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Re: Freight on Streets Of San Francisco--What Was Like In 70s?
Author: Nudge
Date: 01-06-2015 - 19:20
I am sure its operator error, but all I get is the TV series Streets of SF. No clips of any freight action.
I worked the 16th & Harrision job off the Firemans extra board a few times in 69 & 70. We were 3:59PM on duty at the little yard at 16th & Harrision. We always had an old FM switcher. We started by putting loads to go to Bayshore out on the main. (middle of the street and was the old main line out of the City,thru Colma to south city.) Then we would pull Hamms & re-spot, pull & spot the gravel/cement outfit, Burgie, and a few others. Then we would take everything back to the yard and finish building the train for Bayshore. When we were done, we would leave the engine coupled to all the cars on the old main and go to beans. I always liked the J&B Club. Lots of food, not too much money. We would all show back up, make the air test and head out. On Friday's you would find a where a car ran into the engine while we were gone or the cops towing a busted up vehicle away with the perp going down for a DWI. (Back then it was called a 502(a). As the fireman, I had to drive to BS and back while the hoghead, Sullivan and the the rest of the switchman played cards. We crossed the WP at a stop sign,never did stop, you could see someone coming for blocks. We would go around the old south leg of the wye onto 7th St., pass the Greyhound repair depot and up to the interlocking signal. Still had vehicles on 7th St. try to dodge us, some running right into us saying, "Hey, a train is supposed to be on tracks, not in the street." That would kill an early quit. Takes all kinds. We would call 4th St Tower and they would line us up and give us the signal onto the east main into Tunnel 1.
We would take the drag down to Bayshore where we would be lined in and given a highball from the herder. We would go down the lead & rail they wanted the cars in, cut off, and come back on a clear rail. When 4th St. could take us, another highball from the herder through the puzzle switch and onto the west main with a green signal. Then a fast run back to the west end of Tunnel 1. There, 4th St. would saw us back thru the crossover and then be lined back into 7th Street going the wrong way. Back to the barn at 16th & Harrision and tie up.
A few years later when I was augminting the City from SLO, I worked the Quint St. run out of Bayshore as an engineer. It was 11:59 PM on duty and had an old FM. It was the pits when you would be shoving 40 some odd cars towards the docks and the Switch Foreman, Field Man and Pin-Puller were the only help you had if some jerk was trying to get into the engine. To far to really help. Thats why I got a concealed wepons permit in SLO County before I ever went back. They say nobody knows when the last permit was issued in the City, but they refused to issue any to anyone unless.........???
Nudge
I worked the 16th & Harrision job off the Firemans extra board a few times in 69 & 70. We were 3:59PM on duty at the little yard at 16th & Harrision. We always had an old FM switcher. We started by putting loads to go to Bayshore out on the main. (middle of the street and was the old main line out of the City,thru Colma to south city.) Then we would pull Hamms & re-spot, pull & spot the gravel/cement outfit, Burgie, and a few others. Then we would take everything back to the yard and finish building the train for Bayshore. When we were done, we would leave the engine coupled to all the cars on the old main and go to beans. I always liked the J&B Club. Lots of food, not too much money. We would all show back up, make the air test and head out. On Friday's you would find a where a car ran into the engine while we were gone or the cops towing a busted up vehicle away with the perp going down for a DWI. (Back then it was called a 502(a). As the fireman, I had to drive to BS and back while the hoghead, Sullivan and the the rest of the switchman played cards. We crossed the WP at a stop sign,never did stop, you could see someone coming for blocks. We would go around the old south leg of the wye onto 7th St., pass the Greyhound repair depot and up to the interlocking signal. Still had vehicles on 7th St. try to dodge us, some running right into us saying, "Hey, a train is supposed to be on tracks, not in the street." That would kill an early quit. Takes all kinds. We would call 4th St Tower and they would line us up and give us the signal onto the east main into Tunnel 1.
We would take the drag down to Bayshore where we would be lined in and given a highball from the herder. We would go down the lead & rail they wanted the cars in, cut off, and come back on a clear rail. When 4th St. could take us, another highball from the herder through the puzzle switch and onto the west main with a green signal. Then a fast run back to the west end of Tunnel 1. There, 4th St. would saw us back thru the crossover and then be lined back into 7th Street going the wrong way. Back to the barn at 16th & Harrision and tie up.
A few years later when I was augminting the City from SLO, I worked the Quint St. run out of Bayshore as an engineer. It was 11:59 PM on duty and had an old FM. It was the pits when you would be shoving 40 some odd cars towards the docks and the Switch Foreman, Field Man and Pin-Puller were the only help you had if some jerk was trying to get into the engine. To far to really help. Thats why I got a concealed wepons permit in SLO County before I ever went back. They say nobody knows when the last permit was issued in the City, but they refused to issue any to anyone unless.........???
Nudge
