Nostalgia & History > an electric switcher this Sunday: Yakima Valley's #298

I found this one roaming the streets of Yakima WA on 6/28/67 ...

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Really interesting shot, there is a lot to see there.  
Looks like the crewman is pulling down or putting up the trolley pole.  And they still carry a pole for pushing cars.  And all that street trackage.  The curve on that turnout in the foreground looks pretty sharp.  Would have been great to see this in operation.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/21 07:43 by hotrail.

Great catch - This isn't just a roster shot but a piece of photographic history also.
Bob

Looks like they're moving from right to left, so a crewman is holding the rope so he can guide the pole through frogs in the overhead or pull down the pole quickly if it snags. This practice is called "backpolling" and was often done when switching, although it's not the best idea as the pole could easily end up bent or caught in the overhead wires. A pantagraph is much better for moving back and forth, although many electric railroads didn't use them because they were incompatible with the overhead they used (like Pacific Electric in southern California) or due to the expense. By the way, 298 soldiered on doing this work until 1984 and is still extant.

The crewman was called a "Trolley Pup".

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA