David C. Crammer 12640 Cowley Downey, Ca. 90242 (310) 861-8682 Article appeared in the September/October 1995 issue of Rail Classics. To subscribe to Rail Classics call 1-818 760-8983. When engineer Tom Siembieda told his radiologist wife in the morning he was running up the Coast Route she turned to him and said, "Let me get this straight. You are going to be taking a train up one of the most scenic runs in the country and the Southern Pacific is actually going to pay you to do it?" The Coast Route is one of the most beautiful and interesting runs the Southern Pacific or any other railroad travels through made justifiably famous by the Daylight passenger service and now hosts approximately through four freight trains a day, two in either direction. The through freights also share these tracks with Amtrak in the form of the Coast Starlight (Amtrak's version of the Daylight), the Santa Barbara trains, and local freights which work out of local yards along the way. Tom has worked for the SP for 19 years starting out as a machinist helper in the roundhouse at Taylor where he worked for 9 months, 13 months as a brakeman, 6 months as a fireman and became an engineer in February of 1978. His day began with a call from the crew caller that he would be piloting the 1-WCWSM-15 (1st section of the West Colton to Warm Springs Manifest which originated in Colton on the 15th) which prompted his wife's response. At about this time conductor Dean Russum received the same assignment. Dean started out working at Spreckles on a switch engine at Selenas, "For a couple of campaigns (1962-63)." There he picked up railroading experience at the "Wet Bin" spotting cars such as lime rock and coke which are mixed together to get the fire hot enough to process sugar to the tune of 6 cars at a time. Also spotted were the box cars for the beet pulp, tank cars for liquid sugar, bulk cars for bulk sugar, and loaded and empty beet gondolas. This meant he had a lot of practice switching cars in the course of a day before he joined with the Southern Pacific at age 26 since the Spreckles operation ran with 3 crews handling 8 hour shifts 24-hours a day. Dean lives in Lompoc so it was the motel operator in LA who notified him of the assignment. Both Tom and Dean headed for Taylor Yard to pick up the paperwork which showed the WCWSM to have 107 cars and to be under a 45 mph speed restriction due to empty bulk head flats in the train. Power will be three units #8059 (B40-8), #8050 (B40-8), and #8655 (SD40-2M rebuilt by Morris Knudsen). The paperwork includes the cars they will be taking north displayed as a profile as well as specifics for the 32 loads and 75 empties which total out to 6,536 feet without the power (6,734 feet including the power) and 6,275 tons. Our 6,734 feet will put us over the length of most of the sidings we will be passing. This will later lead to some adroit dispatch handling later in the trip and also mean a wait at Santa Barbara for the Starlight. At 10am with the paperwork in hand, which also includes the hazardous material list and the actions to take in case of an incident, its time to climb into the Renzenberger with the first stop a short distance away to fill up the ice chest. The 10am start means that we will avoid the Metrolink commuter trains that would have been racing along our route earlier headed into LA. From Taylor its a short trip down the freeway to Valley Blvd where our train has been left by a crew out of Colton. Since this is Los Angeles the power is sitting between two billboards with one advertising Haagen-Dazs Sorbet ("0% Fat 100% Haagen-Dazs") and the other for La Victoria Salsa ("Cuando Quiera Salsa - Pero Salsa") Tom dumps the old ice out the window and puts a few of the new larger water bottles that SP has started to use in the chest to cool them off and puts the rest on the shelf in the nose. Meanwhile Dean walks down to check on a car that had been reported to have a door that had a problem closing. In the cab its noted that the train actually left Colton after midnight since the daily inspection was signed off at 1am at Colton and its last periodic was at Pine Bluff on 4-24-95. Dean comes back to report that he got the door closed and Tom notes that the ETD doesn't seem to be working. This may be due to the length of the train and all of the concrete in the bridges it is wrapped through but he calls the shop yardmaster to have them check it out as we pull through. "Shop yardmaster...this is 8059 west calling." We let them know we are ready to depart, pull down to the signal and Tom calls out, "Red over green." and sounds the horn as we cross over Marianna Street. The red over green means that we will be crossing over to the other track at what is designated as the VALLEY BLVD X-OVERS and are moving along at a steady 12mph passing LA County Hospital with the Los Angeles skyline ahead where the O.J. Trial is probably proceeding at an even slower pace than we are. Past the Shop's Tower we have a red over red signal and come to a stop while the car department checks out the ETD. This means that Shop Car Inspector R. A. Nino will