On March 07, 1995, TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO, I worked one of the few special trains of my career. This was a UP shipper's special but they apparently didn't have any of their impressive yellow equipment in position on the west coast and they, instead, decided to charter a Metrolink train for a trip from the East Los Angeles station to an auto loading facility at L.A. harbor. The train was occupied on the southbound journey and the passengers continued and concluded their tour by bus. We deadheaded empty back to L.A. My engineer, Frank Brown, enjoyed the trip too as it offered us something beyond the routine.

Mike McGinley ("railstiesballast" on Trainorders), a former SP employee and, at the time, working in the engineering department at Metrolink, was aboard and provided commentary on the P.A. system along with some UP people. Food and beverage service was a big ice chest stocked with water and soft drinks. It was an interesting trip over UP's San Pedro Sub and covered some mileage I had never ridden before or since. The line has lost some of its importance with the opening of the Alameda Corridor.

On the deadhead northbound trip I whipped out my camera and cranked off a few photos. This was before the Chatsworth wreck and all the FRA-imposed restrictions on personal electronic device useage while on duty. Here's a picture of our train on the return journey in "push mode" passing the now-razed Hobart Tower. You'll notice that I took the photo from the upper level of the Bombardier car. When those cars were first delivered to Metrolink, they were similar to the cars used in Toronto and Vancouver and the conductor had the capability of opening a side window and operating the doors of the train from a seat at the end of the car on the upper level. Metrolink didn't like that feature, I guess because they felt it made the job of a conductor too easy. They apparently wanted the conductor to get off his posterior, be down on the lower level of the car, operate the doors from the lower level and step on and off the platform at each and every station. It remains a mystery to me as to how all of this was not an issue in Canada.

After all these years, I discovered I still had the details of the delay report in an electronic file on my computer, reproduced here. I'm not sure how well it will reproduce with the columns of information.

Also, here's a Google aerial photo of "LAWICSICONS", where we off-loaded the passengers. I'm not sure what that acronym stands for. I'm pretty sure this is the location. L.A. Harbor has changed an incredible amount since 1995. I don't even think Pacific Harbor Line existed then.

[goo.gl]


Schedule of S-LA-LA-07 March 07, 1995

Dp. Taylor Yard 479.4 1047
CP Main Street 481.7 1055-1059 red signal
CP Ninth Street 484.9 1105-1110 red signal
Downey Road 2.8 1112
East Los Angeles Yard 4.2 1115
East Los Angeles Station 5.6 1120-1150 passenger loading
East Los Angeles Yard 4.2 1150-1225 run through yard track
Hobart Tower - A.T.S.F. Crossing 3.1 1228
L. A. JUNCTION RY. Crossing 3.6 1231
S. P. Crossing 5.1 1236
Bell 5.4 1237
South Bell 6.2 1240
Southgate S.P. Crossing 7.4 1243
Workman 9.3 1251
Paramount S.P. Crossing (diamond removed) 11.2 1256
Paramount 12.5 1300
Rioco 13.8 1304
Douglas Junction 14.6 1307
Cota ex - S.P. Crossing (Blue Line) 17.4 1316
Carson 17.7 1318
Manuel 2 19.2 1321
Manuel 3 20.6 1326
Thenard Connection 21.6 1331
S.P. Crossing 21.7 1333
Mead Transfer (Mead Yard) 22.1 1336
Ar. LAWICSICONS (Toyota Loading Facility) 1343


Consist of train: SCAX 867 locomotive
SCAX 155 coach
SCAX 163 coach
SCAX 604 cab car
SCAX 612 cab car

Met Coal Empties at Paramount with UP 9341 CR 745 CNW 8012
Freight waiting at Manuel 2 with UP 3777 UP 3414 UP 3647 UP 3919