thought it was a straight shot from the bridge to the east switch along the yard. Also Number 12 is on the main. The pass in GU is landside.

There is a ped over pass that was put in after the Mallet & the SF got together at the west switch. They re-designed the west switch as a crossover so if you were switching that lead you would go down into a packing shed, west of the xing and not foul the main. The main going east was a sweeping right hand curve, off the bridge and then straight to the west end where the 50 started. Then over the west switch, those xings, west crossovers (Oh, I knew them well and why the rules #513 & 514 were put in the book.) Then you had the west house track switch on the ocean side, then a sweeping left hand curve, past the depot, over the east crossovers, the east house track switch on the ocean side and then the east switch.

I see what you are saying, there was no track on the ocean side until the house track at GD. I will take another look.

Looked again, and the first pic is looking east with #13 on the pass. You can see the "crossover switch" at the west end.

The second one was of the rear end of #13, looking west at the the back lead switch. No mission, just a church. (I think. I counted wrong again??? :))

Nudge



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/14 13:20 by spnudge.

WAF Wrote:
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> spnudge Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Looks to me in the one set of pics, You are
> going
> > east You just came out of Tunnel 26 and are
> going
> > into Tunnel 27. The one with the Stanford is
> > Guadalupe.
> >
> > Nudge
>
>
> Ya sure, Nudge? I don't remember overpasses in GU
> or a curve. Thought it was a straight shot from
> the bridge to the east switch along the yard. Also
> Number 12 is on the main. The pass in GU is
> landside.




Wes,
If Sellar isn't sure, I am. That is the west end of Guadalupe yard. In the photo, the main line passenger train is on the main heading east, the private car is on the siding heading west, so the photo is looking from east to west. Next to the siding is back lead of Guadalupe yard, and the fenced in area with the tin building (still there, and still in use) is the MoW's "bone yard. What everyone thought the mission was is the Guadalupe city hall and other city services. Between the two passenger trains is the pedestrian's overpass, and if you strain your eyes, you can BARELY see the old water tower.