Nostalgia & History > SP only "hauler " power . . .

.   .   .   in NOV '73, another set of the always interesting and unpredictable SP LA basin Hauler power was on a train departing Taylor yard near downtown Los Angeles.
JB

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On it's 17 hour - 2 crew trip to West Colton. 

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
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> On it's 17 hour - 2 crew trip to West Colton. 
>
> Out 


West?

Posted from Android

NYSWSD70M Wrote:
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> callum_out Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > On it's 17 hour - 2 crew trip to West Colton. 
> >
> > Out 
>
>
> West?
This would have been the Eastbound portion of the trip.  The engines are stopped just clear of North Main St, waiting for a signal from Mission Tower.
G

I had not seen a U33C/DD35/U33C consist before.   It looks really nice.  

Thanks for sharing.

I was working the engineer's extra board at Taylor at the time and could have very well been aboard this one.
Train could have been waiting for some room to go east by the Shops or a route to get to the State St. line.
I've lost track of when State St. opened up. Any guesses? 

Nice pic, Joe.

Charlie
 

ExSPCondr Wrote:
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> NYSWSD70M Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > callum_out Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > On it's 17 hour - 2 crew trip to West
> Colton. 
> > >
> > > Out 
> >
> >
> > West?
> This would have been the Eastbound portion of the
> trip.  The engines are stopped just clear of
> North Main St, waiting for a signal from Mission
> Tower.
> G

Got it - thanks!

Posted from Android

That's a great combination of locomotives and a fantastic slide scan! Thanks for sharing it.

Charlie,
I started at C of I in April of 1973, and at that time we had a work train that was just starting to spread ballast going West from El Monte.  A rail train had been shoved to the switch at El Monte and two sticks of rail pulled out with a dozer onto the ties which had been distributed.  Every fifth tie was spiked down, and then the train was shoved out another quarter mile.  This went on for about two days, the train was left where they stopped for the night, the crew was helped out to the busway with a ladder for a ride into town in the van.

All was well until the train started back empty.  Although there were plates on all the ties, only every fifth tie had spikes in it, and as soon as the train started to move East in the early afternoon,  the biggest sun kink ever seen stood up in front of the engine.  The rails stood up and then laid over against  one side of the retaining wall.

The contractor sent the train crew home, with instructions to be back at 4am the next morning when it was cool.  The next morning it had all cooled off and settled back down, they only had to do a little lining before the train could get out at walking speed.  The contractor started another crew spiking every tie West from El Monte, and they got the whole bridge fully spiked before the train got to the curve, and everything came out all right.

They learned quick, all the ties were spiked as soon as the train got off of them, and they had the 2nd and 3rd empty trains wait until 4am the next morning to go back out. 
G  

Milwaukee Wrote:
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> I had not seen a U33C/DD35/U33C consist before.  
> It looks really nice.  
>
> Thanks for sharing.

Probably looks way better then it runs.

callum_out Wrote:
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> On it's 17 hour - 2 crew trip to West Colton. 
>
> Out 

Sounds like both ways were congested on the Sunset Route!

Posted from Android

Nice shot!  Neat lashup.

Randy Lundgren

Nice shot.  Anything with a DD35 is nice to see.
Brian Stevens

ExSPCondr Wrote:
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> Charlie,

>
> .....All was well until the train started back empty. 
> Although there were plates on all the ties, only
> every fifth tie had spikes in it, and as soon as
> the train started to move East in the early
> afternoon,  the biggest sun kink ever seen stood
> up in front of the engine.  The rails stood up
> and then laid over against  one side of the
> retaining wall.

> .....They learned quick, all the ties were spiked as
> soon as the train got off of them, and they had
> the 2nd and 3rd empty trains wait until 4am the
> next morning to go back out. 

W.D. Moss, (can't remember if he went by Bill or Dave) related a story about being on one of
the rail trains during construction and how if you used too much engine brake the rail would 'run' ahead of
you and result it those monumental 'kinks'. 

Charlie