WESTERN PA CIFIC MilepoSts JULY-AUGUST, 1967 ileposts Vol~m e XIX, No.4 JULY· AUGUST, 1967 *Mi lepost No. 176 Publ ic Relations De partment W ESTERN PACIFIC RAI LROAD SACRAM ENTO NORTH ERN RY. TIDE WATER SOUTHERN RY. 526 Missio n Street Sa n Francisco, Calif. 94105 Lee "Flash" Sherwoo d, Editor Member Association of Railroad Ed itors *Milepost No. 176: Near Li nda and O li vehurst distri cts on the outskirts of Marysvill e. MANIFEST Page Western Pacific's GGM-7 with trainload of Ford Mustangs.......... COVER "Wild Horses" for the High Country.......... ............................................................. 3 "WILD HORSES" FOR Diesel Locomotive Maintenance Building Planned for Stockton... .. .................. 4 Fruit Growers Service B egins .............................. ................................................. 6 THE HIGH COUNTRY W P is Willing P eople ............................... ...... .. .. 7 People on the Move............................... ....................... .........................................10 Shareholders Reelect Directors.. ...... 11 Ll BOUT one-half of the 27 triple­ motion campaign in Denver, Colorado . [1... decked auto rack cars, each A Five Time Winner!.. ............ ... 13 Behind these 27 cars were another loaded with 15 Ford Mustangs for 12 triple-decked auto rack cars loaded Mileposts in Gold ............ ... 18 Ford dealers in the Denver inter­ with Mustangs and Ford trucks for Retirement ............................... .. ............... 20 mountain ar ea, are shown on this miscellaneous destinations other than month's cover and in the picture at Denver. Caboosing .............. .... ... 21 the top of this page. Four of Western Pacific's powerful In Memoriam ........ .. ................ ...3 1 The popular Mustangs left Ford's "horses" are shown on the head end Railroad Lines............... .................... .B ack Cover assembly plant in Milpitas on J uly 7 of Western P acific's 1st GGM-7 shortly for a big Ford publicity and sales pro- after leaving Oroville. 2 MILEPOSTS JULY.AUGUST, 1967 3 Diesel lo~oHlo1ive IIIain1el.aII~e huilding planlIed for S1o~k1on ESTERN PACIFIC'S directors on ville and Sacramento---are separated W June 7 approved an expenditure geographically, and neither is well of about $2,200,000 for a new, modern located to minimize locomotive move­ diesel locomotive maintenance build­ ments to and from the shops. This sep­ ing to be completed about January 1, aration of operations results in an 1970 at Stockton, including relocation inefficient allocation of men and ma­ PROPOSED of car repair facilities at that point. terial, as well as preventing maximum The railroad's main general shops will locomotive utilization. In addition, the remain at Sacramento. The new struc­ structure at Oroville was designed for BUILDING ture will be manned by employees now repair and maintenance of steam loco­ working for the railroad on mainte­ motives and is old and completely nance of locomotives at Oroville, Sac­ outmoded. ramento, and Stockton. Prior to any "The problem associated with the DESIGN The ventilated and heated diesel announcement to the public, employ­ present arrangements will be solved shop will have a structural steel frame, ees in the locomotive department pres­ by transferring the locomotive work sidewalls of protected metal, and a ently working at these points were now being done at Oroville and Sac­ concrete floor. informed of the plans by a group of ramento to a new, modern diesel loco­ ACCORDING to plans designed by the Company officers led by Chief Me­ motive maintenance building at Stock­ railroad's engineering depart­ The building will have two bays. chanical Officer E. T. Cuyler. ton. This is the location of Western ment, the proposed new building will Each bay will be equipped with an The necessity for the transfer of Pacific's principal classification yard. cover about 42,500 gross square feet. overhead crane. The service bay, operations was explained this way by It is the point of origin or termination It will be used for service and mainte­ 75' x 288', will have three tracks run­ President M. M. Christy following the of the runs of most scheduled trains, nance of diesel road engines. The ning through the building. The repair action taken by the directors: which will provide more time to work building will be erected immediately bay (foreground in the drawing above) "Western Pacific must maintain and on locomotives while they layover east of and adjacent to the present will have a single track entering one improve its competitive position and between runs. This will reduce delays diesel house at Stockton in the area of end of the 60' x 242' building. meet present and future increased now occurring at Oroville when units the present rip tracks. A spray-type engine washer will be service requirements, and to do this now must be cut in or out of through The present rip tracks will be re­ erected outside the engine servicing requires a modern diesel locomotive trains." located and completely modernized. area. maintenance building properly located MILEPOSTS will keep employees in­ The present diesel house, after a Construction schedule calls for the to assure maximum efficiency of op­ formed of further developments as general rehabilitation and a few minor completion of the new Rip Track fa­ erations. The two principal existing they occur during the next two and changes, will be used for' servicing and cilities, Westerly of the Yard Office, locomotive maintenance points-Oro- one-half years. maintaining diesel switch engines. in the Fall of 1967. 