place a blue flag in front of us warning that we are not to move until the ETD is replaced and the flag removed. "8059...this is the carman on your rear end. The telemetry device number is 09979." Tom punches in the number. "8059 set up the brakes please." "Set." Accompanied by the hissing sound of the air being vented from the brake pipe. The blue flag in front of us comes off of the track as R. A. removes it. Once a flag has been placed only a member of the craft that placed it can remove it. We call Mission Tower for permission to proceed. "Metrolink Mission Tower, SP 8059." "Metrolink Mission Tower." "SP 8059 ready to go." "OK 8059 we'll see what we can do." The signal ahead of us now displays a red over green and we take the curve to the right which will take us past the Taylor Yard which we left by Renzenberger earlier and head us up the coast." "Green." "Green." The conductor and engineer work as a team and both call out signals as they come into view. East Bank Junction gives us another green and we switch over to the Metrolink channel of 2929 and begin CTC control with a yellow speed board ahead that displays 30 on top of 20. This means that the speed limit for passenger equipment is 30 and freight is restricted to 20mph. Part of this is because of the longer stopping time required for a long freight train as opposed to disk brake equipped passenger service. Past the Metrolink shops Dean is consulting our train orders and calls out "55 now." As we are allowed to increase our speed since we are past the multiple connecting tracks and sharp curves just before the Metrolink shops which make this area seem almost like yard conditions. Taking the speed up past the SP shops we approach the Glendale Metrolink depot which spells out in lights "MAY 16 1204 PM." Dean and Tom continue to go over the train orders as we pass the depot, "We've got a flag at MP 453.5 (CP RAYMER) and at CP Woodman..." "Flashing Yellow." Tom opens and closes his hand as he says it to emphasize the flashing aspect. Hotbox detector, "No defects." Next station is BURBANK with a speed board showing 79 for passenger and 50 for freight but we are still limited by our bulk head flats to 45. "Yellow yellow." Both the top and bottom signals are yellow. For most of the coast the top signal will display a triangular bulb arrangement in a round shield. Green is on the upper left, upper right is yellow and bottom center is red. We take the track that curves to the left and slow till all of our train has cleared. To determine when that happens Tom hits the counter as we pass over the switch and when it reaches the length of our train he knows that we have cleared and he can bring it back up to speed. Despite appearances we are on a 1.2% grade climbing out of Burbank and with our heavy train notch 8 on the throttle puts us at 24mph. Since 1.2% is the maximum grade we will be encountering for the rest of the trip the speed out of Burbank is usually the minimum speed for the rest of the trip. Radio communication is important to keeping the crew informed as to what is going on both ahead and behind. We hear a train ahead requesting clearance from a flagman and know from our orders where this must be occurring. "Flashing yellow." Ahead we see headlights on an approaching unit. "Solid yellow." A flashing yellow usually proceeds a hard yellow which may then being setting up the next signal as a red. "8059 West calling Flagman." Talking to the flagman over the radio Dean receives permission for us to pass through his territory and reads it back to the flagman. This lets everyone know what is going on from the flagman, dispatcher, and any other trains in the area. As we pass the track crew there is actually a four way meet with three other trains in view on other tracks. By now we are in territory dispatched from Denver though Metrolink is planning on taking control as far as Moor Park in the near future. Today our dispatcher is Alex Negreti and on request he changes the red signal ahead of us to green allowing us to proceed. He also asks if we have any switching assignments before San Luis and Dean lets him know we will be picking up some cars at Guadalupe (about 24 miles south of San Luis Obispo). Having just come through a yard the next detector gives us an axle count. This is an important verification for any trains that may have made a set out or picked up additional cars. Dean and Tom note that the number is correct and since it is past noon it is time for beans. Of course "Beans" is a euphemism since in this age of plastic containers and the fact that we will only be stopping at the dispatchers discretion for other trains and our pickup later Tom gets out a submarine sandwich from his bag and Dean enjoys a large portion of strawberry shortcake. While he is consuming this a burrito wrapped in tinfoil is cooking on the side heater. There isn't much else to do as we climb the 1.1% grade into the foothills towards Chatsworth starting out at 30mph at MP 446 and are down to 24mph by 443. While the grades here may not be steep they are long with out the undulations we will be encountering later