HAVING FUN ON THE SOUTH SPIT

Driftwood Sculpture on the South Spit, 2013

Pam, Hal and I went on a little field trip to the south spit yesterday. It was fun to exercise my photography skills in the flat light that the overcast noon time light produced.

Driftwood Sculpture Variation Number Two, 2013

 I spent more time on the image this morning and came up with this variation.

SWITCH TENDER

SP Train Number 375, The Starpacer, Arriving at the East End of Bakersfield, c.1971

In the late 1960's and early 1970's Bakersfield Yard was a busy place. Bakersfield served as the terminal for trains originating in Los Angeles, Colton, Fresno, and Roseville. Most trains either off of the valley or off of the hill, were routed into the yard, and onto one of the yard's numerous tracks. The main line(s) paralleled the yard tracks, and afforded the only direct pathway through the yard.

Hotshot trains, like the Starpacer, were normally brought down the main for a power change at the Yardmaster's tower. My job as the East-end Switch Tender was to route trains into and out of the yard. I would do so by "lining" the proper switches either to or from the east-bound or west-bound main lines.

I took this photograph one dawn as train number 375 passed the east end on the west-bound main toward Kern Junction and the Yardmaster's tower. "He" was likely doing a little less than forty miles-per-hour in this photo.

LOOKING BACK AT RAILFANS

View From the Cab of Amtrak Number 12 at Ilmon, CA

A minor claim to glory that I can take, is that I was the fireman on The Coast Amtrak, Train Number 12, on its only venture over Tehachapi Pass. The coast main line was washed out, and the train was detoured via the Santa Fe valley route to Bakersfield. The train was delivered to the SP at Kern Junction where the SP crew took over from the AT&SF. I was called out as an extra board fireman to work with Engineer Hull. As I recall, we took the train to Union Station.

There was a lot of excitement for railfans since this was the first passenger train to go over this route since trains number 51 and 52 were terminated several years prior. We were chased by several carloads of happy fans, and were ambushed by a small crowd at the famous loop (Walong).

It was especially fun because we had ample power to go the speed limit of 25mph all the way up the hill. Normally, with freight trains, we would drag up the hill at speeds around 15mph, and we were often "put in the hole", but not so on a first-class train.

View from the Cab of Railfans at Walong, c.1977

LIVING THE DREAM

Meeting the SP Extra 5303 at Sandcut, CA, c.1975

When I was in my early teens I saved up my lawn mowing money and purchased a small telescope. I ordered it from Sears. It was a "Tower" brand, 30X power, and it had a very short tripod. It was a terrestrial type scope - like a spotting scope. I often took the scope up into the foothills near our house. I placed the scope on an old log that was laying on the ground, and I started looking.

From this vantage point, I could see much of the Southern Pacific's main line from about Fairfax up to Sandcut. If I saw any train traffic I would take to the scope and watch. It was easy to spot the east-bound traffic because I could hear their horns as they slowly left Bakersfield Yard. I followed them as they ascended the moderate grade toward Sandcut. It was there that I would permanently lose track of them as they made the left-hand turn where they dropped down about 86 feet to Bena.

It was nearly impossible to spot west-bound trains as they emerged into view at Sandcut while looking through the scope. I had no method of knowing when they would show. Sometimes I would be gazing at some of my other favorite things to look at, and would hear the sound of a horn to alert me to the presence of a train. Once-in-awhile, I would hit the jackpot and witness a meet of west and east-bound trains at or near Sandcut. That was as good as it got.

In the late 1950's and early 1960's I was still living in my imagination, and I often placed myself into the locomotives of the trains that I watched. I imagined operating the train up the grade and into the unseen and magical realm of railroad, and mountain passes beyond Sandcut. I tried to visualize what it was like to be on a train through Caliente, and onward to Tehachapi. I practically willed myself into those trains as my daydreams attempted to create a reality that would fulfill my fantasy.

The above image is a representation of the fulfillment of my daydreams. In this photograph I am the Fireman of a helper engine on a train. The train is at Sandcut where the head-end is already around the left-hand curve, and is dropping down to Bena (my camera captures the moment and provides the proof of my "jackpot" win - we met a west-bound freight at the perfect time).

What I did not realize when I was the kid with the telescope, nor when I was the young man in the cab of the locomotive, was that I was capable of setting goals and fulfilling goals. Only in hindsight, did I come to understand the power of intention.

The fifteen-year old Tommy, the thirty-year old T.A. Bethune, and the sixty-seven year old Thomas are all linked in a "Vonnegut" type time warp where past experiences and ages merge into a composite that my limited vocabulary cannot even begin to describe.

