__- - e tern Railroads and Transit , I $2.00 New From Random House this fall .... THIRTY THREE LIFE STORIES OF THE PEOPLE THAT MADE OVER THE TRAINS 150 RUN. PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE INTRODUCTION BY STUART LEUTHNER "This is not a railroad book.It is a railroaders book. It is about the people who worked for the railroads. The engineers, brakemen, chefs, executives, the people who made it work. With a few exceptions, books dealing with the railroads have become cavalcades of iron. Page after page of locomotives, leaning into curves, in the roundhouse, at the coaling dock.You name it, it's been photographed. A typical caption: 'Rods flashing, high-drivered Pennsy K-4s No.5404 wheels the varnishas she hits her stride with the Broadway Limited near the Horseshoe Curve on an old February afternoon, 1945' .... "The railroads were one of the most important industries in this country when these people were on the job.Even into the 1950's, they were a complicated system of machinery and people stretching over the entire country. It's been an undisputed fact that without the railroads' superhuman efforts, World War" might not have been won.The railroads worked the way they did because the people worked. Worked in the true meaning of the word. There was only ...." " r----- ------------------ Bonanza Inn Bookshop -� I .. 650 Market Street •••• 11-•• Ii•• • I !I.,,-.f.jj I San Francisco 941 04 -:-g�g-::-�"'" '- I I ON TRAINS I Please send copies of The Railroaders @$1 9.95, plus BOOIS IiTROLLEYS I $1 .1 5 total shipping charge for any quantity. Ca residents please AND EVERYTHING ELSE! I add $1.30 per book in 6%% sales tax areas or $1.20 in 6% areas. BONANZA INN BOOK SHOP I Thank you. 650 MARKET, 392-7378 I Visa/Mastercard # ______ex ____ __ SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104 I MON-SAT 9-9 SUN 11-5 I1-------- --------------- Send for our free list of recommended rail titles. All 1984 calendars discounted 20%. Over 200 to choose from! December 1983 No. 247 and Transit Hello Yellow, Goodbye Green Ken Meeker 9 A Note from Union Pacific Puts its Stamp on the Feather River Route the Editor Alfred Perlman . .. Harre W Demm'o 14 We are pleased that our first PACIFIC The GruffDoctor who ministered to an ailing Western Pacific NEWS was so well received. We appreciate the many laudatory letters and messages, but rather than taking a lot of space to congratu­ Memorable Images from late ourselves in the letters page, we send a Albert C. Phelps ...... Richard Sceinheimer collective thank you. 16 The only general criticism we heard was in two areas. The first was, "Is it going to Departments: become a trolley magazine?" No, we again assure you there will be a balance between all Letters ..... 4 the forms of rail transportation. It so hap­ Preservation. 5 pened that the San Francisco trolley festival was deserving of an article on a timely basis, Rail News .. 6 and cover illustrations generally tie into the Photo Section .19 lead article. As to the second, "Where are the Railroads .... .23 photo pages?", we agree that space must be saved (or found) for them. We'll work hard Out West ... .32 to continue this PACIFIC NEWS tradition. Interurbans Newsletter .33 Your comments on the features and col­ ExcursionslBook Reviews. .34 umns are always welcome. We are believers Extra Board Classified Ads .35 in both the preservation and enthusiast movements and hope museums and clubs will keep us posted on developments and COVER: The transition fr om Western Pacific to activities. Union Pacific is illustrated by this mixed-power Speaking of organizations, two historical consist, symbol freight CCVX, at Altamont, Calif. The other track is Southern Pacific's paralleling groups have formed which deserve mention. route. -KEN MEEKER The Santa Fe Railway Historical Society, Inc., is soliciting charter memberships; write to them at P.O. Box 60178, Los Angeles CA Pacific News is a trademark of Interurbans Publications (a Corporation). 90060. Publication of bulletins by the South­ PUBLISHER: Mac Sebree ern Pacific Historical and Technical Society, EDITOR: jim Walker ART DIRECTOR: Bill Bradley has already begun. They are at 218 Norton CONTRIBUTING ARTIST: john R. Signor #6, Long Beach CA 90805. These two rail­ roads are now of special interest with an­ CONTRIBUTORS: nouncement of merger plans. Michael W. Blaszak, George R. Cockle, Harre W. Demoro, R. C. Farewell, Ralph Forty, Mark W. Heinz, Barry Herlihy, Don jewell, Neil Lang, Ken Meeker, Tom Parkinson, Charles Vercelli, J. Harlan Wilson Twenty years ago who could have forecast joe McMillan Shipping: Aramaeys Gazarian that giants Santa Fe and Southern Pacific would come together? Anyone who would PaCIfic News (USPS 862840) is published bi·monthly by Interurbans Publications (a corporation), 115·C E. Palmer have envisioned light rail in operation in San Ave., Glendale CA 91205. Second class postage paid at Glendale CA 91209. