I worked in downtown Burbank 1978-88. Took many lunch breaks at this location watching coast line and San Joaquin Valley line trains pass by. Great memories of that period.
I've been a committed SP fan for nearly 40 years and this is my favorite video here, but when you think about it, the guys at EMD are really the ones responsible for the magic here!
These were the last great years of the Southern Pacific! I was born in '80 and grew up very close to this Saugus line. I used to ride my bike up to the line to watch these EMD's. Jointed rail, always overpowered and a caboose. I'm glad I got to experience this before the modern era took over. On 2 occasions, the engineers invited me into the locomotive for a tour while they waited for a clear track. They were so friendly. Regulations prohibit that today.
They also use to run quite a few heavy long freights over this line back in the day plus the oil cans came down this line. There was never a shortage of activity. At night I remember seeing the head end units mars light from miles away approaching and then the light reflecting off of surfaces. Southern Pacific also had the most pleasant sounding horns of the era!
@@WoodsBeatle Of course I do! On one occasion, I think the coast line suffered a derailment and the SP rerouted a heavy freight over the branch from Chatsworth to Burbank. It was moving about 10 to 15mph and we watched it from Sizzlers restaurant on Hollywood Way! None of the grade crossings had gates, only lights and bells. It was rare to see much traffic later in the 90's but once in a while you could catch a treat. How I miss the good ol' "friendly"...the espee!
Things we miss. Tunnel motors, boxcars, caboose's, and most important is the Espee itself. What a time to me alive. I'm so grateful and appreciative that I can say I didn't miss out.
Memories of riding our bicycles to the Burbank Junction way back in the 50s and 60s. Of course that was long before this video was shot.Like the Vid ! Miss the tunnel motors on the old SP RR.
I'm a bit of a train enthusist myself. Man I miss the SP. When I was younger I used to watch them go through Berkeley. They have a yeard in Oakland. They really knew how to build a train and move freight. Also, they used the Nathan P3 horns which sound great. The UP just doesn't cut it and many of their horns sound terrible.
During the deteriorating years of the Southern Pacific, there was a joke going around that went, " why are there 10 locomotives on every SP freight? So that at least one of them might still be running when they get to where they're going." So sad that a great railroad like the SP went down the tubes so fast. I miss the tunnel motors and the cabooses too. Those tunnel motors sounded pretty good going up Cajon pass as well.
Yep the highways especially in California and trucks took away much of the SP's freight and before that the automobile and airline took away the passengers.
It doesn't get any better than this! Tunnel motors rule the day in any decade! Love the Southern Pacific! Now I appreciate my N scale SP tunnel motors even more! And three cheers for that great caboose! Thanks for posting this vid! Classic! :)
~19,800 hard working EMD horsepower at notch 8 with gyra light!!! SP knew how to move trains!!! they didn't mess around with "just enough power, we think..."
Clark! Good footage. When was this, early 1980’s? You sure can’t recognize this spot now. I have lots of good memories railfanning this very spot, and a couple good stories.
Well by the looks of the paintschemes on the SP diesels and the fact that the removal of the light packages didnt begin until the late 1980s i would say somewhere between 1983-1987
Six consecutive SP tunnel units followed by 17 consecutive SP box cars. Good to see SP near full strength. SP loco's were always dirty & grimy, but it gave them character.
OMG!!!! WOW WHAT A SOUND....and THe Plymouth Duster makes it all the better!!!!! That hogger isn't wastin' a second getting moving. What year if I may ask?
This exact spot was the site of a bad derailment in 1966. 33 cars of a 57-car train were scattered all over the area where we see the locomotives backing up at the start of the video. Burbank Tower was once located here - where the front of the backing lead unit is at 1:23.
Am presuming the train was supposed to go up to Oregon via Tehachapi (using Espee's Palmdale line) not the Coast line? Tehachapi (would've been a lot shorter in the long run).
