Railroaders' Nostalgia > Tower Tuesday Final

Burbank Junction was always a fun place to work with lots of action including passenger trains, hotshot freights, locals, roadswitchers and yard engines.  Once SPRR completed the Colton Cutoff in 1967, the train traffic on the Saugus/Valley Line started to decline as traffic between the PNW and the Southwest and Southeast avoided Los Angeles on the newly built route.  But, there was still plenty to take care of and lots of trains to roll by.  Summer 1971 was my last chance to work at Burbank Junction as I moved on to become a Train Dispatcher in downtown Los Angeles.  As a Train Dispatcher working the Coast Line, I depended on the Burbank Jucntion operator to provide the type of support in copying train orders and providing train information just as I did when working the tower and the new metal shed.  Burbank Juntion survived as an on-line interlocking plant until Metrolink invested in Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) and automated the junction to be controlled by a Metrolink Train Dispatcher.  Times change, but the memories, stories and history of this important SPRR junction live on.  Hope you have enjoyed this short journey through some of the memories of a place called Burbank Junction.

Pete
Camarillo, California

Photo !:  The Operator's desk and tools within the new metal shed at Burbank Junction
Photo 2:  The small CTC type machine operating switches and signals within th econtrol of Burbank Junction
Photo 3:  No. 98, the Coast Daylight, rolls by Burbank Junction

 

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Photo 4:  No. 52, the San Joaquin Daylight rolls toward Los Angeles
Photo 5:  A westbound Valley/Saugus Line freight approaches Burbank Junction
Photo 6:  A beautiful sunset along the rails at Burbank Junction

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Great look back. Is it normal to have the top of a CTC board other than North?
JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/22 07:30 by 3rdswitch.

FWIW, notice in #3 how perfectly the PC&F 1962 economy baggage roofline fits the E7's, even though it was commonly called a freight car profile.

A F-7/E-7b/E-7b lash up was rare

Reference the Burbank Junction CTC machine with top of diagram facing south.  Interesting observation!  All CTC machines I worked on SPRR as a Train Dispatcher were oriented west to east (north on top), while the Burbank Junction machine was oriented east to west.  The Burbank Junction machine diagram matched the geographic position of the operator and tracks as the operator faced the machine.  

When were the WB and EB tracks changed to numbered tracks?

Zephyr Wrote:
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> Reference the Burbank Junction CTC machine with
> top of diagram facing south.  Interesting
> observation!  All CTC machines I worked on SPRR
> as a Train Dispatcher were oriented west to east
> (north on top), while the Burbank Junction machine
> was oriented east to west.  The Burbank Junction
> machine diagram matched the geographic position of
> the operator and tracks as the operator faced the
> machine.  

Note the standard dot/line tower symbol - dot for the location of the operator and line for the location of the machine. Those Don't appear on a dispatcher CTC machine.

TAW

As I believe, TAW alluded to, since this is not a CTC machine, it is set up like any tower model board and orientated to how the tower operator is situated.

Victor B.

Hi  Pete,
A really interesting thread.  Many Thanks for sharing it.

I notice on the model board that the "quick release" track circuit is shown on the electric locks.  I believe this is the first model board that I have seen with this information given.  Kind of unusual.

Also, did you move to Camarillo???

Jim Atkins

In the 1960's, while working for SP as a brakeman on the Los Angeles division, I grabbed the orders at Burbank Junction often.  Coming out of LA Yard (Taylor Yard) in the afternoon on an empty drag for Oregon ( train symbol was XMUG Extra mtys Eugene), the head brakeman would ride the lead unit past Burbank Junction, read and discuss the orders and plan where we would go to clear no. 57 the Owl, and 52 The San Joaquin Daylight.  Then the brakeman would walk bank on the gangway to the second unit of the three SD-9's powering the train.  I distinctly recall looking West over the San Fernando Valley on a hot summer afternoon when the view was obscured by smog.  You could actually taste the metals and pollutants in the air.  Ah the memories!

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar

Great series Pete.. Looking at the board reminds me of calling the operator for the lock on the Moreland drill and the other lock boxes.

Posted from Android

Regarding aronco's post, why would the head brakeman walk back to the second unit after leaving Burbank Jct.?  Were they still using firemen?

Regarding the numbering of the tracks question, this was accomplished when the Allen Avenue Crossovers were installed which allowed trains to operate in both directions on both main tracks between Burbank Junction and Allen Avenue, defined as multiple main tracks, No. 1 to the north, No. 2 to the south.  East of Allen Avenue it remained double track, D-251 territory, in the SP definition, all the way to Mainline Tower in the middle of Taylor Yard, where Dayton Avenue Tower interlocking limits began.

Pete
Camarillo, California
(Yes, I moved!  Now just up the hill from old SP station Somis.  Somis, the little town, still exists with the Somis Market and Cafe offering some of the best burritos you can find!)

johnsweetser Wrote:
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> Regarding aronco's post, why would the head
> brakeman walk back to the second unit after
> leaving Burbank Jct.? 

To make room in the cab of the leading unit.

Were they still using
> firemen?

At the time of his experience, yes. Firemen in California began to come off after November 1964.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/22 19:10 by cewherry.

Actually what caused me to ask about #1 and #2 tracks was both the fact that the Dymo labels on the machine show those numbers east of "Allen Street" which was incorrect but was just a little error by whomever applied the labels and mainly I was curious when the crossovers were installed.  No one I worked with knew but of course had plenty of "about 19xx" answers.  Allen Avenue was called Allen Street on the railroad just like Rose Avenue in Oxnard was called Rose Road and on and on.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 08:13 by spladiv.

Absolutely correct on the dymo labels being misplaced on the track diagram!  Also, I do remember the crews calling it the "Allen Street Crossovers", although it is truly named Allen Avenue in the City of Burbank.  I first worked the "new shed" Burbank Junction in 1969 the year I believe it was put into service.  The "Allen Crossovers" were present at that time.  Others might have additional clarity.

Many thanks for this outstanding series, full of wonderful info and anecdotes!

Zephyr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Absolutely correct on the dymo labels being
> misplaced on the track diagram!  Also, I do
> remember the crews calling it the "Allen Street
> Crossovers", although it is truly named Allen
> Avenue in the City of Burbank.  I first worked
> the "new shed" Burbank Junction in 1969 the year I
> believe it was put into service.  The "Allen
> Crossovers" were present at that time.  Others
> might have additional clarity.

When I worked the Saugus job 1972-73 I naver heard a Burbank Jct. operator call it anything but "Allen Street." Interesting story.

TAW

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Zephyr Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Absolutely correct on the dymo labels being
> > misplaced on the track diagram!  Also, I do
> > remember the crews calling it the "Allen Street
> > Crossovers", although it is truly named Allen
> > Avenue in the City of Burbank.  I first worked
> > the "new shed" Burbank Junction in 1969 the year
> I
> > believe it was put into service.  The "Allen
> > Crossovers" were present at that time.  Others
> > might have additional clarity.
>
> When I worked the Saugus job 1972-73 I naver heard
> a Burbank Jct. operator call it anything but
> "Allen Street." Interesting story.
>
> TAW

As I remeber the only person that called Allen Avenue was engineer Russell Bates.  RIP..