Nostalgia & History > Jack Perry: NCB 21 excursion on the CCT

Don Strack's post with the McKeen car and the ensuing discussion of how the engineer worked inches away from the laboring prime mover with no separating wall brought to mind some slides Jack Perry took on an excursion over the Central California Traction in 1966 that are now in the Western Railway Museum Archives.  The equipment on this excursion was Nevada Copper Belt 21, a Hall Scott gas-mechanical car with a Holman body built in 1911.

1. This is the flyer from the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association, marked up to indicate that the trip was already sold out. 

98763. The 21 standing near the CCT carbarn in Stockton at the beginning of the trip

98767. The view looking forward across the 6-cylinder Hall Scott power plant to the cab and out the front windshield - no noise deadening dividing wall here, either.  The write-up in the March 31, 1966 issue of the BAERA Review indicated that Jim "Bugs" Bruggere was the engineer, but that he "had much help with the levers."  Some description of how the car was controlled is in this old thread:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,1430712

---

---

---

98774. A photo stop at the station of Ampere south of Lodi Jct. 

98789. Amperes were evidently in short supply at Lodi Jct., where the engine stalled with the car on top of the junction switch.  According to the write-up in the Review, "There was just not enough in the battery to start the engine.  The 39 passengers all got out and altogether they got the 21's engine started on compression."  There can't be too many passenger-carrying rail vehicles where "get out and push" is a viable option, but evidently this was one.

98795. Now on Lodi Ave., 21 poses beside Eastshore Lines bus 412, which was chartered out of San Francisco to bring riders to Stockton for the excursion.  The bus then shadowed the car up to Sacramento, providing transportation for "motorcaders" who wanted pictures more than rare mileage bragging rights.

---

---

---

98819, 98820, 98821. The CCT crossed the SP main line at Polk on a high trestle.  The car did a photo runby on the bridge, and SP 6341 east showed up to complete the unusual over-under scene.

---

---

---

98915. The reason for the trip was to ride the CCT tracks down X St. before they were removed as part of the US-50 freeway construction.  In this view, I think the car is turning from Stockton Blvd. onto 2nd Ave.  Thankfully the Stockton Blvd. sign is in the shot or I would have been completely at a loss; absolutely no landmarks remain to identify the location otherwise: https://goo.gl/maps/HgPA88JkeNw

98920. One more turn from Alhambra Blvd. onto X St.  There's nothing left to identify this spot, either: https://goo.gl/maps/QH8vHfH1uoQ2

98932. The 21 pauses on X St. at about 16th (based on the concrete pillars for the freeway going up in the background) as the sun makes a brief appearance.  The trip ended at Front St., with the passengers getting dinner locally and then bussing back to the Bay Area.  The 21 would be picked up by the SN and ferried to Rio Vista Junction for some consolation prize excursions the following day for those who couldn't get seats on the CCT trip. 

The 21 spent a number of years at the BAERA's California Railway Museum (later Western Railway Museum), but now resides at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.

---

---

---

Fabulous series!

Great to see the CCT flyover of the SP. 

What is going on in picture 8 (caboose shot)?

It looks like somebody is crawling on the ground and others hiding in a ditch.

Thanks, Evan. I think you could probably fill that car several times over if this were possible today.  Love the over/under shots.

Anyone have some before after shots of the location of the CCT overpass over the SP today?

Great photos, Evan..    In the 2md to the last photo in your thread (# 98920), the big galvanized metal shed to the right is an old storage shed for CCT Interurbans.  There is a better photo of it in Jeff Moreau's book on the CCT.

Photo # 98795--  In this phpto, featuring the chartered "Eastshore Lines" bus :   'EASTSHORE' was owned by Bill Billings, one of the original Founders of the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association back in 1946.

Notes:  NCB # 21 ran on most Sacramento Northern trackage in Solano County in 1969 during the ARM Convention.   "Bugs" Bruggere was Engineer and I filmed the entire trip including "Bugs" running the engine.  Later on placed it on a DVD for those interested !

"Bugs" didn't really need any help running # 21.  He was the ONLY one who new how to operate it.  Sad that today, it fades away at CSRM !!

KRK

Now you're just playing with us!

Out

Great images. My favorites are the street running ones. She reminds me of an interurban without the wires.
Bob

mopacrr Wrote:

> Anyone have some before after shots of the
> location of the CCT overpass over the SP today?

The SP tracks are still there and used by UP, but all that's left of the CCT are the power lines that paralleled it.  This Streetview looks west along the CCT right of way toward the UP:

https://goo.gl/maps/WGaCwM7Y7Bk

The two concrete piers remained into the early 90's, long after the rest of the trestle was removed.

KeyRouteKen Wrote:

> Photo # 98795--  In this phpto, featuring the
> chartered "Eastshore Lines" bus :   'EASTSHORE'
> was owned by Bill Billings, one of the original
> Founders of the Bay Area Electric Railroad
> Association back in 1946.

Thanks for the additional info, Ken.  The Review item indicated that Dave Sproul was the bus driver.

But the CCT WAS an interurban and it did have wires.

Up until the early eighties you could see the spot on "X" street where the CCT turned and went West,
lot of history in Sacto metro that's disappeared over the years.

Out

>But the CCT WAS an interurban

Yes.

>and it did have wires.

only in town.

Third Rail out on the Main Line to Stockton.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA