Nostalgia & History > mundo: SP narrow gauge excursions in color, 1956-57

“Mundo” in the subject line means the following photos were taken by Ed Von Nordeck, TO member mundo.  

The Mt. Rubidoux Chapter of the Pacific Railroad Society ran a "Slim Princess" excursion on the Southern Pacific narrow gauge between Owenyo and Laws, CA on May 30, 1956 and repeated the trip exactly a year later on May 30, 1957.  Unlike the 1952 Railway Club of Southern California trip featured in an earlier thread ( https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4827677 ) that delivered riders from Los Angeles to Owenyo on a steam-powered, standard gauge SP train, this trip restored to busses for transportation to Owenyo.  Also by 1956, 4-6-0 #9 was the only steam locomotive still in service as a standby for 50-ton GE diesel #1, delivered in 1954.

1) May 30, 1956, and shiney number 9 simmers at Owenyo with the narrow gauge diesel and the standard gauge wye in the background.

2) Speaking of the "Little Giant," here it is next to the transfer platform in Owenyo with a standard gauge boxcar on the opposite side.

3) Looking railroad west (compass north) at Owenyo

 

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4, 5) Taking water at Kearsarge.

6) A photo runby in the cut on the 1927 line change around Tinemaha Reservoir. https://goo.gl/maps/Aen7V5JjZ7uHUWheA
 

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7) The welcoming banners on the Laws depot are from the Bishop Chamber of Commerce.  When the Carson & Colorado built the narrow gauge down the Owens Valley, they stuck to the east side of the river where the mineral traffic was, and thus missed establshed communities like Bishop on the west side.  Laws was the station that served Bishop.

8) Cutting the engine and water car off to run down to the turntable.

9) Looking "east" (south) at the depot.
 

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10-12) Taking a spin on the "armstrong," "gallows" turntable.
 

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13, 14) A photo stop on the way back "east" (south) at Zurich, across the river from Big Pine, CA.  The ruins of a loading platform can still be found at this location north of the former grade crossing of Highway 168.

15) A photo runby somewhere "east" of Zurich, possibly in the vicinity of Aberdeen.
 

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16) A view off the rear platform looking "west" at Aberdeen.  The concrete footings for the water tank can still be found today: https://goo.gl/maps/hh2b6TkKkChusUWR8

17) The excursion drumhead.
 

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18) May 30, 1957 found a very different-looking #9 waiting for the excursionists at Owenyo.  The engine hadn't been dolled-up for a movie role, but was simply the victim of a well-intentioned but misguided attempt by the shop foreman to "pretty up" the engine for visitors, see this old thread: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,2987203  Seven months after the makeover, the glitz had begun to tarnish just a bit.

19) Combine 401's appearance had also changed dramatically (if rather less preposterously) from its mid-1952 appearance during the RCSC trip: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4827677,4827684#4827684

20) A photo runby out on the line.
 

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21-22) Another runby that looks to be on the 1927 line change just "east" (south) of the cut.

23) ...and in keeping with the Olde West theme, train robbers?
 

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24, 25) Laws was also more gussied-up than it had been in 1956.  The people posing in the second photo are wearing gold ribbons that read "Welcome."

26) One more look at Ol' Nummer Nine on the way back to Owenyo.  The engine would be returned to its prior appearance later in 1957, and today is on display at the museum in Laws.

Thanks as always to Ed for sharing his photos!
 

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Yes, thanks Ed. A wonderful look back.

Kim Heusel

A true "A+" series of images.
Bob

Amazing images. As a kid in the 70s and 80s, my grandmother lived in Bishop and whenever we visited her I tried to talk one of the adults into taking me to visit Laws, which I did fairly often. I always used to wonder what the place looked like just prior to operations shutting down and what No. 9 looked like under steam. These color images really fill that void. It's also amazing to see how green the Owens Valley was before the DWP sucked all the water out of it. Granted, it was May but I went there plenty of times in the spring and it wasn't half as green as that.

What a wonderful group of historic photos.

Thank you for sharing them.

Dave

Thanks to both of you for sharing these great images.I enjoyed seeing them.Bill Webb

These photos made me very happy today. Thank you for sharing them. A great series.

Fab-you-luss!!! This post is worth the annual fee for TO.

Out

Thank you for these images they are priceless!

Fantastic shots!  I just looked on GoogleMaps - the ROW of the Jawbone wye is still visible....

Wonderful.Other than Laws and Keeler mother nature has claimed most of the ROW
 

Wonderful photos.  Thanks for posting them.  In #2, what is the tall vertical object in the background on the left side?