I know now, from this perspective, that all the moves and decisions that I made about railroading were the correct ones. I lived a dream. When it was about to become a nightmare, I, in essence, woke up from it, established a new set of goals, and embarked on a quest to fulfill them. 

THE COOKIE LADIES

"Cookies Are Out", c.1973 on the Colton Cutoff

This is a photograph of me grabbing a bag of cookies from one of the "cookie ladies". I do not have many photographs of myself while at work on the railroad (in fact, I can only recall one photo of me operation a locomotive - I cannot find it).

The cookie ladies lived on a small ranch near our main line. Their place was just a short distance west* of Sullivan's Curve. The ladies prepared small bags of cookies, and one of them would stand out by the tracks and hand them up to us. Usually they would get out to the tracks in time so that the head-end brakeman could grab a bag from the locomotive. The engineer would call the caboose on the radio and say "cookies are out". That gave us plenty of time to get ready to grab the bag. Often we would toss the cookie lady a newspaper as an exchange (there is a paper on the ballast to my left).

This process only worked when we were going west toward Palmdale. We usually were only going about fifteen miles per hour up the hill, and that gave them time enough to get out to the tracks. There was a siding about a mile from their place, and the engineer would sound the horn, and that served as notice to the ladies. Eastbound trains were usually going about twenty-five miles per hour, and that was just too fast for an exchange.

The Cajon Pass had three sets of tracks. Our's and two more that were shared by the Santa Fe and the Union Pacific. Each railroad had distinctive horns, and so the ladies could tell who was coming. We were the only ones that were treated by the ladies.

For this photograph, I enlisted the conductor to take my Rollicord with him onto the empty flat car just ahead of the caboose. The conductor may have been Kenny Burkheimer. 

*The SP operated east and west from San Francisco. For simplicity sake, there was no north and south.

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.

ONE OF MY EARLIEST IMAGES

El Capitan, Yosemite, 1961, Kodak Brownie

Here is an example of how I figured out how to make a bridge through time. I took this Ektachrome in 1961 with a square Brownie. The film size is 127, or 1 5/8" square. I bridged time by scanning and  processing the very dirty slide in Photoshop and in Light Room. I had to work on it for quite awhile.

I wish that there was some method wherein I could speak to my fifteen-year-old self. I have a couple of pointers for him, but then what would I dare change? However, I do think he has a good eye, so perhaps I should just leave him alone. I think he may turn out all right.

STRIKING OUT

Emergence, 2012

This image along with two others were my submissions to The Northwest Eye, a juried show sponsored by the Humboldt Arts Council. All three of my works did not make the cut.

Not feeling rejected is the issue that I am working on. I prepared myself to accept that I could not only not win any awards, but that my work could be "juried out". I must admit that I do not feel all that bad. I felt much worse the last time that this happened. Yes, two years ago, I received a "best of show" in this exhibit, and of course I was elated. The lesson for me is to be neither upset or elated in any of these situations. In that regard, I am making progress.

Later: I went to pick up my work, and we could only find two of the three. We finally found the third - on the wall in the gallery. They missed including it in the accepted list. My attitude has shifted since this morning, but not as much as it would have a year ago. Nonetheless, I do feel better.

FORTY-FOUR YEARS AGO

Moonscape, Korea, 1968, Minolta SRT101 135mm f2.8

This photograph was taken from my tactical site. The distant lights on the hilltop are of a radar complex. The reflected moonlight is on water from the Yellow Sea. The tides here were very impressive.

BACK ON THE BLOG

Arches National Park, 1992

I took a break from blogging. I have not been doing much photography over the past couple of months. I think I am holding onto the notion that I will again be productive once I go on my first little photo journey. I am making progress with the scanning, and I finished my taxes five minutes ago.

TUG AT MY HEART

The Thor, Rustler, and Renown Tug Boats at Humboldt Bay, 1983

From the time I was a child, I always liked tug boats and locomotives. I think the start for me, was via Little Golden Books. I loved the book Tootle, and another about harbors and tugs. When I was very young I also listened to a 78 RPM recording of Sparky and the Talking Train. I was hooked, and though I no longer read Little Golden Books, the love for these heavy movers remains with me.

AT THE HAGOPIAN

Waiting at Lamy, New Mexico, 2007

A print of this image is now showing at the Hagopian Gallery, in Eureka as part of a group exhibit of the Eureka Photoshop User's Group.