along the coast. To get through the hills with as much speed as possible three tunnels of progressive length (538', 923', and 7,369') have been cut into the hills and climbing through the third the sides and ceiling are shaped like the nave of a medieval cathedral with water dripping from the ceiling and finally ahead the western portal appears as a small dot. These tunnels are the reason that we passed under a high/wide detector similar to the one protecting the Tehachapi tunnels as we left LA. We also have the throbbing sound of out GE's echoing off of the walls almost near enough to reach out and touch. The length of the western most tunnel makes it mandatory for escape holes to be carved into the sides at various intervals. As we emerge again into the light Dean checks in again with Alex who is still monitoring our progress in Denver and calls out, "Yellow Flag.." to which Tom responds as in a responsive reading, "25mph restriction. The yellow flag indicates a temporary restriction and is also stated as a specific restriction in the train orders the crew received before starting out. "8059 west ready for blocks." We have left CTC territory and will now proceed under track warrants. "8059 at 1259pm authorized to proceed west one block Moorpark." Dean repeats the track warrant to the dispatcher. Coming through the curves we pass over the flange greasers necessary to ease the friction and at the Simi Valley Metrolink station a squirrel sits among the orange and purple flowers that surround us and marks our passage. "Detector mile post four three nine point two...two two miles per hour." Over the radio we hear 9791 East (headed our way). "How long do you think you'll be at Oxnard? "9791 East authorized to proceed two blocks Oxnard and Camarillo. Can you release any blocks behind you?" As the trains proceed through the territory they must release over the radio those blocks which it is safe for the dispatcher to run more trains through. "Pacific and Seacliff." The exchange we have overheard gives us the location of the other train and means that we can anticipate a delay of approximately 35 minutes. "Detector MP 429...no defects." "Detector MP 434.4...no defects." The next siding displays a green over red meaning that we hold main. If it had shown as red over green the bottom green would mean that we were to occupy the siding. By now Tom is playing back and forth between the dynamics and throttle to keep us at a steady 44mph. As the terrain changes between downgrade, upgrade and periods of flat running he must be aware of what the more than a mile of train is doing behind us and what portion of it traveling up or down, pushing us or pulling us back. This may mean holding the throttle at 6 for a few minutes and then switching to the dynamics at 8 and then back to the throttle and at 1:21 PM pass the Metrolink Moorpark station. More slow order discussion which is due to the track work and the damage from recent rains. "40 right at the end of the little crossing." We climb past horse corrals, orange groves and little dirt crossing which occasionally are marked "2X". The "X" means that there is a crossing 1/4 mile ahead and to hit the horn. The "2" signifies that there are two crossings close together. "We're coming into Oxnard." This from the eastbound headed our way. We have a yellow at the end of the Moorpark Block and the beginning of the Camarillo block. Dean gets down to set the switch so that we will be sitting on the main (since the siding at 5,544 is less than the length of our train) and the eastbound (toward San Francisco as we are traveling is considered westbound and away from San Francisco eastbound) will run around us on the siding in what is known as a "See Saw Meet" with us moving to clear the east end of the siding once its end passes us. As he moves the switch over the signal in front of us turns to red and Dean calls on his smaller radio to notify us so that Tom can call 9791 to let him know he is lined up and can highball. While we wait for the meet Tom points out some of the line poles beside the track which are square rather than round. These are some of the original poles set there in the teens some of which have dated nails embedded in them reflecting this fact. As 9791 East passes us Dean realigns the switch and runs back to our train which now has a green signal ahead and as we proceed Alex gives us authority for three blocks (Camarillo, Oxnard, and Montalvo). Through here the speed board reflects the straight flat track with 70-60 and we pass the 5,701 siding at Leesdale. This was proceeded by a "S" sign meaning that there is a siding two miles ahead. Since it is past 2pm when we pass Oxnard Amelia Boone has taken over from Alex in Denver. Even though Denver is at Mountain time and is one hour ahead of us the clock in her cubicle is set to California time. "8059 West What time past Oxnard?" "8059 2:05 pm" "8059 West what is the speed of your train?" Meaning what is the authorized speed so that she can anticipate how fast it will be moving in order to set up meets. "8059 45 miles-per-hour." "MP 393.2 no defects." This is