Nostalgia & History > What would D.J. Russell have said?

What would D.J.Russell have said if witnessed this scene. The pride of the Southern Pacific painted in UP yellow passing one of the symbols of his railroad Mt Shasta? I took this a couple of years ago in fact the manzanita has grown up at this location wreaking the view.

Robert Morris
Dunsmuir, CA
Robert Morris Photography

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Oh Shit!

"I picked the wrong guy."

"And why is the Sunset not facing backward on the rear??'

Breathtaking!
Bob

SPMW5771 Wrote:
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> "And why is the Sunset not facing backward on the
> rear??'

Perhaps the old heavyweight was more comfortable and rode better.
SR2

Blown a gasket

Most likely wouldn't care.

Posted from Android

DJR presided over SP's ascendency to become the most successful US railroad. In 1970, SP had the highest net operating income of any US railroad. He retired in 1972, then lived long enough to see his company go down the tubes. While SP had a diversified traffic mix, the lion's share of profits on the railroad DJR left behind came from lumber. plywood, autos and auto parts traffic.

The 1975-76 recession hit SP hard, coming on top of a big drop in US Forest Service timber sales (which drove up timber prices for US forest products companies, especially those in Southern Oregon excluding Roseburg Lumber which owned its own) and on top of insanely discounted stumpage fees in British Columbia (which made it terribly hard for companies in SP territory to compete with BC forest product companies). So SP's revenues from lumber and plywood traffic plummeted.

To maintain a semblance of profitability and thereby please investors, the BFB management deferred locomotive maintenance, track maintenance and capacity improvements during this recession. Moreover, the BFB management decided to promote routing via Cotton Belt in order to get the longer haul on high-revenue lumber, plywood, and canned goods traffic going east. Car supply tendered to Oregon shippers was tilted towards Cotton Belt and Evergreen cars. And this was successful: When the economy came roaring back in 1977-1978, traffic via the Sunset Route and Cotton Belt surged. Only problem was, SP wasn't ready. There was not enough track capacity and there were not enough locomotives. The first modern-era melt-down on a Western road transpired on the T&NO in Texas and the Cotton Belt. SP's operating ratio soared into the 90s. First shoe to drop.

Meanwhile, the American auto manufacturers were losing ground to Japanese imports, especially in the Far West. The 1981-1982 recession triggered the US auto companies to massively retrench. GM closed its South Gate (LA)  and Warm Springs (Bay Area) assembly plants, and Ford started closing down its Milpitas (Bay Area) assembly plant. Bye-bye to high-revenue auto parts and set-up autos traffic. Second shoe to drop. SP reported a $52 milllion loss for 1982. Quite a change from 1970. For the rest of its life, SP's operating ratio was in the 90s or worse.

As PHLone relates, SP had half a billion in cash from the sale of Sprint that might have been used to revive the company. Instead. it was bequeathed to Santa Fe as a fall-out of the failed SFSP merger.

DJ died in 1985, probably appalled at what became of his company. Had he llived another dozen years, I like to think he would have been equally appalled at the transformation of his Sunset car from the beautiful car stainless steel with a red stripe he created to that Armour Yellow and Harbor Mist Gray abomination. The guys who inherited his company clearly have no taste.

Best regards,

Rob L.

UP-WP-MP didn't help matters, but neither would've SPSF. SP also held onto poor performing branch & secondary lines longer than their western peers as well. Would much be different had DJR been born, & consequently started his career 20 years later?

Desmond Praetzel, "4451 Puff"

Great location for photos, Bob!

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar

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Never mind DJR - I wonder what Leland Stanford would have thought of his name adorning the side of a car painted for Union Pacific!

That's an eye popping photo!

Well said, Rob

rob_l Wrote:
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> from the beautiful car stainless steel with a red
> stripe he created to that Armour Yellow and Harbor
> Mist Gray abomination. The guys who inherited his
> company clearly have no taste.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Rob L.

No Taste indeed. Also, the way this company barely mentioned the railroad they met at Promontory during Utah's 150 celebration last May. Oh well, It was their party.
It was nice meeting you last year at the convention.

SR2 Wrote:
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> SPMW5771 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > "And why is the Sunset not facing backward on
> the
> > rear??'
>
> Perhaps the old heavyweight was more comfortable
> and rode better.
> SR2
The "Sunset" was Mr. Russell's car.