posted
For the first time since I was 12 years old (1968) I saw something working the remnants of the old Tustin branch in Orange. Vicinity of Batavia & Ball Rd in Orange. A pair of SW-1500 (UP 1074 & UP 1181) spottingcars on the industrial spurs in the area!
Posts: 37 | From: Orange, CA | Registered: Nov 2002
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They find their way over to the City of Orange a coupla times a week, usually to the Foamex plant on Batavia. A few small industries also recieve cars occasionally... The times I have caught them in Orange has been late afternoon or early evening.
al de anaheim
------------------ photography is my elixir
Posts: 77 | From: anaheim, california, USA | Registered: Oct 2002
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posted
That is precisely when and where I saw them. I grew up in Orange, and the Tustin branch wound it's way from Anaheim to Tustin, via the eastern portionof Orange. It ran perhaps 200 yards from my house out nearProspect & Chapman. It would roll by three or four times a week with building materials destined for either the team track in Tustin or Thompson Building Materials, which was located at what is now Irvine & Newport.
It would have been neat to have a camera to record the little local trundling thru the orange groves, but alas, at seven or eightyears old, just seeing a train was enough. I do recall, however, seeing the SW-1500 and ALCO C-415 working the line. I just wonder what else rolled bu that I didn't remember.
I also remember the rain that we got in December 1968 that washed out the bridge over Santiago Creek, thus sealing the fate of the line. Don't recall ever hearing if there were still cars at the end of the line when it was cut-off.
[This message has been edited by john1082 (edited 12-14-2002).]
Posts: 37 | From: Orange, CA | Registered: Nov 2002
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posted
To John1082: Looks like we are about the same age and my biggest regret also is not getting more pictures of the SP branch that went close to my house in the 60's. I remember one day seeing a bright orange passenger train creeping along. I wonder if anyone ever got any photos of that Daylight detour?
John, I'm sorry I didn't mention the branch by name I was talking about. It was the Burbank branch to Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley. Your feelings toward the old "home" reminded me of my memories growing up and the train I was referring to was actually a detouring Daylight from off the Coast Line. Tustin sounds much like Chatsworth in those days with lots of orange groves. [This message has been edited by Paul Jansson (edited 12-17-2002).]
[This message has been edited by Paul Jansson (edited 12-17-2002).]
[This message has been edited by Paul Jansson (edited 12-17-2002).]
Posts: 26 | From: La Mirada, CA USA | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote:Originally posted by john1082: For the first time since I was 12 years old (1968) I saw something working the remnants of the old Tustin branch in Orange. Vicinity of Batavia & Ball Rd in Orange. A pair of SW-1500 (UP 1074 & UP 1181) spottingcars on the industrial spurs in the area!
For some reason that reminds me of the kinda recently pulled crossing. Whenever I cross over an ex-rr xing it's depressing...the line I assumed was the Villa Park line- crossed Glassell, Cambridge,Shaffer,Tustin,etc..it's all a plant nursery thru there Couple years ago, when they were just pulling the rest of the Glassell crossing, the track only extended a little from each end and I think the arms were still there. I found it annoying that the city didn't put any schoolbus exempt signs and I had to stop and do the crossing procedure at a line that was nonexistant. I'd joke with a kids, hey I don't think there's ANY train coming soon. hehe
[This message has been edited by coach34135 (edited 12-15-2002).]
[This message has been edited by coach34135 (edited 12-15-2002).]
posted
I recall hearing that there were some MOW cars over by the Conrock plant north of Chapman & Prospect; in addition, I vaguely recall seeing something orange in the distance when traveling east on Chapman over the bridge over Santiago Creek. This would have been to the northeast, looking up towards the rock plant.
One day I heard from some kids at school thatthese cars had been moved. That removal action may have been the movement that you're suggesting.
I'm 46 and went to school at La Veta, Fairhaven, McPherson, and El Modena. I have no doubt that we have some friends in common somewhere.
Regards,
John Gezelius
[This message has been edited by john1082 (edited 12-15-2002).]
Posts: 37 | From: Orange, CA | Registered: Nov 2002
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posted
The Tustin Branch is the same one that ran thru Villa Park. From Anaheim, it ran east, more or less parallel to Katella, but perhaps three blocks north of there. It crossed Batavia, Glassell, all of those cross-streets. After crossing Tustin it jogged around a big Edison Company power station (complete with rail spur), dipped beneath the 55 freeway and then made a right-hand curve at the Villa Park packing house. It ran south from there, right next to Wanda Street, crossed Collins and then ran across the Conrock property.
