Nostalgia & History > Flare Friday, Santa Fe . . .

.   .   .   in JUL '75, one of Santa Fe's two "Wilmington Turns" from San Bernardino, was backing it's train into Watson Yard, in Wilmington, CA. on the Harbor District of the Los Angeles Division.
JB

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That hurts!  Dont post!!! They look sooooo new.

First-rate photo - Beautiful locomotives.
Bob

Thanks for posting and the look back.The first move was to kick the cab into a clear track and then shove the train into the yard.Then pick up the outbounds and double or triple to the cab and off to San Bernardino.A very high seniority job that we could only catch off the extra board.Seven days a week,too.Bill Webb 

Did arriving trains generally back into the yard?  What was the purpose for that?   

Love the pinstripe/silver trucks combo - IMHO clearly superior to the later blue and yellow scheme - much classier.

Thanks for posting JB!

The "Wilmington Turns" always pulled past the yard on the main to Long Beach, then shoved the train, kicking the caboose up the lead as stated, into usually at least two tracks. Reasons; no crossings to block pulling past, descending grade to bottom of yard, derail at bottom of yard, numerous streets beyond bottom of yard, and, the engineer did not have to change ends. Today, the "Harbor Train" always pulls into the yard comming from the opposite direction off the Alameda Corridor.
JB

JB, that is one fine looking Flare!  The silver trucks really make it.  Santa Fe's best looking freight scheme period.  Thanks for sharing.

Kent in CArmel Valley

Excellent shot.
Always liked the blue paint.
Gary

Great shot!

RC Lundgren

spider1319 Wrote:
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> Thanks for posting and the look back.The first
> move was to kick the cab into a clear track and
> then shove the train into the yard.Then pick up
> the outbounds and double or triple to the cab and
> off to San Bernardino.A very high seniority job
> that we could only catch off the extra board.Seven
> days a week,too.Bill Webb
 
Why was this a high seniority job?  Just because it was a "turn" and you didn't end up at an "away" terminal waiting for your next assignment?  With all the work shoving into multiple tracks at Wilmington, tying everything down, and building your outbound train, that sounds like a full day's work for sure.  Plus with all the grade crossings going from Hobart to Wilmington, speeds must have been relatively slow.  I bet it was a relatively long day.

The job had regular hours, had the highest amount of pay miles at the time in San Bernardino. One hundred miles equalled a days pay, and the job paid 181 miles, nearly two days pay each day. At Watson a quick shove into a couple of tracks, then with ground air on the outbound cuts and prebuilding of the train, it was a quick double over, pick up the caboose, do a set and release and away you go. The speed limit of twenty, at the time, meant nothing to the "Turn". It was all about getting over the road. I once followed the "Turn" out of Watson running a set of lite engines and after the first eight miles, never saw the caboose marker again. MY motto running trains at the time was plus two minus nothing.
JB



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/20 11:05 by 3rdswitch.