from the Santa Barbara Amtrak that is headed our way since we are at milepost 403. Yellow signal ahead. (Amelia) "Amtrak, what time out of Santa Barbara?" "1:46" (Amelia) "What's your location?" Red signal. (Amelia) "8059 west he's in the clear...ready for blocks." To expedite things Amelia will hold the Amtrak for about two minutes on the siding just east of Ventura and we will hold the main. This will allow Amtrak to proceed after he sees us so that both trains will be moving for the meet with a minimal delay. She then gets the names of the blocks that the Amtrak is releasing (Ventura to Pacific) and gives them to us. Crossing the bridge over Hwy 101 and then a the second next to the beach we are soon doing 45mph along the ocean which is rimmed with campers parked alongside. The route along the ocean is not on a flat level as one might suppose but does contain the same type of undulations that are typical of the route. At times we sit high above the highway and at one time are actually below sea level. After the derailment at Seacliff, several years ago, SP decreased the spacing between its detectors. At Seacliff a signal is protecting the siding and to our left is the Santa Barbara Channel with its controversial oil rigs and beyond these Santa Barbara Island. Over the radio we receive the message, "SP Detector milepost 386...no defects..no defects...axle count 442...speed three eight miles-per-hour." We are still intact as we climb towards Santa Barbara. At MP 383 we spot some railfans with their cameras, wave, and then switch back to dynamics 8 for a downgrade. This changes back to the throttle at notch 6 as we pass Santa Claus, pass Mira Mar and the Mission block and receive word that we will be waiting for #11 (the Coast Starlight) at the end of the double track at Santa Barbara. Through here the route is shaded by overhanging trees and we pass under the overhead pedestrian crossovers. This double tracking allows a long train to sit and Amelia plans to take advantage of it. By now it is 3:15pm and the Starlight is due through here around 4:15pm. Our train really has no important manifests and what is considered most important is not to delay the Amtrak if it can be accomplished with the crew arriving at San Luis before dying on the law (12 hours) at 9:30pm. There is already one freight ahead of us which is shorter meaning she can let it continue and fit it in later at a siding. With our longer length it is simply more practical to let us sit. Also factored into her equation is the knowledge that our train has a max speed of 45, a switch assignment at Guadalupe, and by letting us wait at this milepost we will be more than halfway to our destination. She makes the decision that we will be able to complete the little over a hundred miles and switch assignment in five hours. Continuing through the trees we see some kids ahead placing pebbles on the tracks and they scatter into nearby houses on sighting us. As we pass over the rocks there is a slight shudder as the wheels crush them. Finally we come up against a red signal which on our track contains the sign "END MISSION BLOCK-BEGIN SANTA BARBARA BLOCK" and on the one to our left "END PACIFIC BLOCK-BEGIN SANTA BARBARA BLOCK". Over the radio we here "SP Detector MP 401.3 no defects" which means that there is another train coming up behind us. While we sit Tom has about 10lbs set on the brakes as we are on a 1.1% grade and this will keep the train stretched out to prevent any kids from pulling the pins and breaking the train apart. "8059 west...can you release any blocks? "8059 west, engineer Siembieda, we can release two blocks...Ventura and Seacliff." Ahead of us the signal turns to a hard yellow. After Moorpark the signals are approach lit rather than CTC and about four signals out an approaching train starts throwing the circuitry which in this case is #11 coming at us at 60mph. From yellow the signal flips to red. "Amtrak 512 East releasing 17 blocks." The eastbound passes us and the signal in front turns to green. "8059 west at 4:48 authorized to proceed west 13 blocks Santa Barbara to Waldorf." After going to run 2 Tom kicks off the brakes and we slowly start to move out. On the grade the trick is to sense any hesitation rather than gravity indicating that some vandal has turned an angle cock meaning that on part of the train the brakes have not released which could result in breaking the train in two. Soon we are on a downgrade again through "S" curves and the detector at 365 gives us an axle count of 442, "We got em all Dean." Then we are climbing again with Hwy 101 on the right and green signals ahead. Up and down, up and down, know what the rest of the train is doing as at 358 we pass through a cut and see a dip in the tracks ahead. By MP 357 we have the ocean in sight again and the sun which is now to the right and in front has the water tinged with silver/gold. Back lit phone lines are reflecting light and horn blowing for a crossing we are at 42mph passing a green signal in run 8 at MP 351. Warm air is flowing in through the window, golden waves on the ocean, passing through the