Paul D. North Jr. (4-5):
Chard Walker hired on with Santa Fe in the latter half of the 1940's, and for about twenty years was the Summit, CA operator and hoisted up train orders to passing trains in Cajon Pass.
For whatever reason, I visited one of the public libraries in San Bernardino about 20-25 years ago, and noticed a big sign hung up announcing a lecture that day. The lecturer was to be Mr. Walker and he was going to talk about trains and their operations! Needless to say, I returned and listened to Chard give an informative and trilling lecture!
The passing of Mr. Walker came at an odd time, when BNSF was triple-tracking Cajon Pass, and I believe what is now CP WALKER was originally going to be CP ALRAY, the traditional name of the location, a location named after Santa Fe's Al Ray. In that sense, Mr. Ray got a raw deal. However, amongst all the new, uniform type signals ...
... an odd, old, three-track signal bridge was put up.
I personally believe BNSF will try to get trackage rights on UP's Palmdale Cutoff so Cajon trains to and from Tehachapi will save 40 miles. The BNSF connection could be called ALRAY, so BOTH men could be honored. But, that is just my opinion.
I'll bet Stourbridge had no idea his thread would evolve into a Cajon Pass CP name discussion ... OK, now we can get back to boxcars ...
Best,
K.P.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
CP WALKER is named after Chard Walker, a railfan and long-time Santa Fe operator there from the 1940's - 1970's, if I recall correctly. He was featured in a couple articles in Trains over the years.
Perhaps those boxcars are remains from a derailment that have just been left there ? Maybe someone torches off some of the steel sides from time to time to sell it for scrap metal prices ? The one looks like the 'vultures' have sure picked that 'carcass' clean . . .
- Paul North.
Great stuff K.P.!!!!!!!
This is the reason I enjoy hosting these "Pun Topics" as it get photos posted that we might not have gotten to see otherwise and getting the story behind some of them makes it all the better!
Darren (BLHS & CRRM Lifetime Member)
Delaware and Hudson Virtual Museum (DHVM), Railroad Adventures (RRAdventures)
My Blog
Cajon Pass (CA) and the Sad Afterlife (of Boxcars)
Part II (of I-II)
The car was partially cannibalized.
A very nearby Intermodal train heads down Cajon Pass on the 2.2% Mains 1 and 2. Main 3 (of a different alignment) is a steep 3%.
This nearby, throws distance away boxcar met up with an even sadder fate and afterlife.
But, the slum look of the boxcars area is offset by the several famous Cajon Pass rock formations in the vicinity.
So, now you undoubtedly have a different perspective of Cajon Pass ... a perspective made possible by the founder of this tread, Stourbridge Lion.
Take care, everyone,
Part I (of I-II)
To Stourbridge Lion and everyone interested:
After a life of transporting goods for its owner, this boxcar found a sad afterlife in Cajon Pass, in the general area of a control point named WALKER.
The boxcar was a little tipsy.
Barely visible, its old number was 11106. No railroad identification could be read.
Continued in Part II
An old NC & StL box car that had been stored at a local Import/Export company here in louisville for a bunch of years, understand it's now gone to a museum. (SARM I believe.)
Being Crazy,keeps you from going "INSANE" !! "The light at the end of the tunnel,has been turned off due to budget cuts" NOT AFRAID A Vet., and PROUD OF IT!!
A couple of pictures from the old C & O's Stevens Yard in Silver Grove, Ky.
Hey! The LION found some box cars. They are in upstate NY. Anybody know where?
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Very Nice!!!!!!!
Posted this in my new thread, but it seemed appropriate here, too:
Flickr Link
-ChrisWest Chicago, ILChristopher May Fine Art Photography"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams
I've seem a photo of something similar to that last shot. I think it was in Railroad Model Craftsman in the 1990's and was a barn made with two old stock cars. Was a 1 page or so article about strange things out there that you'd guess would only exist on someone's layout.
WOW, that last shot is a setup I've not seen before. Looks like they both would open up to the inside of the overall structure.
A few more repurposed boxcars:
{EDIT: Sorry, the hosting site lost my photos.}
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Colorado and Southern
Union Pacific
I'll bite.
I believe this one's a Wisconsin & Southern
The timbers beneath the rails are not the only ties that bind on the railroad. --Robert S. McGonigal
Southern
This one was on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania located in Strasburg.
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
Railbox (RBOX)
Do those that were repurposed count?
{Edit: Sorry: the hosting site lost my photos.}
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