Nostalgia & History > mundo: Santa Barbara Holiday(?) April 3, 1955

"Mundo" in the subject line indicates that the following photos were taken by Trainorders.com member mundo.

Ed rode a Railway Club of Southern California excursion on April 3, 1955 that went from the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal to Santa Barbara, CA via Southern Pacific's Coast Line.  Research by Scott Inman identifies this as the "Santa Barbara Holiday" excursion.

1. Onboard as the westbound train pauses at the distinctive Glendale depot, which still stands:

https://goo.gl/maps/PYc5YdibtPtfXZ9n8

2. At Montalvo, the train took a short detour up the wye for the Santa Paula branch for a photo stop.  The power is spit-shined GS-4 #4440.

3. The engine cut away and apparently went around the wye by itself, coupling onto the other end of the train to continue the journey west.

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4. With 4440 now on the opposite end of the train, it's time for a more stationary photos and then...

5-6. ...a photo runby at the Montalvo wye.  Amazingly, the building on the right still stands:

https://goo.gl/maps/p7yc9m3FvW74W63XA
 

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7. Back on the main line and skirting the shore of the Pacific Ocean at milepost 396 just east of Ventura.

8. SP 4440 and train stopped just shy of Montecito St. at the Santa Barbara depot.

https://goo.gl/maps/CZDW8y8coHZAY9UG9

9. With 4440 cut away, the open platform obs behind it reveals a drumhead for an RCSC "SP Centennial" excursion.  Does anyone know if this April 4, 1955 excursion was actually called the "SP Centennial" rather than "Santa Barbara Holiday," or was the "SP Centennial" drumhead just a leftover from an earlier trip?

In any case, thanks as always to Ed for sharing his photos with us!

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THANKS  ED and EVAN!!!

So is the club still around, quick google doesn't have that name quite?

dan Wrote:

> So is the club still around, quick google doesn't have that name quite?

The modern organization that shows up at the top of the Google search results isn't the same outfit.  The Railway Club of Southern California that sponsored this 1955 trip hasn't existed for decades.  It wasn't your typical NRHS/R&LHS chapter-style railfan club, but mostly the creation of Pullman conductor John Markoe Ferris.  According to a quote by Stan Kistler in an article about Ferris and his trips in the July 1981 Trains Magazine, it was "not the kind of a club that collected dues, elected officers, or held lengthy, boring business meetings; it was purely a traveling and social club, bringing compatible people together who shared common interests like photography, trains, travel, scenery, good fellowship."  Ferris accumulated a mailing list of some 4500 "members," and he and a few colleagues put together dozens of excursions in the 1940's and 50's that were almost invariably called "(something-or-other) Holiday."  Unfortunately, the informal nature of the club means that it's harder to track down information on the trips all these decades later.

Wonderful photos! Although we are used to seeing 4449 in its Daylight colors, the 4440 looks pretty sharp in black with silver trim. Thanks Evan and thanks Ed for sharing your photos.

Kim Heusel

Stunning!
Bob

That series almost has a "you were there" feel to it.  Amazing trip back through time!

Wow those lucky little boys!  Lots of women on the trip, too.
All those happy people and hardly anyone is overweight, yet alone obese.  What the heck happened to Americans?

Fast food and high Fructose Corn Syrup

Wonderful, and a huge "Thank You" to Ed and Evan.
I wonder why the headlight is off on the photo run-by.

Very nice photos that need to be publishied in the SPHTS Trainline magazine.  I do have one question in regard to photo number 7 shouldn't the caption read west of Ventura and and not east of Ventura?  

This was my first trip, after getting out of the Army in March.
Only three of us remain to my knowledge that went on these excursions.  Younger lads being Stan Kistler, Don Richardson and myself. If others remain, love to hear from you. Looking for excursion brochures for any of the trips. Look in your old files.

Being so informal, is what made it fun and it was a family afair, not just for the male railfan nut of the house. The "Club House" was the former Highland Park Station, courtesy of the Santa Fe Railroad.  As I recall, termites required tearing down the station.

Several of posts of my photo's by Evan were from RCSC excursions, starting with 1949 northern Arizona, 1950 Rio Grande NG and 1951, Jamestown area.

An SP dome car mid-train. That had to be pretty rare in an SP excursion. Great photos. Thanks!

Outstanding photography Ed! And an oustanding presentation Evan! Kudos all the way around!!!

Lance

railstiesballast Wrote:
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>" I wonder why the headlight is off on the photo
> run-by."

As to the 'headlight', SP's rules in 1955 didn't require a headlight to be displayed during daylight hours in this 
run-by situation since there were no apparent "streets, roads or highways at grade" being crossed.

As to the 'oscillating white light', they were required to be operated during "stormy weather, day and night, foggy
weather during daylight hours only and approaching road crossings at grade both day and night under all conditions".

I'm sure the engineer would have been agreeable to 'lighting 'em up', if asked. Probably no one asked. 

CEW  

A really interesting and fun SP series! Excellent!

Larry

Another fantastic set of historical images from Ed !
What a perfect day for steam and an excursion.
Thanks Ed - and Evan for the scans.
Gary
 

Westbound Wrote:
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> An SP dome car mid-train. That had to be pretty
> rare in an SP excursion. Great photos. Thanks!

No dome. Hamburger -grill car

It was a dome.

Food was a hamberger Grill  and/or a Automat  cars.   Being the only car in silver that we can see, it could have been either.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/20 16:08 by mundo.