U30C both built in 1968 – no location
SP 7903 & 7927 June 1972
SEP 72 Slide 29
4361 looks as used up as this slide. Reminder to scan and save before we all fade !
OCT 70
So these are really great to me. So much color and texture and details in these retired coaches.
These slides are mounted in thick plastic which is interesting too.
Being nosey I zoomed in on the brake wheel to read the lettering.
Seems Miner is still around : https://www.minerent.com/index.php but be careful they have all sorts on interesting features there like the boxcar rotate : https://www.minerent.com/products/interactive/interactive.html and you will spend too much time playing around there.
Slide 25, AUG 73
Kodachrome Processed by Kodak
Hi follower, been too long.
Sorry been a bit busy but here we are on the SP& S in 1971 Ektachrome
MAY 72 – Keeping it orderly
Funny how Dad never marked any slides so when I came to these I was almost surprised. But not really, the 4000s were special as far as I can tell and I guess that the fact that we can read the engine number in the image was too obvious. I don’t know where these were taken but I still bet on the San Jose, California area.
SP 4003 JUN 72 – Don’t park here
If you are old enough, you have experienced the slide show with one slide that always pops up sideways.
Its usually a really good shot too.
Strangely I managed to take the first image to illustrate the point and the iPhone manages to save it sideways – it must be destiny.
Anyway, scroll down and you can see the proper image (sorry about the fuzz and dust its from 1972 after all.
SP 4008 OCT 72
Found a box of SP. When I say a box I mean a copier paper sized box full of Kodak slide boxes – see below. The marking says SP + SP Special three boxes. Looking at the first slide I’d say they are pretty likely to be special
SEP 77 Milwaukee Road
Sometimes Dad would organize by company when sorting slides for Friday night slide night at Iron Horse Hobbies. This box must be one of those. As usual, the slides are only marked with the Kodak mount date but I recall that year’s trip was in August from home to South Dakota on another meandering route.
I have always liked switchers and these are no exception. The shadows and textures of the first two contrast nicely against the fresh looking paint.
The last two are washed out – I skipped Photoshop this time – but they are a study in weathering and details.
I can smell the creosote and oil on the ties. The smells of my childhood.
SP 4001 JUN 72
I think we are in San Jose or Santa Clara but I don’t know. What I do know is that in June of 72 we lived in Burlingame and Dad worked in the San Jose office sometimes so I base my guess on that alone.
The website that I get information from is http://www.rrpicturearchives.net and it’s not looking good today so I cannot state what type of engine this is. I mean I can guess its an Alco product but I am unsure.
TACOMA ’75
This is as light as I can make it without washing it out.
Sometimes you do what you can.
I manages to see the building in teh background was “F.S. Harmon Manufacturing Co.”
A little Google – Fu brought me to this pretty neat link : https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm1C53_FS_Harmon_Manufacturing_Co_Tacoma_Washington
and that led me to the google machine maps and this cool view
Kinda fun to think of Dad taking this photo with his Pentax or Mamaya 35mm in 0ctober of 1971.
October 1971 under wire
There is a lot happening – and not happening here – here if you zoom in a bit.
I did what I could to enhance with GIMP. Ecktachrome
What I notice most is the LACK of graffiti on every darn thing and the abundance of weeds too.
In the lower image – great for the model maker – you can see a damaged end of a tank car, a few steam tenders and a steam crane too ( really zoom in basically dead center of the lower ).
Bens Spare
“Strange”, I thought when I saw this marking, “wonder who ben was”.
DUH
Bensenville, Illinois.
Interesting study done here : http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2016/05/milwaukees-bensenville-yard.html
February 1984 – Colton Yard California
We drive past Colton yard when we go visit my mother in law in Palm Desert so I recognize these near Cherry Ave.
February of 1984 would be cool days and colder evenings in the very busy Colton.
They are on a loop so I hope that you can stop them and zoom in for details.
So much variety back then.
February 1984 – Oakland, CA
Oakland was a busy SP hub with the port there and all. it was no uncommon for Dad with Mom and sometimes their grandson to drive there for amusement and getting out of the house.
By 1984 SP was a bit like a study in weathering techniques for aspiring model makers and there was a variety of units.
