Nostalgia & History > Depot Friday: AT&SF Los Nietos, CA

James N. Spencer photographed Santa Fe 4-6-2 #3525 on the point of a westbound passenger train approaching the diminutive but neatly-kept depot at Los Nietos, CA east of Los Angeles.  It's 1942, the locomotive is wearing a wartime headlight shroud, and the crossing flashers for Norwalk Blvd. have extra-long hoods to foil the Japanese air raids that never came (the "Battle of Los Angeles" notwithstanding).  Unfortunately, Spencer does not appear to have photographed the freight depot that was just out of the frame to the right. 

The passenger depot lasted trackside another two decades.  Santa Fe closed the agency on the last day of 1960 and attempted to sell the structure but ultimately ended up demolishing it in March of 1962.  This modern streetview from Norwalk Blvd. looks the other direction (railroad west) at the depot's former location:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/g8hvAWrSVftcov2w7

Photo courtesy the Western Railway Museum Archives.

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So tidy, so neat, so clean.

Looks like one, maybe two boys on bikes at the crossing taking in the 
sights and sounds of Santa Fe steam.

I lived in Norwalk just a little over a mile from the site of the former station. At one time there was a team track that would be on the left or south side of the tracks visible in the streetview. I used to park for a little trainspotting in the lot that is visible if you rotate the view so that your are facing east. 

Thanks for the memoriest!

I drove past that intersection a month ago and a couple of railfans wtih lawn chairs and scanners were sitting in that little triangular lot between the intersection and the the ROW (seen in the Google street view).  
Too bad you can't see UP Los Nietos yard as well from there.

I found this little depot and engine in a park at Norwalk close by recently but forget where it was originally located. 

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trackplanner Wrote:
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> I found this little depot and engine in a park at
> Norwalk close by recently but forget where it was
> originally located. 

That's  Heritage Park in Santa Fe Springs. I was a volunteer there  25 years ago. As I  recall, the station was a reproduction of the original, which had been torn down.

Very cool shot of Los Nietos in 1942. Things have sure changed since 1942!

Larry

Thank you Evan and trackplanner.  ATSF 870 started life as St. Louis, Rocky Mountain & Pacific, later the Rocky Mountain & Santa Fe, 101 built by Baldwin in 1905.  ATSF acquired the RM&SF about 1915.  Engine was "marooned" in Madrid, NM for many years before being moved to CA 25+ years ago.  I have photos of it loaded on flat cars en route to CA but will take some digging to find those.  There is another 2-8-0, 769, still in Madrid, future of that engine is uncertain.
Bryan 

Chico56 Wrote:

> Engine was "marooned" in
> Madrid, NM for many years before being moved to CA
> 25+ years ago.  I have photos of it loaded on
> flat cars en route to CA but will take some
> digging to find those.  

It was in April 1989. I was at school in Albuquerque (conveniently a block from the Santa Fe “passenger main”) waiting for my ride home when I saw the southbound Santa Fe Turn roll past with a steam locomotive and tender on flatcars. Upon arriving home, I scooped up my camera, “borrowed” the car, and headed back down to the yards. Thankfully, the 870 wasn’t buried and could be easily views from South 2nd St.

> There is another 2-8-0, 769, still in Madrid, future of that engine is
> uncertain.

Anything come of that group that wanted to restore it to operation?

Evan,
So moving the 870 west was 35 years back opposed to 25, ughhh!  As my late mother would say, please stop the clock!
Have not heard anything about folks talking about restoring 769 for a year at least, suspect that is just a pipe dream, but never say never.
Bryan