I don't know if any exist but I can show you where a lot of parts from derailments are buried.

From the west switch of the house track at San Ardo to past the west siding switch was always full of beets all over the ballast. We had to dutch the east bound cars out and sometimes they coupled a bit "More Than 4". Once and a while the bottom gates would knock open, then you had a real mess. Come later in the summer heat they really smelled.

I know old "Jivey Jack" was the conductor on one of the regular beet jobs out of SLO to Wat Jct and back. They were switching Camphora and a beet fell off a car and got him. He went in to see Flukie, the TM at the Jct and wanted hard hats for the whole crew. One white one for him, a orange one for the hogger and green one for the rest of the crew. He got em for the trip back to SLO.

As far as those Beet Racks went, they were peices of crap. When you stopped to switch you would try to bunch the head end a bit. When you were back on the train you didn't have to back for slack to get the head end moving but you had its weight to knock the rear ends shoes off the wheels. You had to feel just the right amount of power to knock the others loose but not too much, getting a knuckle. The brake cylinders stuck so far out the shoes barly touched the wheel. If you waited until you saw the 2 mile board for Bradley curve, you were too late. Dropping down Cuesta you took a bite right away and never let it go. Even if the helper had to push and you had to pull them in some spots. A good sign was to look back and see the brake shoe haze where you couldn't see past the first 18-10 cars back.

The SP had a certain car rate they charged for each car and they always had their weight as 100 tons per car so you got a rubber stamp wheeler of the trains weight. Most cars were over 120 to 130 tons each.

I still have a profile for the 01-WJGUS-14 out of Wat. Jct. It shows 106 loads-01 mtys, 11,183 Tons, 05539 Ft, 05737 total Ft with a TOB of 104.5. I had "03 OKHP-10800. HPT 0.9 The caboose shows as 30 tons and all the rest of the beets at 100 tons per car We had 54 grain cars for Chular at 135 tons per car but picked up more beets along the way at King City, Welby, San Ardo, lime cars at San Miguel and some more beets at Paso Robles. I picked up one unit at Margarita for the head end and we cut in a 5 unit helper. Just squeaked ovr the hill at about 6 to 9 mph.

The SP sold these racks later to Sprekles and Union sugar. Talk about screwing someone. The sugar outfits had a free place to store the cars, off season and that's when they serviced them.

Only trouble was they put in the wrong size brass and the cars starting getting hot boxes. I remember one day on the west peddler when we were picking up beets at Elsa. King City called us and said to leave every beet car we had at Elsa. Someone had finally woke up to the journals burning off and the reason they were.



Nudge