Nostalgia & History > SP Alco Switcher in West Oakland

SP Alco 1803, looks like the first pic is in the West Oakland yard. Second is obviously working near Schnitzer circa 1970-ish - I believe these two locations aren't very far apart...  Interesting trivia regarding Schnitzer; It was, if I'm reading my history correctly, the original site of Moore Drydock, the yard that built the Key System ferry boats Peralta and Yerba Buena...  And I've sent more than a few automobiles through there to become razor blades and Toyotas...  but I digress... Comments, corrections welcome, as always. Thanks in advance.

JR Benedict photos. Used with permission.​

Enjoy
Walter Boland
Sanfranciscotrains.org
Facebook: San Francisco Trains​​​
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/16 06:36 by drumwrencher.

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If my memory is correct, this ALCO made its way down to the OERM (SCRM) in Perris and was painted Orange and Black and returned to its original number 1474! It is still in frequent service after at least 60 years!

Thanks Walter!

Magnolia tower at the right edge of Pic 1.
In pic 2 the engine is crossing Adeline,
so they're maybe 300 ft apart.

I was informed that the switcher we got from SP in about 1980 was the 1802. I remember otherwise but it is not worth stirring the pot to disagree! I was close. The locomotive we got from SP was out at Yermo for some time before it was brought to the museum. It was painted back in Orange and Black in about 1981. I helped mask the stripes in the nose. You could still see where the original stripes were under the red paint. When I go out to the museum next Sat. I will go into the cab and look at the gauge board where someone had scratched the locomotive's number. That will tell me what its 1800 series numbers was!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/16 19:48 by TomPlatten.

Great memories of Alco S switchers seeing that smoke stack.
Brian Stevens

I must have a photo of that loco somewhere. By 1970, ALCO switchers were largely gone from the San Jose, so I made several trips up to Oakland to photograph them. West Oakland, the Monkey Ward warehouse, and of course the diesel shops, never disappointed.

Gracias, Walter!

EO