Going east, Shuman was at the top of the hill. A spur at MP 284.8. Then on down to Devon, around the curve to Casmalia and on to Antonio.

Casmalia was a short spur, that held 36 cars. There was a work train there for years, bunk cars, and they were moved out around 70. Antonio only held 70 cars compared with Narlon at 124 and Devon at 83, that's why it was removed.

Casmalia was a little oil town but it was heavy thick stuff and hard to pump. The Hitching Post goes way back. It was owned by the Ostini family. Ben Ostini was a Brakeman-Conductor out of SLO. I caught the Lompoc night job one day and when we came off the hill, we went to beans in Lompoc for about 4 hours. Then we would take the loads to Surf. We had to wait for loaded refers at Post to take with us for the Smokie. I asked Ben what he was going to do for dinner and he suggested we go over to Casmalia to his uncles for dinner. It was a great. Since then, I think they opened a new restaurant of the same name in Buellton off 101.

The Far Western was good but later it turned into a yuppie type place. Guadalupe, where you could to "Wongs New York Restaurant".

Jockoes is the best there is. Be there at 5:00 or figure on waiting. The family has been in the valley forever. The narrow gauge was 1/2 a block from it and you can still see some of the cuts and fills.

As far as Vandenburg goes, there really isn't much to see from Highway 1. You go by the front gate on the way to Lompoc. That's where the feds have a prison for bad boys who commit federal crimes. I think they all have tee times at "the country club". Even on the road to Surf there isn't much to see. Going thru on the main line, there are one or two gantry's way off in the distance but when they get ready to shoot, all train traffic comes to a stop. Most are underground or back in the hills. We used to have trains of fuel or rocket parts we would set out at a tiny yard at South Vandenburg MP 309.2. They had their own switcher, an MRS 1. The grades were too steep and SP refused to go up the hill. Most of those trains had guards in their own cabooses that stayed with the loads.

The AF had track side sensors starting just before Waldorf at MP 280.7 all the way to Capitan, MP 349.9. I never counted them but there were a lot. They were put in because the radar could not see trains in some places. Never was stopped going out to Surf. Last time was about 4 years ago just to see what was left.


Nudge