Railroaders' Nostalgia > Timeless Tehachapi

In December 1961, I was a punk 18 year old brakeman for SP in Los Angeles. By chance, I was called as the rear brakeman on train 57, the Owl, to work from Los Angeles to Fresno. I had only been over the route once but as a coach passenger. Well here we go. Of course, it was dark when we left LA, and I rode in the vestibule of the rear car, SP sleeper 9154, one of the last 6-6-4 sleepers in service on SP, as we hammered across the diamonds at Mission Tower and turned left on the East Bank of the LA River. I had my timetable close by to be certain I did not overlook any train order offices such as Burbank Jct., San Fernando, Saugus, Lang, Vincent, Palmdale, or Lancaster. I do remember the operator at Lang standing between the depot and the train, illuminated by the light on the train order signal as we whirled by. When we reached Mojave, the wind was blowing. Now that was unusual! And then we were off, on the long pull up to Tehachapi, stopping there to exchange mail and baggage, and then, downhill in a serious manner as we descended Tehachapi pass. I could well have gone inside the sleeper and rode in the roomette assigned to the flagman, but no, this was a great opportunity to see a famous railroad, fascinated by the trip and the night views.
As we approached Walong and the loop. the train quietly slid around the loop and descended into a blanket of thick white valley fog, just disappearing from my view. The next time I saw the train was at Fresno, where I detrained and headed for the hotel. The next day, we returned to LA on train 52, the San Joaquin Daylight, leaving Fresno about 1230pm. Again, the train was obscured by Valley fog until we rose out of it as we ascended the loop at Walong. I was thinking of this early trip when I was making plans for my trip over Tehachapi on TIOGA PASS Saturday, how much has changed and yet remains the same.

Norm

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/18 22:51 by aronco.

You must have known Cash Murphy and Lonnie Hood.

Great story, Norm.

The OWL has fascinated me in the fact that it used that secondary West Side line between Fresno and Tracy via Los Banos. A middle chunk of that line is now abandoned and ripped up.

In the early sixties, Espee was strongly desiring to discontinue the OWL but they had an even stronger desire to move it off the West Side line and run it on the more-heavily-used line via Merced and Lathrop. The State PUC was steadfast in keeping the train on the West Side line until it was discontinued in 1965.

The train also offered sections in the heavyweight sleeping car late in the game when other trains did not offer sections.

If I didn't have a schedule conflict, I would be joining you this Saturday.

Memories are fun. What a neat story to hand down!

Lance

CA_Sou_MA_Agent wrote:

> The train also offered sections in the heavyweight sleeping car late in the game when other trains did not offer sections.

When I rode on the final southbound trip of the Owl, a railfan told me it was the last SP train to have sections (no heavyweight cars then, though).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/18 14:42 by johnsweetser.