Here's a photo I took on December 31, 1975, FORTY-NINE YEARS AGO, that shows what we had when Southern Pacific was still going strong. Except for the Burlington Northern (another fallen flag) gondola, the portion of the train shown in the photo is exclusively SP equipment. This was before the "Golden West Service" equipment started showing up on the scene. The location is Gaviota Beach north of Santa Barbara and I was standing on a now-closed pier to get the shot. I seem to remember I was in the area with some friends because we were chasing the American Freedom Train and it made an exhibition appearance in Santa Barbara.

When Espee was pinched for cash, it offered the Coast Line up for sale, but apparently no party (especially the State of California) was offering the right price. Espee also placed the Siskiyou Line up for sale and a buyer was found in that case.

Times change, and now Uncle Pete runs the show from Omaha. The Coast Line is still probably for sale if someone offers the right price. It's a sleepy little line, with not much on-line traffic, which is in stark contrast to how things used to be. Watsonville Yard used to send unit trains of mechanical reefers over Donner Pass loaded with perishables and produce from the Salinas Valley. This was showcased in a 1984 National Geographic special entitled "Love Those Trains," and here's a link to that show:

[youtu.be]