curves and up and down the undulations, late afternoon sun, in other words heaven for a railfan. As we cross the high bridge at Gaviota the wind is starting to bend the brush and grasses and it also makes a difference in our speed as it pushes against the cars spread out behind us for more than a mile. Wind has different effects on different car configurations such as double stacks vs pigs or boxcars. Tom takes advantage of the now stiff head wind on a downgrade and rather than go into dynamics places it in "Setup" which is the intermediary between throttle and dynamics and lets it hold the train back. Along the route here we see surfers out testing the waves and cattle on the hills. This is also the home to wild pigs that were brought in by the Air Force for the purpose of killing rattle snakes and some of which grow to 300 to 400 lbs. They have been known to be rather defensive about their territory actually standing on the tracks to challenge trains and have made a sport out of chasing brakemen. At night when the oscillating headlight is on owls take advantage by flying ahead and swoop down and snatch up illuminated snakes, rabbits, and squirrels. Also out here are bears, mountain lions, bob cats, and herds of deer. "8059 what is your location?" "Sudden...over" "Give me a call at Surf and I'll give you more blocks..over." "8059 West, Engineer Siembieda, releasing seven blocks Mission through Concepcion..over." "How long is it going to take you to do your work at Guadalupe?" "15 minutes at the longest over." Mile post 313 has us climbing at 28mph with the throttle at 8 and then over the crest we go into dynamics again with the rest of the train pushing us by the time we are at MP 311. At South Vandenburg we are meant by security police on the road beside us who will pace along to make sure that if we have to stop no transients get onto the missile base. A fog has started to roll in off the Ocean and Dean relates how as an apprentice brakeman on a fog bound night the engineer told him to flag the bridge. As he was barely across he looked back to see the train almost beside him. The conductor asked him why he was out there and he told him the engineer told him to do it and the conductor informed him that sometimes engineers like to pull new brakemen's legs. At MP 300 we have a yellow and creep around the hill to find a red on signal 2981. Tom stops, sounds the horn, and then we creep up the grade hoping not to stall. Actually this has been anticipated because we heard the other freight talk to Amelia when she put it in the hold for the Starlight and gave it permission to leave the siding without resetting it. This is because with no caboose on the end the conductor would have had to walk the length of the train back to the head end after he reset it and the expedited method is to simply let us reset it. Dean gets down and realigns the switch allowing us to continue. We pass the end of the Surf block and begin Tangair. The trees here mask a yard where troop trains used to bring in soldiers and took advantage of a large balloon track to simply continue the train in a loop. "8059 are you clear of the Surf Block yet? Are you going to be able to release behind you yet?" "Yes, 8059 West, releasing two blocks..Sudden and South Vandenburg." We are now climbing through a valley where the grasses on the rounded hills look like a soft fur. Cattle are on the hills and houses are again appearing. At one point some cattle on a hill above our train scamper as we sound the horn for a crossing. A deer bounds over the track in front of the train and we pass Shuman with its quarry where "air-rock" used to be loaded at a now abandoned spur. After MP 283 we are descending again and approach the Santa Maria Valley interchange (MP 276.9). This is Guadalupe where our orders have us as picking up two empty cars off of track 205. "8059 West calling WS60 over." "WS60" "8059 West..we don't see two cars on 205. Do you have any car numbers? Over." "Hang on just a minute please." At Guadalupe the branches on trees are bending in the wind. To our left the sun is getting very low on the horizon. "8059 West WS60. I checked with Monterey Park (customer service in Los Angeles) and they got a call that there were seven (sometimes after a train leaves the customer decides there is additional work that must be done)." "OK, we'll pull out seven cars." The plan is to cut off the power from the rest of our train, pull forward, back against the empties, and then hook back up to the rest. Tom pulls forward under the blue water tower proclaiming "GUADALUPE" that sits next to the tracks. On the pedestrian bridge over the tracks some kids are crossing with their bicycles and stop to wave at us as we pass under and then back. Dean is on the ground to set the switches. "Tom, take em ahead." "One more." "That'll do Tom, we're over." As we back, "Got about 6 to go Tom." "5 to a hook." "3 now." "2 more Tom." "1 to go." "1/2 car." A slight bump. "Tom take em ahead off the train." "You got em all." We pull forward again past the rest of our train which is sitting on the main. As we back, reconnect