Nostalgia & History > Summit, CA in 1952

A view of Summit, CA in 1952. The two freights are holding for the Los Angeles Limited on the left.

---

Top shot, thanks for sharing it with us. Malcolm.

I really like the photo - I've set it as my desktop to remind me of more interesting times at Cajon. There is a lot more quantity today, but the engines and trains tend to be monotonous. I spent a lot of time up there from the late 60's through the 70's, before everything was a fortress. The "TRAIM" sign to the left of the last car on the passenger was gone, but there was a flashing light to warn of eastbounds. I sometimes made friends with the workers who were stationed for a time in the section cars on the siding. The rooms and bunks were small, but all you had to do to see what was going by was to lift up your head. I wonder why two westbounds were holding for the passenger, in that it is still double track past summit.

steveg; Two scenerios as to why the freights are holding; the most probable is that the eastbound just came up the south track (#2) and crossed over in front of them or the passenger came up the north track (#1), which is not as steep, and the freights are waiting to go down the north track.-BMT

Is that tiny yellow object in the middle of the photo "Descanso"? If so, it would have another 15 years in that spot before being moved to Orange Empire, where it would regain its "funeral car gray" paint job.

That looks more like the water tank on the hill. The Descanso was IIRC just down the hill behind the trees.

UPNW2-1083 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> steveg; Two scenerios as to why the freights are
> holding; the most probable is that the eastbound
> just came up the south track (#2) and crossed over
> in front of them or the passenger came up the
> north track (#1), which is not as steep, and the
> freights are waiting to go down the north
> track.-BMT

Remember that this was long before CTC and it would be highly unusual for a train to run against the current of traffic on either track which is what either scenario would require. IIRC there was no crossover between north and south available to any of the trains in the positions shown. The only way to crossover at Summit would be via the siding between the north and south tracks (through the switches shown in the photo) and the next crossover would be near Cajon.

So it's a mystery to me why TWO freights were holding (unless a passenger or other hot movement was going to run around them through the center siding). Or maybe setting up retainers?

What a great photograph. I like the fact that some of you are able to verbally detail the scenario of what took place in this picture. Thanks guys for the pic and the history.

Jim

My mindset sees this.

The w/b UP freight is holding the south track main, while the Santa Fe is running around it through the w/b siding (run-arounds
happened a LOT).

The UP may also have helpers that need to be cut off, and that process may just be starting, if the Santa Fe is clear of the siding switch.

Meanwhile, an e/b passenger is starting down the grade on the north track.

The open siding between the UP freight and the passenger is the e/b siding.

As was previously noted, this is ALL ABS territory, long before CTC (TCS on the Santa Fe at the time).

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out