Nostalgia & History > Colton 1974

Remember when you could park under the freeway bridge to stay out of the rain and nobody cared, called the cops, or collapsed in a fit of paranoid induced apoplexy? I do, and the two UP SD45s split by an Omaha GP20B, and the SD40, and the smell of the hogs (I still like Farmer John).

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Or the Santa Fe that came the other way.

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Anyone know why there is fresh paint on that northwest corner of the tower?? Steamjocky?? (the corner closest to the train in the picture)

mdo

mdo Wrote:
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> Anyone know why there is fresh paint on that
> northwest corner of the tower?? Steamjocky?? (the
> corner closest to the train in the picture)
>
> mdo

If I remember correctly, that was caused by an eastbound SP empty beet train putting a car into the tower.

MacBeau Wrote:
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> mdo Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Anyone know why there is fresh paint on that
> > northwest corner of the tower?? Steamjocky??
> (the
> > corner closest to the train in the picture)
> >
> > mdo
>
> If I remember correctly, that was caused by an
> eastbound SP empty beet train putting a car into
> the tower.


Yes, MacBeau is correct. The empty beet racks were coming off of the east leg of the wye and was crossing over to track #2 when one of the beet gons hit the diamond and derailed. Fortunately, the speed off of the wye was 15 mph so the train, with engineer Charlie Steffes behind the throttle, who wrote the book about being an engineer, wasn't going very fast and stopped pretty quickly. I was working the engineers extra board in Indio at the time and don't know much more than that.

I remember talking to the towerman, Cal Caughlin (I knew all of the guys who worked in the tower), and he told me that he thought the tower was going to collapse. He said it scared the crap out of him. I think it would do the same thing to me too.

The tower was torn down around November of 1979 (I think) and the operations were given to the Santa Fe Third District dispatcher in San Bernardino. I sure miss that old tower. I have the schematic that came off of the little CTC machine they had in the tower for the Santa Fe tracks. The SP schematic was on a seperate piece of equipment and was operated only by the "Armstrong" type of levers. There is a good picture of the interior of the tower in John Signor's book on Beaumont Hill.

steamjocky

When was the West Colton trim engine runaway?? The one that plowed thru the UP train.

Steamjocky Wrote:
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> I remember talking to the towerman, Cal Caughlin
> (I knew all of the guys who worked in the tower),
> and he told me that he thought the tower was going
> to collapse. He said it scared the crap out of
> him.

Wasn't Frank Eckler on duty one night when it got hit?

>
> The tower was torn down around November of 1979 (I
> think) and the operations were given to the Santa
> Fe Third District dispatcher in San Bernardino.

The tower had actually been closed (August 78?) before it was pulled down.

> The SP schematic was on a seperate piece of equipment and
> was operated only by the "Armstrong" type of
> levers.

By the time I was hitting the place in the 70's, the SP had been added to the CTC machine and the "Armstrong Fallovers" had been all pulled out.

Steamjocky, were you ever there when the UP (usually the “Blue Diamond”) would ask for the power on the switch for “the Pass” and then hang the whole damn plant? I actually learned new combinations of profane invectives from Frank when that would happen, and it wasn’t just at Colton either. I was in Riverside Junction Tower one night when a UP asked for entrance onto the Santa Fe claiming to be at the top end of Streeter when in truth he was coming through Pedley. Colton fixed his wagon by tucking him the Pass and then making him wait for everything even close before making any switch moves.

MacBeau Wrote:
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>
> Wasn't Frank Eckler on duty one night when it got
> hit?
>
I believe Frank was on duty when the switch engine from the TRIM got away while switching a heavy cut of cars (was it switching the CPC plant?) without any air. I believe the engine was the 2498, an SW1500. Unfortunately, Frank passed away about 2 years ago or so. I sure miss his Kentucky humor.


> The tower had actually been closed (August 78?)
> before it was pulled down.

I remember when a timetable bulletin (now called general orders) stating that on 11-1-79 the tower would no longer be a manned tower. That's why I said "torn down ABOUT November of 1979."
>
> > The SP schematic was on a seperate piece of
> equipment and
> > was operated only by the "Armstrong" type of
> > levers.
>
> By the time I was hitting the place in the 70's,
> the SP had been added to the CTC machine and the
> "Armstrong Fallovers" had been all pulled out.

I don't remember any actual "switches" being on the CTC machine for the SP. I do remember the lights being on the machine for the SP to show track occupancy.

>
> Steamjocky, were you ever there when the UP
> (usually the “Blue Diamond”) would ask for the
> power on the switch for “the Pass” and then hang
> the whole damn plant?

I believe the "Blue Diamond" was a westbound train. But, I do remember the eastbound "CN" (for Colton, I was told) blocking the interlocking after making their pickup. I never understood why the towermen never made the crews stop back to hold their pickup so they would not foul the plant so that they could run SP trains while the CN was getting their air before leaving. Dave Hoover was the carman for the UP at the time and I use to ride around with him sometimes while he was inspecting the cars that the CN would eventually pickup. I hope I didn't misunderstand your question.


steamjocky

Steamjocky Wrote:
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> Unfortunately, Frank passed away about 2
> years ago or so. I sure miss his Kentucky humor.
That man could tell the most wonderful stories. There were evenings I thought my sides would burst. I had not seen him in many years.

> I remember when a timetable bulletin (now called
> general orders) stating that on 11-1-79 the tower
> would no longer be a manned tower.
I bow to that date and thank you, I will adjust my notes.

> I don't remember any actual "switches" being on
> the CTC machine for the SP.
As I recall, Colton controlled no switches for the SP by that late date, only the home signals for the diamond. Steamjocky, I could be wrong but I swear I remember coding signals for the SP.

Thanks for reminding me that the CN was the eastbound. Didn't the Blue Diamond set out at Colton for the SP?

> Steamjocky wrote:
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>
> > I don't remember any actual "switches" being
> on
> > the CTC machine for the SP.

> As I recall, Colton controlled no switches for the
> SP by that late date, only the home signals for
> the diamond. Steamjocky, I could be wrong but I
> swear I remember coding signals for the SP.

And I could be wrong too...
>
> Thanks for reminding me that the CN was the
> eastbound. Didn't the Blue Diamond set out at
> Colton for the SP?

Yes it did.

steamjocky

Steamjocky:
Did you happen to know Joe Kempher (sp?) the towerman at Riverside who worked the relief job?

MacBeau Wrote:
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> Steamjocky:
> Did you happen to know Joe Kempher (sp?) the
> towerman at Riverside who worked the relief job?


Yes I did. He was a real great guy whose hobby was, among other things, western quick draw like a cowboy. I couldn't get over how fast he was. I met him when he worked a vacation relief at Colton Tower in about 1966.

He took me to Mission Tower at about the same time to see the plant and meet the two guys who were working there at the time. One time I even rode a freight car (that was dumb now that I think about it) from Colton to see him when he worked West Yard Tower in San Bernardino one afternoon. Fortunately he routed the UP train the "long way", as they use to call it, and he stopped it so I could get off to visit him. I knew he eventually quit the railroad but I'm not sure what he ended up doing. If I remember correctly, he was also a Reserve County Sheriff's Deputy. Maybe he ended up doing that.

Not that it matters, but I think his last name is spelled Kaempfer or Kaempher. I don't remember which.

You have made me think of times that were lots of fun for me in those days. I really do enjoy remembering my teenage years. Thanks.

steamjocky