I did the Google map thing and for sure the Cold Storage brick building is gone.
If you click that link under the 2011 vs 1984 you can see why I will not be driving down there to replicate the image…. it’s quite a place now – unfortunately.
919 W 5th St Chico, California 1985
The Chico station looks pretty good in the slide from may of 1985.
Now is looks pretty haggard, ( Click to see on Google Machine ) You have to zoom in a bit to really snoop around the station.
There are a few 2017 & 2019 images at this link > IMAGES < that show the exterior and interior. Used to look nice, wish we could take better care of things
SP 8621 – Where is this? April 1985
It’s driving me nuts – looks familiar but I cannot place it & Dad never wrote locations on slides.
Also – The RR archives doesn’t come up with this as a U class but there is a SD 40M-2 with that number….
What the heck is happening !
Run by October 1984
May 85 number 9
I zoomed and searched and stood back an thought it over and really, where doesn’t matter. The texture and colors and composition ( yes on the shady side ) say “model me” some day.
The tower behind the power pole in back should be a clue but, for me any way, it’s not.
Any ideas?
May 85 Number 6 & 8
A Caboose always humanizes these images for me.
After all a boxcar full of stuff doesn’t have a personality outside that of the logo, for me anyway.
Here we are in the Ozol, Ca area again with SSW Caboose 50
The interesting difference between the posting here at the RR archives is color and condition. Also notice the welded up windows. If I recall, Dad mentioned that the crews were getting shot at and the reduction of openings was for safety.
I wonder if anyone can confirm this ?
I also appreciate the D&H box car “snip” and of course SP 2626 that. according to teh RR Archive was revived by the UP in the 90s .
Full Circle
Hi again, been a while.
We moved back home in April and I finally have time to post. We have been unpacking and remediating the mess left by the renters and making improvements and setting up the garage and offices and working from home and and and !
Strange how moving back to your childhood home can make you think.
For example, there are some taller trees here about and the road names are the same but they are not as ingrained as they were when they were on my paper route.
Occasionally I am struck by the same difference from 1974 to now. The bad memories are stifled and the good surface more often lately.
Interestingly, “my” office was my late brother’s bedroom and then mine in the early 2000s and Dad’s (Fred III)’s office after he retired.
In this same room these same slides were stored for years.
They were sorted and thinned – but not labeled ( Thanks Dad ! )
And now here I am sharing these same slides. Is it weird? Yeah, it is. But it’s sure nice to be home.
Many of the SP slides are in a foot locker – like an Army one – that I think was my Uncle’s from World War 2. Its stuffed with yellow boxes and therefore it’s a grab – bag to start posting from again.
Yes it’s a little blurry – I thought it was me but it is – still kinda neat and it “feels” fast.
Hope all are well
Port of Astoria – Aug 1975
Dad’s beloved SP&S RY was chock a block with interesting equipment.
Here we see SP&S 4068 {an Alco RS3} at the Port of Astoria, Oregon in 1975.
I tried teh Google man for a now/then view but was disappointed that he doesn’t go there.
That Pier face seems to be gone too & the Port is listed as a Cruise Terminal : https://www.portofastoria.com/General_Piers_Information.aspx#
Dad on cruises once: ” Yuk ”
Old man had a point.
Photo by George Berisso
Dad didn’t buy many slides but there are three here from “The Rail Image” of Denville, N.J. that I wanted to share.
They are of Dad’s beloved SP&S and each is fascinating in their own way
Oh and who amongst us have not put in a slide backwards !
AUG 1975 Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700
SP&S Fred’s favorite
Golly it’s been a while!
I have been remiss in posting so I did a random grab from the Kodak pile in the footlocker that has quite a few “little yellow boxes”.
Here is OCT ’70 someplace on the SP&S – Dad had H.O. version similar to this at one point and I can see why.
Milwaukee August 1981
1981 was a 9 weeks on the road year like 1978 was. Leave in June when school ended and return in September when just before school started.
It’s kinda funny that just yesterday my oldest friend and I were discussing my strange memory and then I came across this box of Milwaukee Road images.
I seem to have the ability to recall in great detail places I visited once or twice while on the road and I still ” see ” my hometown as it was in the 70s… drive’s my wife nuts when we are there and I call out lunch at Arthur’s liquors ( its been a Mexican place since about 1980 ) .