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to News, P.O. Box 6128, Glendale CA 91205. ISSN 0030-879X. Diego or that Sacramento and San Jose PaCIfic would be building rail transit lines-well, SUBSCRIPTION RATES: U.S. $20 for 12 issues, $37 for 24 issues. Foreign: $24 for 12 issues, $41 for 24 issues. they would hardly have been taken seriously! First class/Air rates on reques!. Single copy $2.00 (Subject to change without notice.) The rails are not dying, they are evolving. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: The Post Office does not regularly forward 2nd Class Mail and Pacific News is not Who would care to predict twenty years responsible for copies nOt forwarded or destroyed by the Post Office. Replacement copies/PO Notifications will be hence? -JIM WALKER billed. Please allow us at least four weeks for any address changes. ADVERTISING RATES: On request, or call (213) 240-4777. Articles in the magazine are contributed, and acceptable photos are filed for potential future use. Payment for photos is made on a periodic basis after publication. Pacific News assumes no responsibility for the safe return of editorial material; return postage and envelope must accompany anything to be returned. © 1983 INTERURBANS PUBLICATIONS Mac Sebree, President jim Walker, Vice-President Letters Congratulations, Gentlemen, with some favorable and some not so on your reentry into the magazine favorable impressions. business! First the favorable impressions. Fifteen­ If you accord PacIfic News the quality minute (instead of the former twenty­ you've instilled in Interurban Press, then minute) service is very much plus. All Karl Koenig will have left his periodical in trains now having three units (six cars) good hands indeed. eliminate crowding-except possibly during Magazines are tender, sensitive, fragile, rush hours-which weren't checked. The exasperating, worrisome, time-consuming honor-fare system is still working and very creatures, not unlike some of the locomo­ well. A real plus to anyone who has tives which grace the pages of periodicals "fought" (and what other word is so in our field. But, and also in common with appropriate?) BART or WMATA fare locomotives, magazines can be satisfying collection systems. animals worth all of their construction and Double tracking, which is now almost maintenance hardships. complete, has eliminated those aggravating Welcome aboard. waits for opposing trains. Well, almost ... David P. Morgan see unfavorable comments. · Editor, Trains Magazine Now for the unfavorable comments. The obviously available but unused double San Diego Trolley track on much of "C" Street is all the Impressions more irritating after noting the improve­ ment in service caused by the other double In the first part of September I went tracking. The reasons available for not down to San Diego to see and ride the using that trackage are valid (hopefully) but Tijuana Tr olley-for the first time in over far from satisfactory to one wishing to a year. And I came away-after the ride- complete his journey to the "Santa Fe Station" so that he may get on with his business. The use of three units (six cars) per train Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation (Requi"d by 39 U.s.c. 3685) is fine from the passenger accommodation point of view but is less than desirable L TITLE OF PUBLICATION: Pacific News. IA. PUBLICATION NO.: 862840. from the automotive traffic point of view 2. DATE OF FILING: 7 Sept. 1983. 3. FREQUENCY OF ISSUE: Bi·Monthly. for such a length of train partially blocks 3A. NO. OF ISSUES PUBLISHED ANNUALLY: 6. an intersection when making a station stop 3B. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: S 10.00. 4. LOCATION OF KNOWN OFFICE OF PUBLICATION: in downtown San Diego. One wonders if a IIS-C E. Palmer) Glendale, Los Angeles, Calif. 91205. pair of three-car articulateds, which NEW ENGLAND RAILROADING 5. LOCATION OF HEADQUARTERS OR GENERAL BUSINESS OFFICES OF PUBLISHER: Same as hem 4. wouldn't reduce passenger capacity all that CALENDAR 6. NAMES AND COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESSES OF much, might not be beneficial to all Full Color 8" 10" PUBLISHER, EDITOR, AND MANAGING EDITOR: x Mac Sebree, PO Box 6128, Glendale CA 91205; Jim Walker, concerned. PO Box 6128, Glendale CA 91205; Managing Editor: None. On the southbound trip a wheelchair captioned photos 7. OWNER: Interurbans Publications, a Calirornia corporation. passenger was carried. And, as must be Space for Appointments Stockholders owning 1% or more arc: Mac Sebree, PO Box 6128, Glendale CA 91205 and Jim Walker, PO Box 6128, expected if local legend is valid, the Glendale CA 91205. $4.00 postpaid 8. KNOWN BONDHOLDERS, MORTGAGEES, AND wheelchair lift did not work properly. OTHER SECURITY HOLDERS OWNING OR HOLD· U. S. only_ 3-4 weeks delivery. Fortunately the regular and a drop-back ING I PERCENT OR MORE OF TOTAL AMOUNT OF BONDS, MORTGAGES OR OTHER SECURITIES: operator were available and they were Mystic Valley Railway None.