Old--Really Old--Landmark. Perfect modeler's project!

Looking out to UP's locomotive refueling rackTake a good look and cry. As of the end of September 2010, this relic is now history. Obsolete from Omaha's point of view. The seismic fault lines in the area have rendered final judgment for any unreinforced brick buildings. You would be right to protest: it's been in continuous use for some 126-years, making it THE oldest type of this kind in the Golden State, having lasted through the big ones of 1906 and 1989.

Inspection Pit with elevated walkwayHumble beginnings: Built in West Oakland in 1874 as the Central Pacific's Car Shop. Later became the Southern Pacific Car Shop. Modified in 1902 with a building addition, and again in 1942 with the removal of the elegant arched doorways to handle the famous UP-SP-CNW joint train called  "City of San Francisco Streamliner". From that time on, the facility was known appropriately as "The Streamliner Shop."  

Brick arched work over the doors, and to the right, modified opening to fit the City Streamliner train set

Tool room, a 1902 additionIt was further altered in 1949, '54, and '58, including the addition of four inspection pits, elevated service walkways, enclosed machine shop, and a Drop Pit Building -  for changing out wheel sets and electric traction motors. It served Espee's vast empire of diesel locomotives faithfully from the west end of it's Western Division. Countless mechanics, electricians, painters, and others clocked-in to fill 24 hours a day, and called it home. How many diesels like ALCo PA's, EMD SD-45's, and GP-9's were serviced here? How many gothic "SP" initials were reapplied here? How many D-77 traction motors were changed out?

Drop pit to change out wheel sets and traction motors

You can almost hear the talk of shop mechanics, the blaring of megaphones, the clanging of metal on metal, the hiss of the air being released, and the chant of two-stroke cycle of 645E3 and 567 idling impatiently, like race horses ready to go again. Can't capture that again, you might say.220 volt megaphone

Close up of brick work: don't make them like this anymoreBut look again: with a wealth of details, it's a modelers delight. Double gable-roof, arched brick doorways, 24-lite fixed sash windows in segmental-arched fenestration, pilasters carry up into the gable ends, and a loco or two with hood doors swung opened showing green inside.

Model that, and remember a way-of-life.

*All photos by Matthew Young, Sept. 24, 2010. Feel free to repost, but please credit Matthew Young and link back to Wheels of Time (Not for commercial use!)

Close view of drop pit tableElevated walkway detail

More of Robert Diepenbrock's Harriman Headend Cars

As is plainly visible from these pictures, Robert is a master at model building. We've featured his kitbashing before, and I am always impressed.  Here's more of his work drawing from Wheels of Time stock.  They are SP Class 69-BP-30-3 RPO -Baggage-Express cars that we produced a number of years ago. Thanks again for the pictures, Robert!



Anticipation. Union Pacific Extra 844 East

Waiting for Extra 844 East to arrive. Enthusiasts jocking for the best photo spot. You hear the chirping of crickets and grasshoppers in the fields near the tracks. A jack rabbit scurries past. A bee sweeps the air around you: you wave it off. Someone appears casually walking along the tracks ... if Extra 844 East appears now, your photo will be totally ruined with this person there. You hear the scanner go off. It's 5 minutes away ... sigh of relief.  Can this person hear all the grumbling photographers muttering under their collective breath, "Get out of the way!". Somehow our collective prayers are answered, and they duck out of the way into a thicket, just in time for us to hear the deep bellow of the whistle announcing the coming of Extra 844 East. Two long whistle blasts, followed by one short one, and finally one really long one. It must be at a grade crossing. Not far away now. Your hands get sweaty. You double check your camera settings:  shutter speed - check,  aperature -  check, depth of field -  check. Thinking now about the best moments to release the shutter. Steady now. Your heart is starting to race. Smoke on the horizon. Hear the reciprocating chug-chug-chug-chug becoming louder as Extra 844 East grinds it's way up a grade. Then it suddenly appears in your camera's field of vision: Extra 844 East. Click. Hear again the melodic deep whistle blow. Click. Swoosh. You pivot your position catching the train going by at speed. Click. A sea of yellow with the singing steel wheels on steel rails. Click. Then as suddenly as it appeared, it's gone. You hear the wailing of the whistle echoing into the distace. The chorus of crickets and grasshoppers starts up again as though they didn't miss a beat. Everyone smiling. Ah, can I experience that again?

Below, the animated sequence of photographs: UP Extra 844 East taken by Matthew in Niles Canyon California for your enjoyment.



Pike-Size Passenger Trains to Model: Southern Pacific’s “The Coast Mail” No. 71 - 72

Here’s a picture of a real Southern Pacific Coast Mail setup from my collection along with Mike Madonna’s fine model. It’s Southern Pacific Train No. 71 in 1953 with a number of Wheels of Time Harriman baggage-express cars and a Harriman coach in the consist. Thanks Mike for sharing these pictures of your beautiful model. 

Southern Pacific Steam Action!

Here are some photos I took of Southern Pacific No. 2472 and 2467 Class P-8 Pacific locomotives double-heading at Hunter’s Point Naval Ship Yard in February of 2003. These photos remind me of the reciprocating noise of steam hissing from the exhaust, the deep melodic whistle, and the tar-like smell of the exhaust as the train went by. It's easy to imagine that we're back when Espee ran steam. How about a P-8 in N-scale? Any takers?

In the picture below, I am in the cab of SP 2472 with a friendly ex-SP engineer. This gentleman, whose name, unfortunately, I have forgotten, showed my friends and I how to operate the State Belt ALCo 2-2 switch engine (a story told in the "About Us" section of wheelsotime.com).

Below is the Engineer’s view of backing down to couple with SP No. 2467 and "subs".

Walschaert valve gear in action ....

I stitched the following photo together since I didn’t have a wide enough lens. This is SP 2467 winding down the last hour of steam before the FRA boiler time is expired. I Remember when SP 2467 and train use to be displayed in a park in Oakland's Chinatown: my parents use to allow my brother and I to climb around on it. Today, this train is on long term loan to the California State Railroad Museum where you can't climb on it, but you can see it. Sister SP 2472 is still in operation and can be seen today at the new Golden Gate RR museum.