See I can recall precisely the place this was taken, the heat and even a bit of the discussion Dad and I had about the “domes that contained palm trees”.
This terrarium seemed odd since we have three palms in the yard at home. “…think winter… ” was his reply. Oh, yeah.
I did check Google for confirmation – that the spot was the same.
<a href="http://<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d9980.62587251174!2d-87.95331002126237!3d43.02643650000001!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x88051a3b9067b207%3A0xacf13ad0984f6ec4!2sMitchell%20Park%20Horticultural%20Conservatory!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1602546616103!5m2!1sen!2sus" width="600" height="450" frameborder="0" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen="" aria-hidden="false" tabindex="0">Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory
Lucky for me the ball park and arboretum are still there.
Also It realize its called Butler Yard and it has changed a lot… really most of it is gone now. I do like the high views tho..
August 1975 – Portland
I thought that it would be fun to try and locate the spot and got pretty close. Then I discovered the slider thing for a before / after effect.
The trees grew for sure
July 1973 Milwaukee 873
The Milwaukee was one of Dad’s favorite roads to photograph.
He ( and later we ) would find and photograph the Milwaukee Road in our northern states summer trips.
This is from July 1973, Dad was working in the Portland office of his company and that meant weekends on the Milwaukee & SP&S instead of coming back to the SF Bay Area every weekend.
Here we have a tired slide that was shot on the dark side and has age spots – like me !
It looks a bit like a H.O. Model on my PC Screen.
Summer grass punctuated by a miniature monolith. Abandoned grey aged plank church, cows in distant, poles, wires and a pallet under the wire and along the old style concrete road way posts.
I really like it.
SEPT 1975 Milwaukee 625
Another switcher on the Milwaukee probably in Spokane, Washington.
EMD SW 1200 built 11/1954 – almost 66 years ago and a mere 21 year old seen here.
Before and after Portland, Aug 1975
So lets see, 2019 – 1975 = 44 years !
Well I tried to get this lined up but Google Man will not walk down the track.
Still it makes sense to try the Before/After Slider Thing but you can see the spot here better on your own.
Maybe Google Man doesn’t want to crew with the track group spotted here in 2019.
MILW 5800 is a U36C according to the RR Archives and was scrapped in 1985
So let’s see 2019 – 1985 = 34 years !
August 1973 MILW 6002
Dad loved Washington and Oregon and the Milwaukee was there with his beloved SP&S.
This is August of 1973 and was probably a weekend between weeks that he had while working out of the Portland office.
See way before work at home and the internet, you actually had to leave your family behind and go to a different city to work when “Voluen-Told” to do so. Also that was how you proved your self & ascended in a company. Yep days gone by for sure.
Based on the RR Archive, this would have been five years into the upgrade from U28 to U30B.
I think that the Milwaukee is pretty special as well with their variety of equipment and their rural lines through the wilds of the high plains, into the northern midwest to the Lake Michigan. Some of my best childhood travels were along these lines and they are still discussed today on a Reddit thread occasionally..
Anyway here is to the simpler times and Kodachrome memories.
Portola Museum September 17th, 1996
Towards the end of his life, Dad was retired and restless. He spent a lot of time with my son and for that I am ever grateful.
Occasionally, he would feel well enough to take Mom and head to museums that he supported through donations, to “see where my money is going” and he’d smile.
ROAD TRIP !
This slide set is one photo with two approaches.
The first is only trimmed to avoid the second and Gimp did that for me – somehow. ( https://www.gimp.org/ ) but I cannot outsmart the colour adjusting.
I like Gimp and appreciate it but the wife works for Adobe.com and it is more powerful in a lot of ways so buy it please :0) I want to retire someday.
Onward
The WP Museum at Portola, California <<< CLICK THIS LINK AND SUPPORT is family friendly, has hands on opportunities and is living history.
I really appreciate the composition here and although slightly trimmed at the right, the depth is fascinating, to me anyway. Actually it looks like an H.O. model.
And then there is the reality of the image. Not the end of roll where you often see these sorts of things, but right in the middle.
But it was (is) a keeper and you may want to while away some time at their gallery : https://www.wplives.org/gallery/home_page_cover_photos.html too.
