One thing is for sure about a day on a short line: You never know what you’ll encounter. Case in point: my Thursday at the Sierra Northern’s Santa Cruz Division, which it acquired from Union Pacific on Dec. 31, 2009. The line runs 31 miles from Watsonville to Santa Cruz, Calif., then 10 miles north to Davenport. Our day began around 9 a.m. when engineer Cliff Walters and brakeman Wes Swift arrived to prepare ex-Santa Fe GP20 for the day’s work at a lumberyard in Santa Cruz. The two coupled the locomotive to three cars and off we went south to Watsonville, where we switched, interchanged with the UP, and then returned northward. The line is famous for its big trestles and views of the Pacific Ocean, but today was anything but normal. Near Santa Cruz, we spotted something in the gauge ahead and slowed to a stop well in advance so Wes could awaken a man sleeping in the tracks. The man, who had been drinking, was lying between the rails with his head on the engineer’s side rail. He moved out of the way so we could pass. Later that afternoon, after we wyed the train, we began a shoving move from Santa Cruz to Davenport. With Wes on the back of the train of empty propane tank cars destined for storage, we crept northward. At Rankin Ave. on the north side of Santa Cruz, a visiting Idahoan motorist panicked and froze on the crossing. The lead tank car struck the left front corner of his car. The driver was unhurt, and the train sustained only minor grab iron damage. This was an exciting day that didn’t end until almost 7 p.m. when the geep returned to the lumberyard to tie up. For those who’ve never been, this is a beautiful line with tall trestles and magnificent ocean vistas. We can only hope that it won’t be long before tourist or dinner train service begins here.
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