I hired on just as the SP had to provide lodgings for engine crews. Train crews were still a few years out on that. They still had their shacks, etc for away from home lodging.

The Resitar in Wat. Jct was something else. The "Pajaro" room was pretty loud at times but so was the gin mill at the Miramar and the bar in the bus depot across from the Pajaro Room. The room locks were funny beside being skeleton keys, they were a trap of sorts. As an example, say a single guy gets lucky and takes a gal up to his room. Hours later, he gets called and goes to work, locking the door from the outside on the way out. Well, the person inside could not get out, even turning the dead bolt, etc. They had to go to the phone and call the front desk for help. Some guys knew about this but there were others that didn't, until their next trip!

We used the hotel in Santa Barb on State, west of the main line, before the beach. The bar in there was named the "Snake Pit". They charged the SP for one room, one night. They would reuse the room before cleaning it (2 single beds) a second night and charge for a clean room. The traimen stayed at the Neal east of the main, on their own dime or slept in the change room.

When we ran thru, they put us up in the Figuroa downtown LA. It had a 24 hour beanery plus the Pantry up the street. It was always a question on who had the biggest cockroaches. Couldn't take either one. Gals would get on the elevator and stand there and pee. I remember getting in about 1:00 AM once and went into the bar to have a beer before going to bed. There at the bar was "Aundra The Giant". I was 6'4 and felt like I was about 2' high. A few of the rails were shooting the @#$%& with him and it was an education. I guess he went on to better things. The hotel got so bad I got George Delesis (Term Supt) to come out and check it out. He stayed there one night with two train masters and didn't last 4 hours. Finally got moved to a AAA motel next door and then out to Holiday Inn in Burbank.

When we were cut off in SLO and had to go to the City during the winter, we slept in the Iron Ling off the change room. The commute guys slept there during the day and we had it at night. There were showers and lockers. If you caught a drag to Wat Jct out of SF, they would yard you, work the train and tell you to go to the Blue Room for some rest. It was right there at the round house, like 7th St but was always in motion. They had the same "beds" as SF. A leather covered chaise with a stuffed pillow area for your head on one end.

The SP had engine crews stay at the Winman in SLO and also guys that augmiting. The best place was the Monterey Hotel in Monterey. The Chief Crew Dispatcher in the City kept 2 rooms for engine crews working the Del Monte, 126 and 141 each day. One room had the regular engineers stuff in it and there was one for the fireman. When you got called, extra, the first thing you had to do was give the dispatcher the $5.00 for the room before you went out on the power. It was worth it. The town was a zoo even back then and finding a nice place to stay was hard.

The worst had to have been Wendel. Built out of cinder blocks, cold in winter, hot in summer. Out in the middle of no where, 40 some miles from Susanville. Milepost Inns ran the beanery and it was awful. Most guys would bring their own food and use a radar range.

The Mods at Dunsmuir were supposed to be the best on the system. The mods at K Falls were at the east end of the yard and were loud. There was a goat there all the time. When they got rid of the clerks, they but pagers and then phones in each room to call you. It didn't take long before we figured out how to call home or anywhere else on the SP lines for free.

The mods at Ashland were were pretty bad. They were only 20' from the main line and never kept clean. Bums would break in and soil everything. The place finally burned down and we moved to a motel in Medford.

The mods in Eugene sucked. They were right next to the one spot and it was next to the hump. Iy had a 24/7 beanery run by Mile Post Inn. All the bums and bar crowd kept the noise level right up there. We finally got moved out to the Red Lion on I-5.

They also moved us to the Red Lion in Redding. The hotel they used was a dump and would not turn on any heat until October. One night in Sept it was 45 out & 4 of us, called a taxi, went to the Red Lion, spent the night and turned in the bills. They payed every dime and moved for good.


Roseville sucked. Right on the main at the west leg of the wye off the east valley and the east & west mains over the hill. Also a 24/7 switch engine, back & forth. The beanery, Zells ?, was a dump.

Can't forget Oakland. The Jack London Inn was at Jack London Square on the E & W mains. Whores banging on your door all night, sirens and mugging, gun shots. Great.

I know there are other stories but most of mine were on the Coast.



Nudge