And also the locomotives generally didn't get washed unless it had to be put in maintenance. The SP's financial problems didn't being until the late 80s and early 90s, even then thats not what killed the SP. And if ANYONE has ever seen a train emerge from even a 500ft tunnel would know how easily a locomotive would get dirt, and if you have, multiply that number by 12 just for Tehachapi, about 6 for the Coastline, and about 15 for for the Cascades. Mountain railroading ain't clean.
Then in its later years it became a pure intermodal train with the boxcars moving onto merchandise trains like the WCEUM (West Colton to Eugene Merchandise)
It wasnt due to enviromental regulations. Even though SPs golden age was going on, financially the company was struggling due to mergers taking away its traffic base. So due to loss in revenue, they had to cutback expenses and therefore chose to make locomotive cleaning a lower priority
Living in Banning on the West edge of the desert floor, the west-bound SP's were mostly grimy. I agree the SP Bloody Nose paint scheme was attractive when clean. Not living near Taylor Yard, clean diesels escaped me.
Lead 5 are SD40T-2 then last 2 are SD45T-2 by the engine numbers. You can also tell by the location of the cab, SD45T-2 centered over center axle, SD40T-2 centered between center axle and rear axle.
Just wondering after all these years, was the orginal SP paint scheme when freshly rolled off the assembly BLACK or a dark GREY? Or are do they just fade over time to a dark grey? NS faded or not is aalways a fine BLACK.
Regarding SP locomotives and the collective grim they all seemed to share...in todays world of ultra-efficient (clean) diesel power we soon forget the simplicity of steam and early diesel technology. Combine this with a run-8 push-pull over the Tehachapi Mountains at 10mph and you'll understand why it was redundant. JD
LABRF stood for Los Angeles to Brooklyn Yard (Portland, OR.) Forwarder. Usually a combination of boxcars with high end merchandise and flatcars loaded with trailers and containers.
Trainmaster jumps on at 00:53 to chew a little a@@, "WTF's going on?" "Oh, are those the orders you received?" "We'll have to have a little talk to him about that ."
It wasnt regulations that caused SP not to wash its engines. After the 1970s, the railroad was struggling financially, so they had to make some cutbacks in areas in order for them to be financially solvent most notably the cleaning of its locomotive roster.
and getting harder with the fact that 9 of out every 10 trains you see has at least 1 GE in the consist and 4 out of every 10 times you see a GE its probably a ES44AC/ES44DC.
WWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE----A CLASSIC SOUND, IN HOUSTON----THERE WAS A TIME YOU WOULD TRIP OVER EM'----ALL OVER PASADENA, DEER PARK----ALL ARMOR YELLA BELLIES NOW!
Great shot! I miss the old SP. And please stop the debate about the locomotives being clean vs dirty. The locomotives were dirty because of the exact reason SP (counting SSW) and DRGW were the only railroads to own Tunnel Motors, TUNNELS. If anyone has seen, one train from Eugen, OR, to Los Angeles, Ca will pick up a whole lot of grime in a matter of 2 or 3 days.
Those EMDs womped. Loved to get those on a trip. they pulled anything we had, 14,000 ton 12,000 ft oil cans, coal, grain cars, junk trains, didn't matter
I grew up in central California and vividly remember fithy, grimy SP locomotives. If Cali regulations prevented SP from washing their power, then it should have been done in another state. Public Image and Perception of a company is highly elevated when said company shows pride in it's equipment. Witness DHL and UPS. Their trucks always look good. Santa Fe and UP took pride in their power, pity SP didn't ! Don't miss SP !
![“อาร์ต พศุตม์” เกือบเอี่ยวทุกคดีดัง เอ๊ะไว้ก่อน ไม่มีอะไรได้มาง่ายๆ | แฉ 16 ต.ค. 67 [2/3] | GMM25](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0Gx-0-kUBv8/mqdefault.jpg)
I sure miss those SP tunnel motors roaring up through the Tehachapi mountains! Great vid!
and they carry on in countries like Brasil….
I worked in downtown Burbank 1978-88. Took many lunch breaks at this location watching coast line and San Joaquin Valley line trains pass by. Great memories of that period.
