Wednesday, April 3, 2013

MY OLD STOMPING GROUNDS

Southern Pacific Railroad Bakersfield Roundhouse, c.1975

I took this photograph before sunrise one morning while I was working as a hostler at the roundhouse. My duties were to move locomotives and consists of locomotives through the servicing area and on to wherever the roundhouse foreman wanted them to go. Sometimes we put individual engines onto the tracks off of the turntable, and sometimes we assembled multiple units into consists of two, four or more locomotives.

This photograph shows about seven "goats" or switch engines, and a consist of at least four units off to the upper right. I think those units were the head-end power for one of the Starpacers - either No. 365 or more likely, No. 375. Those units are being replaced with two "valley" locomotives for the trip to Fresno and Roseville.

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