The line continued south after leaving crossing the Santiago Creek bridge. There was an old station called McPherson just north of Chapman Avenue that had a packing house back in the twenties, crossed Chapman (yes, I am old enough to remember just non-lighted cross-bucks) and then continued south to a left hand turn around our sub-diivision. Ran east for maybe a mile and then turned right (and southward again) to continue it's journey to Tustin.
[This message has been edited by john1082 (edited 12-15-2002).]
Posts: 37 | From: Orange, CA | Registered: Nov 2002
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posted
Much of the route is illustrated in an article I wrote about the last steam excursion over the branch which appeared in the SPH&TS "Trainline" issue No. 31(1992).
Posts: 216 | From: San Carlos, CA, USA | Registered: Jul 2000
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On the way to the Mighty Ducks game, I crossed over this branch at Auto Ctr drive. It appears to have been recently ballasted. I suppose that's good news for what remains of the Tustin branch.
Posts: 202 | From: Yorba Linda, CA USA | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by bsme25: On the way to the Mighty Ducks game, I crossed over this branch at Auto Ctr drive. It appears to have been recently ballasted. I suppose that's good news for what remains of the Tustin branch.
That is part of the Tustin branch? Goes right by the Rancho Del Rio stables right? I saw when they put ties down then later on they were done and it's lookin so much better. But I've never seen a train or anything on there. Is that where the circus train unloads?
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The Tustin Branch is one of my favorite SP branchlines. My Grandparents house was next to the Oil distributer where the line ended on the east side of Newport Ave. It was a Signal Oil Co. dealer, remember Signal Oil. When ever we heard the train we would go over to the grade crossing on Newport Ave and watch the tiger striped EMD switcher work the team track and run around his train. In the 1950s there was a packing house (Santa Ana-Tustin Mutual) and the team track. An interesting note was a mainline detrail that was just before the crossing that prevented run away cars from hitting the oil company. We would sit on the SAVI irrigation structure that directed irrigation water view the action. In those day it was only one unit on the train. Eventually the packing house closed and became a church for a while (the Sunkist Cathedral), but the team track continue to serve a lumber yard during the building boom of the 1960s. On the northern edge of Tustin there was another orange packing house (Tustin Hills) that operated into the 1960s and a lemon house (Central Lemon who also has a house at Villa Park) that closed much earlier and was used a a warehouse by companies such as Thomas Building Materials. Motive power during the mid to later 1960s was Baldwin S12s, Alco S6s and a cariety of EMD switchers. There were a couple of flatcars traped at Tustin when the line washedout and they were trucked out. A few lumber loads were delivered to Tustin on the Santa Fe's Irvine Spur which had a leg end across Newport Ave. south of where Irvine Blvd is today (near the Ruby's). In another post there was noted something orange at the gravel pit at McPherson, it was at least one SP truck trailer that was there for years.
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After the rains of Jan-Feb 1969 damaged the Santiago Creek bridge and the SP cut service on the Tustin Branch back to Villa Park, the local still crossed Wanda Ave for a period of time to reach the run-around track. When Wanda was improved and widened, a run-around was installed between the packing house at Villa Park and the Newport Freeway overpass. Luckly this was before the era of sound walls made traveling on freeway like going down a flood control channeland you could see the track change from SR 55.
Posts: 50 | From: Orange Calif | Registered: Oct 2002
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quote:Originally posted by john1082: Given that the article is 10 years old, can you suggest a source where I could find a copy? I would really like to read it.
[This message has been edited by john1082 (edited 12-15-2002).]
I May have a copy or two stashed in the back of a closet, so if unable to obrain the back issue directly from SPH&TS, contact me off line.
Posts: 216 | From: San Carlos, CA, USA | Registered: Jul 2000
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posted
coach34135, I just noticed your question about the circus train. It actually ties up and unloads in a small yard at the end of the Santa Ana Branch between Cerritos St. and Katella. This is right before the UP tracks meet BNSF at State College Junction.
Posts: 246 | From: Anaheim, CA | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by atsf3751: coach34135, I just noticed your question about the circus train. It actually ties up and unloads in a small yard at the end of the Santa Ana Branch between Cerritos St. and Katella. This is right before the UP tracks meet BNSF at State College Junction.
Okkkeedokkeee...i missed it this year so i wasnt sure where they unloaded. So they parade the elephants down the street?
We went looking at the Whittier Station in it's new place, it's beautiful. It's what SHOULD happen to a station if it can't stay by the rails. Then we tried to find an E series that was said to be in La Mirada, we found some Santa Fes & a Caboose off Valley View but no E. Oh well.......
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John, I'm sorry I didn't mention the branch by name I was talking about. It was the Burbank branch to Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley. Your feelings toward the old "home" reminded me of my memories growing up and the train I was referring to was actually a detouring Daylight from off the Coast Line. Tustin sounds much like Chatsworth in those days with lots of orange groves.
