WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> OPRRMS Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thanks for your input, Bill. It brings back a
> lot
> > of memories.
> >
> > The SP yard job you mentioned was Job 543 that
> > went on duty Monday thru Friday at 11 PM at the
> > Homestead (at the Adeline Street end of the
> West
> > Oakland yard). It was a true transfer job,
> very
> > high seniority, and lasted until Santa Fe
> obtained
> > trackage rights on SP in place of the Oakland
> > District.
> >
> > It was known as the "Super Chief" because it
> moved
> > right along at the highest rate of speed
> possible.
> > The faster you got the work done, the more
> "spot
> > time" at Emeryville you got.
> >
> > 543's first order of business was to take all
> the
> > interchange cars from the Homestead to the
> Alameda
> > Belt Line's yard, set them out, and pick up all
> > the interchange cars from the ABL. An
> agreement
> > had been worked out whereby ABL would block
> them
> > with Santa Fe cars on the headend, then SP
> cars,
> > then WP, and all the air hoses were laced.
> >
> > The crew would call Fruitvale Tower on the
> radio
> > when they were leaving the ABL so the operator
> > could alert the Fruitvale Bridge tender that
> the
> > train was coming. It was not unusual for the
> > "Super Chief" to have 50 or more cars, nearly
> all
> > of which were loads; when that happened, you
> had
> > to really make a run for the grade going up the
> > Alameda Main next to Fruitvale Avenue to keep
> from
> > stalling and having to double the hill.
> >
> > While in Alameda, the crew would sound the
> > locomotive horn only in case of dire emergency,
> as
> > there was a longstanding city ordinance stating
> > there was a train curfew in effect from 10 PM to
> 6
> > AM.
> >
> > Next, Magnolia Tower would have you lined into
> the
> > 50 Lead at the Homestead, and the Homestead
> > Yardmaster would instruct the Homestead Herder
> to
> > have you lined into the appropriate receiving
> > track.
> >
> > At the west end of the yard, the Glass House
> > Herder would make a cut behind the Santa Fe
> cars,
> > then West Oakland Interlock and 16th Street
> Tower
> > would send you into the "Santa Fe" so you could
> > set out all your remaining cars in the Wood
> Street
> > yard.
> >
> > From there, you'd run Light Engine on the Santa
> > Fe's track to their Emeryville yard, tie onto
> the
> > ATSF-to-SP interchange cars, and "go to beans"
> as
> > you've described in your comment.
> >
> > After beans, you'd take the train back to West
> > Oakland and tie up at the Homestead. If the
> crew
> > wasn't in their vehicles and heading by 6 AM,
> > something had gone seriously wrong.
>
> Rich, was this train also known as the "Zipper" (
> not referring to 374). I have heard Alameda Super
> Chief, but was another called "John Stevens
> Zipper"

Must've been a different job. I don't recall John working and midnight jobs during my tenure.