I've been a committed SP fan for nearly 40 years and this is my favorite video here, but when you think about it, the guys at EMD are really the ones responsible for the magic here!
This is one of my favorite videos of the SP also the way they take off is incredible
These were the last great years of the Southern Pacific! I was born in '80 and grew up very close to this Saugus line. I used to ride my bike up to the line to watch these EMD's. Jointed rail, always overpowered and a caboose. I'm glad I got to experience this before the modern era took over. On 2 occasions, the engineers invited me into the locomotive for a tour while they waited for a clear track. They were so friendly. Regulations prohibit that today.
They also use to run quite a few heavy long freights over this line back in the day plus the oil cans came down this line. There was never a shortage of activity. At night I remember seeing the head end units mars light from miles away approaching and then the light reflecting off of surfaces. Southern Pacific also had the most pleasant sounding horns of the era!
@@4wdiesels wow do you recall the Burbank Branch
@@WoodsBeatle Of course I do! On one occasion, I think the coast line suffered a derailment and the SP rerouted a heavy freight over the branch from Chatsworth to Burbank. It was moving about 10 to 15mph and we watched it from Sizzlers restaurant on Hollywood Way! None of the grade crossings had gates, only lights and bells. It was rare to see much traffic later in the 90's but once in a while you could catch a treat. How I miss the good ol' "friendly"...the espee!
Things we miss. Tunnel motors, boxcars, caboose's, and most important is the Espee itself. What a time to me alive. I'm so grateful and appreciative that I can say I didn't miss out.
I used to watch the SP hard at work going over the Tehachapi mountains and the Loop back in the 70's! Love those tunnel motors!
Gee’z that departure of pure brutal EMD Muscle was incredible!!.....they sure hustled the hell out of that load.....
Very impressive departure - you can feel the power!!
The GOLD Standard of TH-cam train vids.
Memories of riding our bicycles to the Burbank Junction way back in the 50s and 60s. Of course that was long before this video was shot.Like the Vid ! Miss the tunnel motors on the old SP RR.
This video many years ago turned me into an SP fan. Gotta love that notch 8 two stroke sound!!
I can remember as a kid wondering why SP never washed their locomotives.....
Any video with a caboose is a treat let alone a cotton belt!
I'm just so glad this video was made. I turned back to it many times over the years
I'm a bit of a train enthusist myself. Man I miss the SP. When I was younger I used to watch them go through Berkeley. They have a yeard in Oakland. They really knew how to build a train and move freight. Also, they used the Nathan P3 horns which sound great. The UP just doesn't cut it and many of their horns sound terrible.
Nathan cast P3. The best.
RIP, Southern Pacific
During the deteriorating years of the Southern Pacific, there was a joke going around that went, " why are there 10 locomotives on every SP freight? So that at least one of them might still be running when they get to where they're going." So sad that a great railroad like the SP went down the tubes so fast. I miss the tunnel motors and the cabooses too. Those tunnel motors sounded pretty good going up Cajon pass as well.
Yep the highways especially in California and trucks took away much of the SP's freight and before that the automobile and airline took away the passengers.
I worked there at the end. Anschutz ruined it. He bought it just to sell off land and equipment
southern pacific was the greatest railway ever
RIP southern pacific 1865 - 1957, 1957 - 1996.
PS: 100th comment WOOT WOOT
The 2 people that hit dislike on this, are obviously not stuck in the past like the rest of us!
8 people disliked the video!
It doesn't get any better than this! Tunnel motors rule the day in any decade! Love the Southern Pacific! Now I appreciate my N scale SP tunnel motors even more! And three cheers for that great caboose!
Thanks for posting this vid! Classic! :)
~19,800 hard working EMD horsepower at notch 8 with gyra light!!! SP knew how to move trains!!! they didn't mess around with "just enough power, we think..."
God I miss the good ol' days of railfanning, I was born 20 years too late that's for sure.
Deep joy - EsPee Tunnel Motors at work: life doesn't get much better than that!
Clark! Good footage. When was this, early 1980’s? You sure can’t recognize this spot now. I have lots of good memories railfanning this very spot, and a couple good stories.
