Nostalgia & History > More Key Route in Oct 2004

Photobob asked for interior shots. They're here.

Pumpkin Patch trains were running this weekend and some Sunday trips had standing loads. Just like old rush hours where even the drop seats were lowered in front of the doors. They could've MU'd the units, but then 30-minute headways would not be possible as two units are needed for schedules.

The trip between the Western Railway Museum (Rio Vista Junction, Calif.) and Gum Grove pumpkin patch is 10-15 minutes long. Key units were never speed burners, but upgrades tend to be even slower than in the old days with no feeder cable on the WRM line. Poles are in place and eventually those amazing volunteers will string cable. Track on the museum line is better than the old Key System, for sure. (The trains were discontinued in 1958 and maintenance on the railway seemed to have stopped much earlier than that.)

I rode several trips down memory lane and it was a great afternoon, with weather cooperating fully.

Herewith are more photos. Last week was outside; this time mostly interior shots of the trains that used to run on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge.

First, a shot of Key System 186 in the pre-NCL color scheme. Nice colors for a Pumpkin Patch special, too.

---

A typical interior view, non smoking end. Back in the old days, the A-end was for smokers; B-end was non.

Motorman's cab to the right; railfan's seat front window left.

End doors were open for ventilation. When orignally built, ventilation was sort of forgotten.

---

The Man.

This motorman is a BAERA volunteer. The real Key motormen were authorized to wear either a blue uniform or engineer's coveralls.

---

Here's the cab with captions. Key unit controllers were on the right, brake valve at left.

---

Motorman's view in cab lower left. The valve down low is brake pipe cutout.

---

The right side of the cab looking down on the IN and OUT directional switch (cut Train Control in and out of cab) and the hand brake handle, and pantograph buttons (A-end only). Actually the raising and lowering of the pan was done at speed automatically. Air operated bell button on floor.

---

TC (train control) territory was west of San Pablo Avenue on the C, E, F and H lines; and near Tower 2 on the A and B routes. The "NS" would extinguish and one of four speeds would light up upon entering TC territory. TC operation was designed to allow a high number of trains at close headway on the Bay Bridge, even in dense fog. It worked.

By the way, there were no speedometers on the trains.

Southern Pacific and Sacramento Northern interurban equipment also had these cab signals. Alas, they only operated for about two years before bailing out of the business.

---

This is how the info got to the cab signals; sensors above the rails. All this stuff in the mid-1930s.

I suppose the TC eqipment was state of the art then. Not much else on the Key units was. The cars were built new, but most components came from original Key Route equipment in service after the turn on the century; controllers, couplers, you name it.

---

Lots of passengers on the special trains this weekend.

---

More people and pumpkins

---

Smoker sections had these match strikers. Before Bic lighters and way before No Smoking...

---

They're missing here, but card tables were provided on the trains when on the Key System.

---

Conductor's station had open-close door buttons for the A-end, and a whistle signal for the motorman. Most of the time only the B-end doors were used for boarding; next to the farebox. Cable is an emergency brake.

Multiple units coupled together had collectors in every unit.

---

Car cards have been recreated by the museum and are replicas of originals.

Check out the SP ad and the low fares to and from LA (Pacific Electric land).

---

These drop seats (in front of doors) added some seating capacity during rush hours. There were needed on some museum trips this weekend.

Note door valve in stanchion; Conductor used a key to open air operated doors.

---

Gum Grove bridge on the ex-Sacramento Northern line now owned by Western Railway Museum

---

These signal lites identified the trains to tower operators at night. Each route (on Key and Southern Pacific Red Trains) had a combination of colored lights. (SN trains had trackage right on Key System.) Open a door inside and rotate color lenses in front of two light bulbs.

---

A meet viewed from the railfan seat

---

Do they really have 10 power notches?
Every streetcar I ran had only 9.
Tom

Stash,

Got a chance to ride today. Took the NCL unit down to Gum Grove and came back on the orange and silver unit. Great day, great ride and even the two decidedly non-railfan young ladies I brought enjoyed themselves!

Special thanks to Ted Miles who was kind enough to show us around and give some history to my non-railfan friends. Considering we all grew up all or mostly around the Bay Area, they loved seeing cars from the Key, SN, Muni and Peninsular. They could really relate to it.

The Pumpkin Patch was a blast and the hay castle was fantastic. Another great job by WRM!!

zephyrus