Nostalgia & History > Arcadia, California 1969

In 1969 I was a Junior at Arcadia High School. Every Tuesday (I think) I rode my bike up to the tracks from where I lived on Third Avenue to see my Dad make his Sales call at Arcadia Wheel & Hobby on Huntington Drive. This shop had a great view of the tracks where they crossed over Huntington Drive. I then walked to the tracks to see if the Local was coming or not. Some days my timing was great and I saw the WB local sitting in the very short siding (11 cars) and the signal west of Arcadia showed some color other that green. If was yellow or red most likely the Second District afternoon Pick-up was coming. The memories are great!!!

These first two shots are taken with my new Kodak Instamatic Camera on Kodacolor Film. The date is October 1969 and I think this is actually the Highland Park Turn but could have been the EB afternoon Pick-up (I don't know what the train was actually called but I called it the Afternoon Pick-up). They had to spot that first car at Arcadia Lumber. The second shot here is pulling across first Avenue and back to their train they left on the Main Line.
Of interest in this shot is the Block Indicator to the left of the engine. This indicator was one of the last items remaining from when the PE's Day & Night spur crossed the Second District in the middle of First Avenue. The PE pulled out of town in 1961.

The third shot is from Lee Meyers taken in April of 1969 when the depot still stood prior to be moved to the LA County Fair Grounds in Pomona where it is still today.

One thing I do regret is not getting any pictures of the RSD5's when they pulled the local through Arcadia, I just see then in my memory in my mind.


Thats all, thanks for looking and reading this long story,


Jay

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Good stuff. A lot of us started with a Kodak Instamatic camera. In my case,
I knew better, but it was all I could afford.

And don't you just hate scanning your old stuff, and finding out that awesome
picture you thought you took isn't very good at all?

Nick Tharalson,
Marion,IA

HOLEY MOLEY! Great Pictures! Back in 1968-69, I was able to ride a lot with the crew on the "Highland Park Turn"!
The Conductor at that time was Bill Shackford. Looking at your second photo, the gentleman riding on the
steps looks really familiar. If I'm not mistaken, I believe he was one of the Brakemen on the "Highland
Park Turn"! Sadly I never took any pictures of the crew. Only memories in my mind too!

Spring of 1948...at age 19, I was assigned as General Clerk at Arcadia..Sta #12124.
I sold tkts, kept demurrage, made daily 1301 yard checks and worked the Railway
Express traffic to LA via PE 330pm Glendora box motor in the middle of the paved
St. Joseph St...

I also worked AT&SF #42 San Bernardino Local in the morning with Condr Dusty Rhodes
and Enge Ochoa...

Bob Drenk

StarshipConductor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> HOLEY MOLEY! Great Pictures! Back in 1968-69, I
> was able to ride a lot with the crew on the
> "Highland Park Turn"!
> The Conductor at that time was Bill Shackford.
> Looking at your second photo, the gentleman riding
> on the
> steps looks really familiar. If I'm not mistaken,
> I believe he was one of the Brakemen on the
> "Highland
> Park Turn"! Sadly I never took any pictures of the
> crew. Only memories in my mind too!
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Bill Shackford was the conductor on the 2nd District local (I don't remember it having a name) in the summer of 1964 when I worked as a ticket clerk in Pasadena. He saved train orders for me, and I think he was acquainted with every young rail enthusiast along the line; it wasn't uncommon for him to have a "passenger" aboard when his train pulled into town. His wife was also a member of the Santa Fe family, working in Cucamonga.

I never met the Arcadia agent, but I did meet his son who worked at the reservation bureau in Los Angeles. Taking a wild guess here, but the last name could have been Lomeli.

Always great sharing 60's Santa Fe memories!

In 1948, H.N. Turner was the Agent..Senior Lomeli was the Agent at
Lamanda Park..they handled the Avon traffic...

Also, in 1948, Bruce Bury as our apprentice TO..

Bob Drenk...age 86..

I lived in Arcadia 1950-56, then 1963-2007, and used to walk to the depot from school to pick up the latest timetables. Rode a special out to Redlands for a church picnic one Saturday. Great memories.

IIRC the Lomeli family home in La Verne is marked with a historic plaque for the unique structure and the family's ties to the railroad. It is near Kuns Park, and a stone's throw away from the MWD spur.

I too started with an Instamatic (actually a 126 Brownie and then the Instamatic)and have a lot of fuzzy and blurry pictures. All the while, Dad had a 35 mm Kodak similar to a Pentax K-1000 stuffed in his sock drawer and I never knew it until about 1980. Rats, I missed a lot of shots before I got that Kodak 35mm and eventually the K-1000.
Lots of memories few pictures.
Gonut