The Southern Pacific of the 1980s now that was the golden age for photographing SP freights
That has to be the sweetest sound in the world hands down.
Back in those days there were fewer things in this world more dirty than a Southern Pacific locomotive!
Ahh, the good ol' days before all of the punks with their spray paint cans came into the picture.
man how cool is this sp take me back in time great stuff
great action shots, and nice to see it preserved here!
Well by the looks of the paintschemes on the SP diesels and the fact that the removal of the light packages didnt begin until the late 1980s i would say somewhere between 1983-1987
California and Southern Pacific - they go together like bacon and eggs! SP Lives!
Six consecutive SP tunnel units followed by 17 consecutive SP box cars. Good to see SP near full strength. SP loco's were always dirty & grimy, but it gave them character.
Wow, SIX tunnel motors together. Great video.
OMG!!!! WOW WHAT A SOUND....and THe Plymouth Duster makes it all the better!!!!! That hogger isn't wastin' a second getting moving. What year if I may ask?
This exact spot was the site of a bad derailment in 1966. 33 cars of a 57-car train were scattered all over the area where we see the locomotives backing up at the start of the video. Burbank Tower was once located here - where the front of the backing lead unit is at 1:23.
This rocks, I sure miss those days!
LABRF operated via the valley (Bakersfield). In later years it was a night train out of L.A. with nothing but pigs (TOFC).
Am presuming the train was supposed to go up to Oregon via Tehachapi (using Espee's Palmdale line) not the Coast line? Tehachapi (would've been a lot shorter in the long run).
Train Simulator (DTG) got the sounds down perfect! These locos in the game sound exactly like this!
EMD 16 & 20 cylinder 645 engines. Now thats music to my ears
And a Cotton Bellt bay window caboose to boot! GREAT CATCH - rare catch too with the T.O. boo-boo back-up move at the beginning...
An International Car Company bay window caboose no less. Me like!
Amazing sound, so much power!
The value of having a caboose!!
boy he took off like a rocket yep!! that was the good ol days
Love the sounds of those EMDs!!
And also the locomotives generally didn't get washed unless it had to be put in maintenance. The SP's financial problems didn't being until the late 80s and early 90s, even then thats not what killed the SP.
And if ANYONE has ever seen a train emerge from even a 500ft tunnel would know how easily a locomotive would get dirt, and if you have, multiply that number by 12 just for Tehachapi, about 6 for the Coastline, and about 15 for for the Cascades.
Mountain railroading ain't clean.
Then in its later years it became a pure intermodal train with the boxcars moving onto merchandise trains like the WCEUM (West Colton to Eugene Merchandise)
It wasnt due to enviromental regulations. Even though SPs golden age was going on, financially the company was struggling due to mergers taking away its traffic base. So due to loss in revenue, they had to cutback expenses and therefore chose to make locomotive cleaning a lower priority
Gotta go, gotta go, GOTTA GOOOOO!!!
Living in Banning on the West edge of the desert floor, the west-bound SP's were mostly grimy. I agree the SP Bloody Nose paint scheme was attractive when clean. Not living near Taylor Yard, clean diesels escaped me.
man do i miss the sp, makes me really hate the grim reaper of omaha
My ex employer. Worked as a signalman in los angeles then up in palmdale/ bakersfield. Then as a conductor in roseville. 1980s and 90s
Correct me if I’m wrong, but those locomotives are either SD40T-2’s or SD45T-2’s. I can’t really tell because of the video quality.
Lead 5 are SD40T-2 then last 2 are SD45T-2 by the engine numbers. You can also tell by the location of the cab, SD45T-2 centered over center axle, SD40T-2 centered between center axle and rear axle.
Just wondering after all these years, was the orginal SP paint scheme when freshly rolled off the assembly BLACK or a dark GREY? Or are do they just fade over time to a dark grey? NS faded or not is aalways a fine BLACK.
Landaux It was gray.