SP 2685 EMD SW1500
Although a little shady at the left this image was worth the scan and adjust. The unit is EMD SW1500 and based on the RR Archives; its all of about two years old here … estimating by the other prints in this box.
That archive link shows it in pretty rough shape and makes me think that this little work horse was never repainted.
Also a guess but I think San Jose, California – or thereabouts. Dad did work in the Houston office for a time in 1970 where he bought a used Ford Maverick but the hills say California to me.
SP Budd RDC-1 No. 10 and you can help save it!
This is from September 1969 and although I am unsure where teh time line is right for Dad being in San Jose office.
Budd made quite a few Rail Diesel Cars however, SP only purchased one unit. This car is alive and here is the history : https://www.splives.org/wp/sp-10/history/
There is one photo RRARCHIVES from a few months ago that states this car is actually slated for restoration at the planned Southern Pacific History Center
They have a donation pager here : https://www.splives.org/wp/
SP 3030 San Jose Service
The Peninsula Commuter started in 1863 and made it as a private enterprise until Southern Pacific petitioned for dissolution in 1977.
Dad rode it from Burlingame to San Francisco and occasionally to San Jose for work. Mom & I used to take him in the ’62 Chevy Biscayne or he would take the Jeep. I recall him saying that if he was running late, he would get on at the California Drive Station and shut the Jeep off and hop out letting it “self-park” by rolling to a stop in gear and stalling against the parking stops made from telephone poles. Was ahead of Tesla on that score.
In the 1930’s and 1940’s, he and grandma would ride from San Mateo (well, Broadway, Burlingame Station) to San Francisco to go to Emporium for a day of shopping.
Kudos to Wiki for the link and the maps below here.
Now its CALTRAIN that is continuing the tradition of mass transit.
SP 4001 Nose Detail MAR 71
Dad could, when he chose to, compose a photo.
If he was alone and unhurried he would take his time to assemble an image. Some of his earlier work was that way, like from the 40s … and of girls mostly. Some of his Hawaii images from the pre statehood days are pretty good too link to : Wix FredsSlides.
The magic of black and white is never lost when one composes a shot. Matthew Brady, Ansel Adams and Dorethea Lang proved that.
Here we have the luxury to play with settings in Photoshop and I do that on occasion. I do more now that I am using Wordlress.Com (I cannot put the time in for .ORG version that is much more robust).
So I did that here.
I like the moody shadows of the Alco and the crisp detail of the support structure at left and the Chevy or Ford van. Even the ballast has depth and shadows.
Lighter brightness and lower contrast does enhance dome of the shadow surfaces and reveals the brake wheel detail.
I see some value to this of course. But I am no photographer and it can be learned I suppose.
Below reveals what a simpleton I am though :
This part looks like a face looking away and sticking it’s tongue sticking out.
SP 4003 – ALCO RS 32 March 1971
This print has a dated frame making it March of 1971. I feel like this is in Southern California, Sierra St. Colton, CA , but that areas has changed a lot.
I looked at the rrarchives again and found a little rabbit hole of the history – I highly recommend it .
For those that are making models I have added a close up here of an interesting detail :
I find little slices of details are helpful when one looks at an era for models. Weathering is one thing….but the this is a unique “Wave” lettering scheme for sure.
SP 6451
Another undated black and white 4×6 inch print.
I am guessing that this is pre Amtrak or right at the start when they didn’t re-logo for a while.
This time I think we are at Oakland, California 16th Street passenger station based on the tower, the overheads behind and the assembled power pole at the right.
There are still a few along the Nimitz freeway (CA Highway 17 now Interstate 880 for more funding ).
The area is mostly condos now and the station is ruined by vandals.
SP 3031
If you don’t know, you are supposed to post an Alternative Text in a box when you post on a blog. It helps the sight impaired to have their computer read the caption for them; it’s an ADA thing. Some folks don’t do it but I always do…. My eyesight is shit and so was Fred III (Dad) and Fred IV (brother) were the same – so it’s respect.
The best part is that I have to actually think a bit about things when I post and really try to get an accurate description.
Part of the Alt Text rule is that you can’t just copy/paste over and over because it’s a disservice to the sight impaired and I agree.
