Railroaders' Nostalgia > SP Coast Track Order

All you guys will remember this one: It went off and on for years
SP spent a lot of dough on this SDG but to no avail!

TRAIN ORDER No 1276.             DATE.  MARCH 6 1983

To C&E
               WESTWARD TRAINS

Station.  OXNARD

SIDING ORTEGA OUT OF SERVICE



                      RMG

Complete Time.  137PM.           HARRIS.     Opr

Yes remember the order issued for years. Only went into the siding 5 times in my career because it being out of service most of the time.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/23 12:46 by SanJoaquinEngr.

This siding will be put back in place in a few years for Amtrak Surfliners.

About 1966, I was the head brakeman on train 99, The Coast Daylight, between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo.  We stopped at a red signal at the East ( South) end of Ortega.  I detrained from the head coach and walked up to the head end, finding the switch lined into the siding.  The engineer had not heard anything on the radio about this.  I lined the switch for the mail line, and we proceeded at restricted speed as required.  Half way along the siding we encountered several men with a chain saw trying to dismember a eucalyptus tree that had apparently fallen across the tracks.  The SP roadmaster was furious, yelling at me that we should have used the siding instead of the main line.  I asked him what authority a first class train would have in the siding - ans.  = none!.  He was sure angry and swore he would report this incident to the trainmaster.  I gave him my business card to be sure he spalled my name right!

TIOGA PASS

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar

East end of Ortega was a spring switch if memory serves me correctly.  Set up for eastbounds to take the siding and exit easily without having to line behind at the east switch.

 

Josiah Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> East end of Ortega was a spring switch if memory
> serves me correctly.  Set up for eastbounds to
> take the siding and exit easily without having to
> line behind at the east switch.
>
>  

Correct a spring switch at the eastend. Ridgid at the westend.

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