They held true, and the next day we had two pair, so we hooked them up and left with the train for Centralia. There were two extra SWs that had been in the J yard for a couple of days, se we told the YM and the TM not to send them in if they wanted us to take the whole train the next day. With two SW1500s, we were just able to make it over Delta with about 20 cars, so we knew we needed more power for the 44 cars the next day. The train amounted to 40 empty tanks for Chevron, and four loads of lumber for the team track.Īt South LA, we would run the engines up to the branch switch inside the tunnel to line ourselves up from the way it was left day before, so we could get a running start from Centralia. We knew the day before that we would have 44 cars to take to El Segundo the next day, from the number of cars that we had set out at Centralia, and from the cars that were on the inbound J Yard hauler. The grade between South LA and Delta, (Westbound) is 1.3%, and between Cypave and Delta ( Eastbound) is 1.5%. The normal power at that time was two SW1500s.
We took the whole train to Centralia and switched out the cars for the branch we weren't switching that day, and picked up the cars for that branch that we had switched out the day before. They gave us all the cars for both branches at the "J" yard. My last trip to El Segundo was in late 1996, and was during the time when the SP was running to Torrance one day, and El Segundo the next. I doubt a one of them is still producing catalog-level HP. You're also talking about four older units, each with its own issue. That being said this train left the yard with 73 cars and 9,000 tons and they do have a grade on that line. Truth be known I never saw a single SW1500 on the El Segudno (I saw two, but usually two wiith a GEEP). > Just no point or desire to split and reassemble > night.which is where the 4 units are needed. > the same power is used for the Gemco hauler at
> units, but frequently leave guadalupe with only > The guadalupe hauler amost always has 4 road > when, and then 2 cruds for like 30 years.as you > The el segundo switcher was a single SW way back > line engines in consist that arent required. > I think the UP has been after crews to take off > already together.or maybe the 2 middle ones were Dont feel like splitting up units that are > Four units is just lazyness.as far as i can Image three is still Hawthorne, but now at Del Aire. Image two is now in Hawthorne, east of Cypave near the golf course. Image one is from the ped bridge in Watts. After they switched the plastics place, I drove to the shot at Del Aire, and sure enough, as I reach the grade crossing there they are again! Finally shot them in the yard at El Segundo before stopping to catch my breathe from an insane chase. Back to the golf course in Hawthorne, thinking I had plenty of time, but as I reached the grade crossing, there they were. Then I raced to Centralia, but traffic got me and they were on the move again before I could get any shot. Only hole in the tight mesh fence was on the ground, so I lay on the ground and shot through it. Back into the car and down to Watts for the pedestrian bridge shot, and I swear I beat them by 30 seconds. Heard from someone that they were on their way out of the yard fianlly, so I raced up to Grain Craft ("raced" being a dubious term), only to get there in time to see them building air to leave. I tried to time about when I thought they'd be down with Grain Craft and on the branch, but wound up waiting by the golf course in Hawthorne for two hours with no train. The line runs through some intensely urban streets that will keep you from catching them. Chasing the El Segundo (the Union Pacific local from 4th Street in Downtown LA to El Segundo) ain't easy. No matter how nice the town has become these days (and it's mighty nice) I will always hear Fred Sanford mocking it in my head whenever I hear the name. If you're old enough to remember Sanford & Son, you remember that El Segundo was always a punchline for Redd Foxx.
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