I didn't mind the SW 1500s at all. I mostly worked the gang but every once and awhile I would get called for the Lompoc, Gaviota Ghost & Guadalupe switcher that used them. I hired out when the FMs were still in use in the City and they were on their last legs.

What I liked about the 1500s was the way you could easily turn around with the seat and the controls were in easy reach. Also the Transition or Service Selector switch on the control panel. You could put it in Switching 1 and it would not make tranistion. Switching 2 would make the engine speed go up to about Run 4 or 5. When you were ace and ducing cars out, you could hit the throttle and it would give you big amprige right now in order to kick cars. The other positions were Series(Forestalling) and Road (Auto) so it would act like a MUed engine, like the SD-45s, etc. The only draw back was the window slide that sort of pinched your side, leaning out taking signs. I just carried a "Caboose Cushion" when I was called for a switcher. They were made so a small porition of the cushion made a 90 degree turn of about 4 inches and there were two steel pegs under it that held it on the window sill or slide. The part that hung own into the cab protected your hips.

I was called for a wreck train one day and they had been using a 1500 at San Ardo to clean up a derailment. They told us to take all mty ballast cars and panel flats back to Wat Jct. and tie up. Well, we didn't have any speed restrictions and the all the 1500s had 62:15 gearing trucks on them that limited them to 71 MPH, like regular road power. Off we went with about 10 cars and the hack. On the straight stretch between Soledad & Salinas I kept right on 70 MPH and boy, the head brakeman started having a fit. He turned around and watched the lead truck of the first car really hunting. I had seen that before from a helper at 40 mph but not at 70. I slowed it down a bit, made a small set in the train and opened the throttle a bit and it calmed right down.

As the story goes, a new fireman was looking back on a curve on his side when the hoghead said, "Don't look back. Strange things happen back there and we will know of it soon enough."

Nudge