Nostalgia & History > SP? wigwag-protected crossing location?

Ward Kimball's collection of negatives at the Southern California Railway Museum aren't very well labeled, at least not the ones I've come across so far.  Half a dozen negs might be stuffed in a yellowed envelope with "Union Rock Co." or "SD&AE 1937" written on it, or sometimes just "Unidentified 1936."  The image below was in an envelope labeled "SP 4308," and the rest of the negatives do indeed show SP 4-8-2 #4308 on a 6-car passenger train, unfortunately shot in such a way that the train indicators aren't visible in any of them!  I can't guarantee that this photo was taken in the same area as those anyway, so I will offer it up on its own - anyone have any idea where this was taken?  It's probably California, possibly SP, and likely the 1930's, but that's the best I can do.  The sign on the oil distributor in the background just says "Union Oil Company."

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What a wonderful scene! Perhaps the wig-wag was mounted so high in order to be seen from both sides of the track.
Bob

It has a little bit of a "Saugus, CA" look to it.

My initial reaction was Santa Paula Branch. TO member SP 4360 should have a look- he was a signal maintainer down there for a while.
SR

Very enjoyable SP look back with wigwag. Can't help on location.

Larry

Without doubt that is Newhall, California. I drive over that crossing at least once a week.  This is Newhall Ave where it crosses the tracks. It use to be known as San Fernando Road until the City of Santa Clarita changed the name more than a decade ago.  The Saugus Depot is to the right side of the image, moved from Saugus decades back when it was near the intersection of Magic Mountain Parkway.

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

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So looking SE

https://mapper.acme.com/?ll=34.37415,-118.52265&z=14&t=U&marker0=34.37532%2C-118.52377%2C34.37532725648343%20-118.52377013293125

Looks like a one-mile board down there --
wouldn't have thought it was a mile to Newhall.

Hwy 99 quit crossing here around 1931
(i.e. moved west out of Newhall and Saugus).

Definitely SP with a classic SP wooden crossbuck.  ATSF mounted their Magnetic Flagman wigwags differently.  Also seemingly unique to the SP is the disk above the motor - it counterbalances wind forces.  From the looks of the tracks, it's mainline, not branch.  And the wigwag target is still painted red.  Sometime around 1940 (don't know the exact date), targets were painted white with the black cross and border.

Stan Praisewater

Fascinating thread!

Significant communications infrastructure depicted.
...Lorenzo

Vs no wires left at all except for the traffic signals.

Oliver Barrett

567Chant Wrote:
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> Significant communications infrastructure
> depicted.
> ...Lorenzo

Here's a detail from the below 1930 aerial at Framefinder that captures a number of these structures. Nice job Mr. Webmaster nailing this location. 
https://mil.library.ucsb.edu/ap_images/c-1001b/c-1001b_b-95.tif

Sort in the extremely tangential arena: a great grand-daughter of Henry Mayo Newhall, the namesake of the station of Newhall, lived nearly to 100, passing away in 2011. She resided in a huge mansion located on the Gold Coast in San Francisco's Presidio Heights neighborhood. The mansion was built by a son of Henry Mayo. I knew someone who knew the caretaker and we were given a tour of the house before it went on the market. All the furniture was still in the place. Totally unrenovated as far as I could tell and kept in sterling condition. Like a time capsule. Wish I had taken some pictures. 
https://stevegothelf.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/114_history_pdf.pdf

This always comes to mind when I come across the name Newhall such as down by Quint St. where he gets mentioned regarding the history of Butchertown or in Santa Clara or in this case here.  

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/24 14:26 by phthithu.

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Looks like Newhall CA. to me.
San Fernando Road, now Newhall Avenue crossing.
TAH

And it looks like Union Oil had rail access.
TAH

Thanks much for the answers!