N E W S O F T H E P A C I F I C S O U T H W E S T C O R N E R
SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY: Recent delivery of a number of SDP-45 units from EMD has sidelined the remaining Alco passenger units. The grapevine has it that the new units will be used principally between Oakland and Ogden......Train crews on the new Colton-Palmdale line will run through with the following terminals: Bakersfleld to Palmdale, and Palmdale to Indio. Each regular assignment used on the cut off will have one conductor and three brakemen. Engine crews will work all the way through from Bakersfleld to Indio........Train and engine crews on the new line are from both the San Joaquin and Los Angeles Divisions, With pickets in most major terminals the giant SP system ground to a halt on Sunday, July 16. Some isolated areas of the system however, worked into Monday as there were no pickets at many points.
SAN DIEGO AND ARIZONA EASTERN: Train 451 struck an auto at Palm City recently; anyone know the details?.......No, the IAM did not strike against the SD&AE. The road operated as normal until Monday, when all jobs were abolished as both ends of the were without connections, the freight traffic just dried up. The line remained shut down. Monday afternoon and all of Tuesday the 18th. 31 cars of alfalfa pellets, consigned for ship loading on Monday, the 17th, were left in the yard due to the strike. Trains 451 and 452 have had four units as of late, and have averaged about 25 cars in length. Business has been down during the past couple of months...... The afternoon yard engine now begins work at 4:30pm, after many years of starting at 2:30pm.
SANTA FE: The road was shut down at midnight, July 16, in the nationwide machinists walkout. The last trains in and out of San Diego were operated on the 15th. The trains began running again on Tuesday, July 18. Like the SD&AE the road was caught with a large number of cars on hand for the Tenth Avenue terminal. Most of them contained Potash.....Yard engines now working in San Diego are the 2335, 2362, and 2394, all Alcos. ........Summit station was reopened for a short time recently because of a tie renewal program. (CS Express). A test train came west on June 10. It had four units (GE U28CG) and are entire train of NYG flexivan cars. The test was for the proposed 40 hour service from Chicago to LA...The Santa Fe and Union Pacific were plaged by wrecks in the Cajon recently. One occurred on May 26 and another on June 22 just west of Summit. Recurrances occurred on May 31 and June 9. (CS Express) Yard engines in the Dallas area are the Baldwin 2200 class. Clovis and Amarrillo have EMD 2400 class switchers. (Southwest RR Hist Society's Clearance Card)..
NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC: The "Redwood Empire Route" which suffered almost total destruction in the 1964 floods, is still going strong. The line is still however operating in the red. The deficit is close to a half million yearly for the 328 mile line.
SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL RAILWAY: Car 1139 involved in the April 14, headon collision at 11th and Market Streets has been repaired and is now back in service. The other car PCC 1142 has been towed to Elkton Shops for repairs which will be extensive involving the complete rebuilding of the front 7 feet of the car. Ten two-way radios have been installed on buses. Crimes, such as robberies and assaults on the buses decreased 35% in the three week period following the installation. The "normal" life of the Hyde Street Cable is 120 days. The cable is the one used to pull the cable cars on Hyde Street. The cables for many years have gone by the name "rope". Apparently the ''ropes" on the various lines have a different life expectancy. The Mason Line's average life is 180 days. (The Bay Area Electric Railroad Review).
STREET CARS FOR SALE: Street cars are being sold for 80,000 yen in Tokyo. That's about $225. Some of the cars are up to 31 feet in length and were built as far back as 1936. (Bay Area Electric RR Review)
SAN DIEGO TRANSIT CORPORATION: Has announced plans to paint three busses with each having a different color scheme, to measure the public's reactions and preference. Noticed one of the busses in the paint shop the other day. It was a lemon yellow in. color. Could it be that the "citrus colored" days of the San Diego Electric will return? Haven't located the other two busses yet. Wonder what color they will be?
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