4 M ILEPOST S JULY. AUGUST, 1967 5 WP is Willing People FRUIT GROWERS EXPRESS SERVICE BEGINS F there is one individual among Ialani High School and furthered his I education at Dietz Commercial School N June 29, Western Pacific intro­ "BB Boys," Carl was temporarily as­ W estern Pacific employees espe­ O duced to perishable shippers in signed to San Francisco from Phila­ cially deserving of recognition and in H onolulu. the Stockton area the latest type of delphia to inaugurate FGE's new Pa­ praise, MILEPOSTS without h esitation H e became a Scout in 1923 and r e­ mechanical refrigerator car offered by cific Coast Division. Robert was ap­ pays tribute this issue to John F. ceived his Eagle Badge in November, Fruit Growers Express Company to pointed assistant manager of the new Quinn, assistant chief clerk, engineer­ 1928. He later became assistant scout­ its owning lines. On display was a car division. ing department. master, then scoutmaster of Troop 9 just off the assembly line, equipped John devotes just about 100 percent for seven years. During this time h e with load dividers and cushion under­ of his spare time to Scouting. This worked as secretary for Fred L. Wal­ frame. The car has an inside length alone is commendable, but what this dron, Ltd. and in J anuary 1940 became between load dividers of 51 feet, and friendly, smiling individual accom­ project engineer assistant working on a capacity of 4,251 cubic feet. plishes, in spite of a physical disadvan­ Ford Island. He left the Islands in At the same time an adequate sup­ tage, is nothing less than remarkable. November 1943 for San Francisco and ply of various type FGE refrigerator Born in San Francisco on September has been with Western P acific's engi­ cars were on hand in Western Pa­ 21, 1908, John contracted poliomyelitis neering department since that time. cific's Stockton yard for immediate at the age of two. At the age of five, John b ecame active in S couting shippers' requirements. They are after spending one year in San Fran­ again in 19'62 as scoutmaster, Troop 94, shown in the picture above, taken by cisco's Children's Hospital, his family El Cerrito, Calif. It's a real, live, active John Sterner, district special agent for moved to Honolulu with the hopes that group of boys and they wouldn't have the railroad in Stockton. there their young son might overcome anyone else for a leader. Just about In the picture at the right are, with his handicap. For two years he re­ any weekend you'll find them on hikes, Kenneth V. Plummer, Jr., superin­ ceived orthopedic surgery in Shriners' overnight camps, swimming and ca­ tendent of transportation for Western Hospital in Honolulu, but the results noeing, and guess who is right in the Pacific (right), Carl E. Bullard, assist­ his parents had hoped for did not middle of the activities? J ohn wouldn't ant manager, FGE's Northeast District prevail. have it any other way. and Robert M. Ballard, assistant to But John grew stronger, became an Because he believes that help in manager. Well known as FGE's two excellent swimmer, graduated from (Continued on Page 8) 6 MILEPOSTS JULY-AUGUST, 1967 7 Scout from each of several troops pre­ 1965" by Troop 94. On May 17, 1967, sented the flag ceremony for the open­ John was presented with the "Hink ing of the Parent Teachers' Association Award," a trophy inscribed "For Ex­ convention in San Francisco. This ceptional Service," at a dinner meeting ceremony was repeated that year for of Mt. Diablo Council of Boy Scouts of the annual Scout dinner in Richmond America, attended by about 400 people. John and his troop Auditorium. His most cherished award is a large took time out during one of their over­ This year, all Scout troops in the flag and pole for his home and a leather night camping 50- area participated in another event photo album presented to him in June, mile "bike" hikes. planned by John and police officer s this year, by his 36 boys. and the Rotary Club members of EI John married the former Mary Cerrito. Booklets on "Rules for Youth" Gardner of San Francisco on March were distributed to every family in 14, 1953, and they live at 7501 Eureka the EI Cerrito area and the idea was Avenue in El Cerrito.