Nostalgia & History > SP Weekend Reefer Block At Watsonville

Southern Pacific commute geeps handle produce out of Watsonville, CA in January of 1979.

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Very nice. Typical cool gloomly, overcast day at Watsonville just a few miles from the ocean.

Regards, Jim Evans

If its the WJRVP, its very late. Perhaps a RVWJR into WJ?

In the 1980s my wife and I could just about count on seeing the WJRVP going through Chittenden Canyon in mide-morning. By then most of the time there were more boxcars than reefers.

Certainly could have been eastbound rather than westbound.

Is the 3190 one of the marooned geeps at Eureka?
Sure looks better pulling reefers than rusting to the rails.
Nice shot,sure do miss seeing PFE cars on the coast trains.

Mark

TonyJ Wrote:
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> In the 1980s my wife and I could just about count
> on seeing the WJRVP going through Chittenden
> Canyon in mide-morning. By then most of the time
> there were more boxcars than reefers.

Mid 80s, the SP gave up on the Salad Bowl Express, actually after 1982 and decline to offer the train. Perishables were still handled east on the RVOGP. By mid eighties, the schedule was a daytime departure as Tony said, mostly fill than perishables.

The 70-55 speed sign may be a clue.
On the SP in that era the signs to increase speed were at the point higher speed took effect and signs to reduce speed were two miles in advance of the lower speed.
I think that this is an increase speed sign, probably at old MP 98, for westward trains, for the straight track over to Aromas, so the train is likely going east.
If the train were eastward, then this sign would be for westward trains, and you can't go 70 MPH around the 4-degree curve at Watsonville Jct.

Cool shot. All cars alike make a neat looking train.
Brian Stevens

railstiesballast Wrote:
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> The 70-55 speed sign may be a clue.
> On the SP in that era the signs to increase speed
> were at the point higher speed took effect and
> signs to reduce speed were two miles in advance of
> the lower speed.
> I think that this is an increase speed sign,
> probably at old MP 98, for westward trains, for
> the straight track over to Aromas, so the train is
> likely going east.
> If the train were eastward, then this sign would
> be for westward trains, and you can't go 70 MPH
> around the 4-degree curve at Watsonville Jct.

I checked a 7/29.79 ETT, and if this is an westbound "out" of Watsonville, the only place with double track and 70/55 speeds for east trains is Lick.

Since this was January, and I was cut-off, I can't say for sure if this was a regular WJRVP, but by that summer, the standard on-duty time at WJ for the train was 10:00 PM, as it was in 1978.

EO

Let's see now, 3 geeps, all of them commute geeps, PFE mechanicals, and a 70-55 board? Since the pic was taken in 1979, it was an EB empty perishable (or block of empty mechanicals on the head-end), about 1/4 mile E of EE Watsonville Jct Yard (that 70-55 board, which is for westward trains), on a weekend.

EtoinShrdlu Wrote:
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> Let's see now, 3 geeps, all of them commute geeps,
> PFE mechanicals, and a 70-55 board? Since the pic
> was taken in 1979, it was an EB empty perishable
> (or block of empty mechanicals on the head-end),
> about 1/4 mile E of EE Watsonville Jct Yard (that
> 70-55 board, which is for westward trains), on a
> weekend.

Er, Column 1&2 speeds for west trains at WJ were 35mph 100.74 - 100.40; 25mph 100.40 - 100.00; 45mph 100.00 - 98.00. I don't think even Delarosa would have dared shoot past Flukey's office at 70mph.

EO

hogheaded Wrote:
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> EtoinShrdlu Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Let's see now, 3 geeps, all of them commute
> geeps,
> > PFE mechanicals, and a 70-55 board? Since the
> pic
> > was taken in 1979, it was an EB empty
> perishable
> > (or block of empty mechanicals on the
> head-end),
> > about 1/4 mile E of EE Watsonville Jct Yard
> (that
> > 70-55 board, which is for westward trains), on
> a
> > weekend.
>
> Er, Column 1&2 speeds for west trains at WJ were
> 35mph 100.74 - 100.40; 25mph 100.40 - 100.00;
> 45mph 100.00 - 98.00. I don't think even Delarosa
> would have dared shoot past Flukey's office at
> 70mph.
>
> EO


LOL.... not hardly!

>> about 1/4 mile E of EE Watsonville Jct Yard (that 70-55 board, which is for westward trains), on a weekend.


>Er, Column 1&2 speeds for west trains at WJ were 35mph 100.74 - 100.40; 25mph 100.40 - 100.00; 45mph 100.00 - 98.00. I don't think even Delarosa would have dared shoot past Flukey's office at 70mph.

OOPS!, make that and EB 1/4 mile W of WE Wats Jct yd (too many keys, too sluggish the fingers, particularly after a visit to the Harvest Room at the Resetar).