Regarding SP locomotives and the collective grim they all seemed to share...in todays world of ultra-efficient (clean) diesel power we soon forget the simplicity of steam and early diesel technology. Combine this with a run-8 push-pull over the Tehachapi Mountains at 10mph and you'll understand why it was redundant. JD
LABRF stood for Los Angeles to Brooklyn Yard (Portland, OR.) Forwarder. Usually a combination of boxcars with high end merchandise and flatcars loaded with trailers and containers.
Trainmaster jumps on at 00:53 to chew a little a@@, "WTF's going on?" "Oh, are those the orders you received?" "We'll have to have a little talk to him about that ."
i agree with that statement but also SP's diesels also looked very attractive when clean dont you think?
It wasnt regulations that caused SP not to wash its engines. After the 1970s, the railroad was struggling financially, so they had to make some cutbacks in areas in order for them to be financially solvent most notably the cleaning of its locomotive roster.
EMD two stroke diesel music FTW!
That train looks like it was from the film “Safety Facts About Crossing Tracks” from 1970.
and getting harder with the fact that 9 of out every 10 trains you see has at least 1 GE in the consist and 4 out of every 10 times you see a GE its probably a ES44AC/ES44DC.
nuts i'm wrecking my speakers watching this at full blast.........
Awesome! I like those SD40'm
I'm the guy climbing back on the locomotive (Larry Fredeen), and then back off. As I recall the orders we got were for a coast train.
Hey larry, you Remember me? Vinny from palmdale? I was in signal.....
I thought that was th great Charles elston and the engineer was John Jenkins Great Guys.
The wail of turbocharged 16-645s under load is something I miss on todays freight trains. A solid EMD consis is hard to find.
I'd guess its the early-mid 1980s.
WWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE----A CLASSIC SOUND, IN HOUSTON----THERE WAS A TIME YOU WOULD TRIP OVER EM'----ALL OVER PASADENA, DEER PARK----ALL ARMOR YELLA BELLIES NOW!
nice, and even before the days of not getting on or off moving equipment lol
Great shot! I miss the old SP. And please stop the debate about the locomotives being clean vs dirty. The locomotives were dirty because of the exact reason SP (counting SSW) and DRGW were the only railroads to own Tunnel Motors, TUNNELS.
If anyone has seen, one train from Eugen, OR, to Los Angeles, Ca will pick up a whole lot of grime in a matter of 2 or 3 days.
and now it carries on to America Latina Logistica, FCA and the modern day RUMO! 40 years plus and still running.
Woo Hoo! love tunnelmotors sweet vid!
When this video was recorded?
6 Dinosaurs from LaGrange on the point of the hottest frieght train on the SP. Now thats what i call a frieght train
What year is this from?
Wow. Whoever hit the "dislike" button must surely have done so by accident!
6 locos on the point = brute force...
At 1:33... THAT is the most bitchin sound in the world... 6 EMD 645s accelerating with a good load behind!!!
Those EMDs womped. Loved to get those on a trip. they pulled anything we had, 14,000 ton 12,000 ft oil cans, coal, grain cars, junk trains, didn't matter
I grew up in central California and vividly remember fithy, grimy SP locomotives. If Cali regulations prevented SP from washing their power, then it should have been done in another state. Public Image and Perception of a company is highly elevated when said company shows pride in it's equipment. Witness DHL and UPS. Their trucks always look good. Santa Fe and UP took pride in their power, pity SP didn't ! Don't miss SP !
they had a bit of difficulty in the finacial department so washing locomotives was taken as a lesser priority.
I wouldn't say that....mountain, dessert and tunnels make them dirty pretty fast.
im thinking about getting that video
My favourtie SD40T-2 or SD45T-2
LOVE the clickety clack
Too bad they don't run this train up to Palmdale anymore it's mainly z trains that run on through Palmdale.
Thats how you move freight....
espee!
Not SD40m... all SD40T-2 and SD45T-2.
psp: great catch
They painted them grey so they didn/t have to.LOL
i just had a accident!
look like al bundy was there catching a few of sp!!!!
Pour it on..........(!)
Pour on the meat...
Larry Feerdeen, on the head end
What year was this?
Early 80's