Nostalgia & History > A Drive up the California Coast, 5/17/92

I started a new job on 5/18/92 in Mountain View.  I departed Thousand Oaks on Sunday, 5/17/92.  I made the same drive almost every Sunday afternoon until my family moved to Pleasanton at the end of November.  The south bound trip usually was made on Friday evenings, mostly in the dark.  That’s about 700 miles on my ’85 Toyota Corolla, which already had over 100,000 miles on it, on at least 20 weekends.
 
Pismo Beach, 5/17/92
1. A w/b SP train was led by SSW GP60 #9662, built 10//89, to UP #1962 8/3/01, renumbered #1024.  I heard of Pismo Beach long before I got here because I remember a drunk character “Dirty Ernie from Pismo Beach” in one episode of the TV show Dragnet, probably the ’51 – ‘59 series.
San Luis Obispo, 5,17/92
2. Both Amtrak Coast Starlights were stopped at the stations, the e/b led by F40PHR #253, built 10//77 with parts from SDP40F #574, later rebuilt to NPCU #90253.
3. The roundhouse was gone, but the turntable was still there.

Gerry

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Welby, 5/17/92
4 – 6. The w/b Amtrak Coast Starlight descended an escarpment a few miles south of King City.

Gerry

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San Jose, 5/17/92
7. There was quite a crowd awaiting the w/b Coast Starlight.

Gerry

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Santa Clara, 5/19/92
8. A w/b CalTrain shoved to San Francisco.
Santa Clara, 5/20/92
9. SP GP9R #3188, built 6//54 as GP9 #5600, renumbered #3008, rebuilt 2//77, was tied down.
10. A w/b Amtrak train was led by F40PHR #267, built 12//77 with parts from SDP40F #588.
 
References:
That site that archives railroad pictures
https://utahrails.net/index.php
 
Gerry

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Nice time capsule. The last photo is a Capitol Corridor train. The service was barely 6mo old at the time. The start up needed 6 LSA’s (Cafe Attendants) to work the new trains. I was one of the 6 to accept the transfer to Oakland from LA. I worked the CC exclusively for the next 24yrs.
SR

Real nice bunch.
JB

Interesting different views.
That is the first photo of anything Pismo Beach I've ever seen. As this site often does it brings up memories. This one another character from Pismo Beach. In 1964 when I graduated from high School I took a job as a pump jockey at an Atlantic Service station. I was a classic 90 pound weekling, 6 foot tall and weight 120 pounds. Skinny as a rail. We had a great boss that told us when we worked weekend nights we could go to the Deli next door and buy our dinner and pay for it out of "shift" money. Most of us night shift workers were kids right out of high school so it was a nice "perk". We would take turns walking over to order sandwiches and bring them back. On topic, whenever it was my turn to get dinner and I walked into the Deli to order from the short order cook he would look at me and say, "Hey it's Muscles from Pismo Beach".
Years later I worked in a drafting room where we had a "Dirty Earnie", not drunken, just dirty! Never knew of Dirty Earnie from Dragnet but I'm guessing that was the origination of his nickname.
Thanks for the post!
Gonut

And we are glad that you joined us up north Gerry! Thanks for the looks back, this was the time that I was graduating high school, and exploring the old SP more. Of course, college and girls put a slight damper on that soon after.

Dave 

Great series Gerry, thanks for sharing.  Good memories of College Park watching the commutes.  Santa Clara was my old stompin grounds.

Kent in CArmel Valley

WCWSM

GPutz Wrote:
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> Pismo Beach, 5/17/92
> 1. A w/b SP train was led by SSW GP60 #9662, built
> 10//89, to UP #1962 8/3/01, renumbered #1024.  I
> heard of Pismo Beach long before I got here
> because I remember a drunk character “Dirty
> Ernie from Pismo Beach” in one episode of the TV
> show Dragnet, probably the ’51 – ‘59
> series.

I have only seen a few of the 1950s Dragnet so I don't know if it was on there but I know it was on Adam-12.