and the kids are still waiting for us on the bridge. We pull out, wave to the kids and as we cross under its milepost reads 276 meaning we have only 24 miles to go. It's 7:50pm as we pull out of Guadalupe and the sun is minutes away from disappearing. As it does the colors become almost pastel with shades of light purple and blue on the hills and pales shades of green in the fields. Standing starkly out is the bright green emerald that is our signal staring out silently from far down the tracks. On the rails ahead those last glimmering rays are reflecting off of the steel and the crossing gates go down on the street ahead of us. We now total out at 7,114 feet and are traveling downhill in dynamics propelled by 7,167 tons interacting with gravity. The downhill grade does not last long and by MP 273 we are climbing at 38mph past a detector that gives us the no defects message we are hoping for. This gives way to a green signal that appears at track level meaning that we are about to experience a rather sharp dip. Tom has to take this into account along with the added length of the train as he manipulates the throttle and brakes to keep his train intact. Coming out of the trees that shelter the track here we pass a water fowl hunting preserve where black tuffs of grass poke through the silver water and a few ducks are presently swimming unmolested leaving wakes in the water behind their little black silhouettes. By now we are curving down a hill with the rest of our train once again pushing from behind and our headlight is showing up on the tracks. "Yellow flag 25." "25" We pass under the 101 again at this reduced speed and start to climb with a green signal framed by the bridge. "Green flag." "Green flag." As we round the curve with the green reflecting off of the rails and our headlights illuminating the trees we find a camper sitting beside his grey van in front of a blazing fire. By MP 261 we are in the open again proceeding up the 1% grade and moseying along at a sedate 28mph at Run 8. Signs of recent rain are showing up as puddles beside the track and the hills another crew will be taking this train up are covered in clouds but there is still enough clearance for a last soft illumination. At Price Canyon a badger crosses the track ahead of us breaking the rules by stepping on the track but manages to clear in time. Milepost 258 and we are past the wall of the station of "Old Hadley" where the double track used to end and the grade is still visible to the right. At 260 we are down to 20mph and get another axle count as we pass where the narrow gauge track that used to come through the cut at MP 256. To our left are the lights of San Luis Obispo, orange against the black hills and orange and purple sky. A green signal is ahead and insects are showing up as shooting stars in our headlights. We take the right track which is the San Simeon block and into San Luis with a yellow signal now. The track flattens as we enter the yard and then bowls out as we climb again. The signal now is red as we pass the helper set which will be needed on the rear end for the Cuesta grade. Tom and Dean tie down the train and walk back to the depot where Dean calls Amelia in Denver on the phone to let her know we have arrived and release more blocks. The paper work done the train is handed over to the next crew and we take the van to the Vagabond Inn for a few hours sleep before the return trip. At 4AM conductor Lee Squier is up and waiting for the van at the front desk of the Vagabond. Lee has worked for the SP for almost 21 years starting in the car department before qualifying as a brakeman. Having been called for 4:30 he has his kit ready. 0430 morning at the depot in San Luis Obispo. The only sounds are the chirping of some crickets on the opposite side of the tracks and the hum of electrical wires. Low clouds that were starting to come in last evening have muted most of the other sounds as they hug the hills. A sign discusses the restoration project for the water tower that has survived since steam days and the helpers that usually reside here are somewhere up on the 2.2% Cuesta Grade. Lee enters the depot and meets up with engineer Chuck Johnson (23 years with SP after starting as a brakeman) and between the two of them they go over the paper work. Our train this morning will be the 1 BACIT 16 (1st section of the Bay Area to City of Industry Trailers that originated on the 16th). On the point will be GP60 #9751, B40-8 #8073, and GP60 #9703. With 17 loads, no empties, 2,338 tons and a length of 3,482 feet this will be a much smaller and faster train than yesterday consisting of COFC rather than conventional cars. While they go over the consist the 3-unit helper set pulls up with MK rebuilt SD40-2M #8669, D&RGW SD40T-2 #5394 (actually this unit is in SP paint with the speed letters and DRGW is stenciled under the side window), and SD45M #7535 and the crew shuts it down and sets the hand brakes. This is under the stated policy, "In the interest of improving air quality engines that are left unattended for more than 30 minutes must be shut down." Finally at around 