JUNE 1976

Looks nice and warm wherever it is

I wish they were location tagged but if you have any ideas please chime in. These will all go to the SP Historical Society and it helps them to have them located,

Thank you

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SW 1500

I have stated before that I always like the actual workers and teh SW1500 by EMD is right there among the best. I recall Dad and brother would curl their lips and snarl “Just a Crud” and begrudgingly they would snap a photo.

Perhaps I felt sorry for these workhorses and they do remind me of the good times in rail yards all over the US. These images are also not location marked but I believe they are in the SF Bay Area from October of 1975

This link : https://www.thedieselshop.us/Data%20EMD%20SW1500.HTML has a nice detailed spec sheet of these common hybrids and it helps to realize their minimal configuration for yard duties.

Here’s to the Cruds =clink=

SP 2654
SP2656 and SP2535

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 4004
SP 4005
SP 4006
SP 4007

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 4003
SP 4003

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

SP 4008
SP 4008

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.

Uh ho
SP 4001
SP 4001

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

(r to l) SP 4322, SP 4378, SSW 9403
(r to l) SP 4322, SP 4378, SSW 9403
(l to r) SP 3198, SP 3206, SP 32?4
(l to r) SP 3198, SP 3206, SP 32?4
Now and then image of the Feb 1984 and Google Street View in April 2011
April 2011 from Google and the shot above.
Caboose SP 4649
SP 4649

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.