Here is the copy/paste of that text “Southern Pacific engine 3031 with six passenger cars headed south toward San Jose, California”.
The page gets read as well and I feel like I can add more here :
First, giving credit where credit is due, there is a link to the rrarchives here that tells the history.
Secondly, I am pretty sure that this was in the South Bay where Dad and Brother would go photograph FMs on weekends, and Dad would on week days – they knew this generation of SP diesels was aging out.
Third, I did fiddle with the brightness and contrast since the original shot is dark. Nowadays, that is done in Photoshop and super easy. Honestly though, posting a dark shot of history still counts, so I’ll share good and bad.
…-rob
SP 2378
There are a few color shots at the rrarchive .
I snipped the box car reporting marks and looked for the SSW there as well but struck out.
Google produced this cool write up.
NEW 11-70 … darn near 50 years ago.
SP 2664
Also 298 and 475
I really like this undated print. I am sure its about 1970-1971 in San Jose (water tower is the tip off).
At the center is SW1500 2664 looking pretty sharp doing the usual yard work of shunting SP Commuter equipment at the South end of the line.
The Economy Baggage Car 298 is a M510 type similar to this.
SP 475 peeking at right is marked “caboose” and has a sad looking color photo here.
My favorite part is the ground man with teh wide brimmed hat :
did he (or any of us) ever think we would be able to share this moment at work about 50 years later with the entire world?
SP 4002 MAR 71
In March of 1971 my Dad took the train south to the San Jose branch office of the company that he worked for. I believe that this is in San Jose.
Regardless I really like the detail in this image, the open doors and the lubrication drips below the coupling knuckle.
There are a few photos at the rrarchives.net states that this engine ended up life in Utah. I recall seeing this and several other 4000 numbered Alcos in line there as well.
I suppose that I’ll find that box of slide photos as I trudge through the 60,000 or so.
SP 3026 MAR 71
Certainly in San Jose again. The Train Master was the SF Peninsula Commuter power for many years.
I Googled a bit for this data that shows only 14 units for Southern Pacific.
A bit of a rare one then.
SP 1831, 5119 & Undec.
There are a bunch of SP prints in Dad’s stuff. Most have the Kodak date on the frame, but some don’t. No locations are noted and if you can help that would be terrific.
SP 1831 is an S4, I believe, based on the RR Archives although this unit isn’t there.
SP 5119 looks pretty rough here but it seems to be alive today : https://www.psrm.org/trains/diesel/sp-5119/
The mysterious Center Cab reminds me of the “Undec” that Walthers used to have listed.
Western Pacific 603 and SP “F” units – undated Oakland, Ca.
A Baldwin for Greece
I suspect that this was produced to help rebuild a devastated Greek rail system in about 1946
WP Bridges
I suspect that a reader will see this and help me with the location.
Thanks to Matthew Malibu State Route 70/old US 40 Pulga, California.
WP Live Stock
June of 1972 at Bakersfield, California ATSF facility.
SP 3001, 3002, 3010, 3189 June 1977
Strange coincidence to share today.
My Dad or brother Fred IV, had marked this slide “Briggsmore Ave Modesto”. I searched with the Google machine and didn’t locate any signs of rails currently on Briggsmore Ave in Modesto.
The next step was to look at the building signage: ” BAKER & HAMILTON SINCE 1849 ” and Wiki popped up : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_and_Hamilton_Building
After looking over that and Google man walking around and comparing the features I decided that the slide was indeed marked wrong.
The strange coincidence comes in with my wife, Dana, who temped in this same building when it housed Macromedia, now owned by Adobe. Well, Adobe owns the building and Dana works for Adobe now.
These GP9s and GP9R are ( I think ) tied up for the Peninsula Commuter here at what is known as 7th & Townsend in San Francisco.
The Crossing Dining Cars and Lounge – Sep 1979
I googled a bit and struck out – but I want to say Oregon yellow plates on the Maverick and the Honda CB may help. Where are we ?
David Hardie © May 1979
My Dad’s friend David Hardie, seems to have made several duplicates and shared with him over the years. I usually don’t scan those and share since I don’t own the content, but I scanned this one in my assembly line and it’s worth a share.
Fred's Slides 