0630 we hear the whine of dynamics outside the office as our train eases down the mountain. Turnover is quick with the information imparted that the speed is actually 53 when the speedometer reads 50, that we are cleared through Waldorf, and that everything has been running fine. We throw our bags onto the porch, climb up after them to make our departure out of San Luis at 0640. "Green." "Green." The flags at the depot show that we have a pretty stiff breeze blowing and with the grey clouds obscuring the dawn the side heaters are performing nicely as we begin our descent. We are at 22 mph with the units first in setup and then over to dynamics as it is still dark enough to see our headlights reflect off of the track and once actually in dynamics get that queer floating sensation. This doesn't last long as Chuck has to use the throttle at 8 as we enter the Grover Block where the track climbs so that by MP256 we are at 50mph at run 8 and then into dynamics again. "9751 East 6:49 AM..you are authorized to proceed 8 blocks Devon to Gaviota." Still in the fog as we pass through the hills. "Yellow flag 25." "Yellow flag 25." Some of the cattle in the field to our left look up as we blow the horn for a small dirt crossing but most of them are used to this type of intrusion and just keep of grazing. "Green flag." "Green flag." Our camper from the previous night now has his breakfast cooking over the fire by the bridge along with a large metal coffee pot. "Green." "Green." Under Highway 101 the track straightens out and Tom gives it throttle. "Yellow flag 40." "Yellow flag 40." The throttle continues long enough to allow the rear end to push us on a down grade and then we are back into dynamics. "Green flag." "Green flag." Most of the restrictions we have been encountering have been due to the recent heavy rains and in the fields beside us the field hands are already at work. By the time we are climbing past the duck pond and are amongst the eucalyptus trees we are again at notch 8 and get a "No defects" from the detector at 267.7. At MP270 we pass cars loaded with coke at Union Oil. Some of these will heading north and others will be picked up by another train destined eventually for the Los Angeles/Long Beach harbor complex. As we pass through Guadalupe two GP38-2's are working in the yard. "9751 East WS60 by Guadalupe at 7:20am" and get a good rollby from a work crew. Past Guadalupe we are climbing again at 52mph on the speedometer easing back and forth on the throttle as we come around the curves and then drop to 45 at notch 8. We pass the block with Devon, Narlon, and by MP 289 get our first glimpse of blue sky. Wild life is starting to appear such as the bobcat that leaps across the track in front of us to scatter a herd of deer on our left and a few hundred yards later 4 more deer appear including a fawn that runs beside the track before heading inland. We get a rollby from a maintenance of way truck which then requests working time until 9:30am. Past Tangair, Surf (at 7:55 which is a marker that is reported to the dispatcher as is the time past Guadalupe) and Chuck calls out "Green on the rifle signal." and then explains that this refers to signal 30/06. At Honda we are doing 60mph and spot the security truck at Vandenburg. Sudden block with more undulations and Chuck has to blow the horn for a deer standing on the track at MP 309. Road runners are dashing in front of us and the sun finally pokes through. "9751 East authorized five blocks at 8:06am Dominguez through Pacific." Lee releases 9 blocks, Grover through Honda and we start to see more yellow and green flags governing our speed. This is because the rains and ocean are trying to remove the cliff our track runs along but heaven is gliding along in dynamics on a straight piece of track along the ocean. We see a speed board with "50-" This means that both freight and passenger will be limited to 50mph in two miles. The next sign reads "45" and then "40". Past Refugio we are back to "60-50" which means that in two miles we can be back at 50 while passenger trains may do 60mph. "9751 East..engineer Johnson..release 5 blocks Sudden to Capitan." "9751 East..engineer Johnson..8:51am authorized to Seacliff, will probably put you in the siding there for Amtrak." Over the radio we can hear Amtrak releasing on block Moorpark and also talking to #6330 west. We climb into Santa Barbara at 38mph at notch 8 and then at MP 367 take the downhill side in dynamics. "SP detector MP 366.3 four zero miles per hour axle 176." Ahead the dispatcher is talking to 6330 west again as we glide past the Santa Barbara depot in a full 8 dynamics at 20 mph. "9751 East last block coming up...by Santa Barbara at 9:20 last block." "9:20..thank you....9:20am 9751 East with engineer Johnson..authorized to proceed one block, Ventura." The dispatcher is playing it safe watching the progress of Amtrak on his screen as well as monitoring on trains such as 6330 west and is doling out our blocks one at a time. Along the ocean slide monitors are in place and wild mustard is growing on the hills. We pass over a flange greaser because of the curves we will be encountering as well as a dragging equipment detector and the speed board reads "45-30". "Green." "Green." The dispatcher is talking to 6628 East which is a light engine set ahead of us and then gets around to us. "9751 East..engineer Johnson. 1005 pm authorized to proceed two blocks Oxnard to Camarillo and go into the siding at Camarillo for Amtrak." We get a green at signal 4004 and pass several Caltrans workers busily clearing flood channels. "SP detector 414.8 no defects." This is for the Oxnard train ahead of us which is headed back to GEMCO. Its 1020 as we pass Oxnard which makes it one hour since we left Santa Barbara. "Last block." "Last block." "Take siding." "Take siding." We are doing 60mph on the flats in an effort to get to the siding as quickly as possible. "MP 434 Inspecting train." This is one of the two Amtraks headed our way and we also hear it receive block authority. Lee gets down to throw the switch and calls to Chuck over the radio. "In about three stacks you'll be in the clear there Chuck." "Two stacks." "One more stack." "OK Chuck you're in the clear and all lined back." He sets the switch back to the main and we sit at MP 417. Chuck releases 5 blocks Seacliff through Camarillo and Lee walks back to the front of the train. Since we will be sitting here through two Amtraks they take advantage of the situation to fill out the daily inspection cards in the units. "Amtrak 229 West authorized Camarillo through Ventura." However ahead of us the approach lit signal is still dark. "SP Detector MP 424 total speed six eight miles per hour..total axle count three two." This means that the first Amtrak will be here in about six minutes and sure enough a short time later the signal in front of us lights as yellow and then red. With yellow stripes facing us it is obvious that this is the Santa Barbara train headed towards us cab car first and then the radio gives us a, "SP detector MP 414.8 no defects." as it continues past us towards Oxnard. We still have the Coast Starlight and hear WS60 call it over the radio with, "At 1054 authorized Moorpark to Ventura." Twenty minutes later the signals again light changing from yellow to red and the Starlight charges past. Almost immediately we hear over the radio, "WS60 1120 AM behind Amtrak allowed to proceed one block Moorpark." This is not a slow freight like yesterday and the dispatcher is anxious to get us back on the road. We have a green on the switch signal and as we pass over it Chuck hits the counter. "Green flag." "Green flag." "Green." "Green. "Highball!" The rest of our train has passed over the switch and we are ready to roll. "Yellow flag." "Yellow flag." At MP 420 its downhill in dynamics and then throttle to maintain speed as the speedometer reads 58mph. We release Moorpark as a squirrel crosses the tracks and then prepare to tackle the home stretch. Through the three tunnels, past the Moorpark Metrolink station. "Flashing yellow" at MP 450. "9751 East calling the flagman at 453.5." "Double yellow" "Red" "This is the flagman." "This is 9751." "9751 you have permission to go through on track #2 at authorized speed and whistle freely." "Red over green." We are entering Metrolink dispatched territory but first Lee calls Taylor yardmaster Larry Allard to get instructions from him. "9751 this is the AGYM (assistant general yardmaster)" "9751 what did you have in mind for us?" "Call when you come by Glendale Station." Chuck changes to the Metrolink channel and calls out "Flashing yellow" over the radio. This alerts the Metrolink dispatcher who takes over at Burbank Junction and clears it for us. "Green." "Green." As we pass Glendale Depot Chuck changes back to the SP channel, "9751 AGYM" "Go ahead." "Going by Glendale Depot." "OK come ahead." Soon we see the spider like diesel service at Taylor where we will turn the train over to another crew for the short trip to the City of Industry. The trip down has been a lot faster than the one on the previous day but that is because they were two different types of trains. One was a slow freight while the other a short intermodal. Each has its own quirks that must be taken into account but a major question for any railroad is which route can get the merchandize moved the quickest and most economical. SP has completed a study to determine which route moves the freight from the bay area to LA the fastest. The study contrasted the coastal route with the central valley. Total time including station time down the valley and through the Tehachapis to the City of Industry came to 20:59 with a run time of 18:19 for the 551 miles. By comparison the 483 mile coast route had a total time of 18:30 including stations and a run time of 16:00. While the coastal route may be a little under utilized at the moment that does not mean it will be restricted to Amtrak in the near future so there is still time to catch Southern Pacific freights and the Pacific Ocean in the same frame. I want to thank Tom Siembieda, Dean Russum, Lee Squier, Chuck Johnson, Pooran Langaroudi, Orble Allen, and Jack Martin for their help in preparing this article.