Hi all...I'm a newbie here. For now, I'd just like to find out if Santa Fe and Western Pacific have "shared track" in the western states. I think they do, but not sure (I haven't started a layout yet, but working on location...will center on Western Pacific, but I already have a little bit of Santa Fe stuff). Thanks in advance....Larry
I'm in Vancouver BC, Canada and my knowledge is very limited (and that is a generous over statement) on the lines you are asking about. But I did want you to feel welcome to trainboard and if you haunt these halls you will come across some excellent craftsmen, and very competent railfans. You actually might want to try some of the other forums for your question, just do a copy and paste job. I think you will get a better response there. Try BNSF forum. [ 18. March 2003, 01:54: Message edited by: rsn48 ]
Thanks for the nice welcome, rsn!! I've read through many of the archived posts, and I'm very much impressed not only with the knowledge, but with the caring manner members answer with. I think I'll learn a lot here. Best to all...Larry
I would also like to extend a welcome. As said above there is loads of info on the Train Board. What part of California are you in?
Hi Larry- Welcome aboard! The only area I know of, where AT&SF and WP could have interacted, would be in the SF and Oakland areas. I'm sure they crossed each other a few times. But as far as shared track, I do not know. Maybe some reciprocal switching agreements were in force as well. Perhaps we'll hear from Greg E on this! Boxcab E50
Larry, Hi, nice to see another WP fan on the board. You cannot yet tell I am one because I have not yet gotten the logo with my member name. That will happen soon. I grew up in the SF Bay area when the WP was still going strong. I am a collector of WP stuff(switch keys, locks, books and pictures) taken by myself and several others. To my knowledge the only place the WP and SF had joint track was in San Francisco. My reasons for thinking this is in the book D day on the WP by Virgil Staff there are some references to that in or around china basin. I also bought a switch lock several years ago that had WP and SP on the lock with the SP cut. But I never knew of them sharing track. It is very possible that they all shared track in San Francisco. I will look in D day and find out for sure. Welcome to the board Shannon WP LIVES
I know that ATSF and WP interchanged in Stockton, but I don't think they shared any trackage. They did share a train that ran each way on the Inside Gateway, the ATSF-WP-GN route from Stockton through Beiber and Klamath Falls to Seattle. It managed to compete quite well with Southern Pacific, until UP merged with the WP. Then operations tended to fall to the wayside. Seems UP and BN didn't want to share the traffic with each other. Pat
Thanks much for the replies. I appreciate your thoughts on this. In the end, I suppose it will come down to "model railroader's license." To answer Telegrapher, I was raised in Stockton. Now in the foothills east of there, but when I can actually begin a layout I expect some of Stockton's yards will be involved. Reason for the WP interest, by the way, is mostly the California Zephyr of the '50s. I rode it a couple of times when I was a kid and still remember it. There was almost a certain kind of "royalty" to it (to me, anyway ). Still, I have seen much of UP and ATSF here (I still go by the old SF passenger depot now and then, and the WP depot is still standing...will soon be renovated and used for something else, BTW). Anyhow, thanks again for the nice welcomes, and I'd kind of like to stick around...I like this group already Best to all...Larry
Hey Welcome aboard Larry! Definately they really do share tracks! I double headed one each just the other night on my layout. Didn't have a wreck, and pulled about 40 cars slick as a whistle! You certainly have my permission to share trackage with them, and the New York Central if it floats your boat! After all, you do own your railroad, don't you? Any body that complains, just throw them off your train!
I believe they both were involved with interchanging with Stockton Terminal and Eastern which was/is a very busy street running short line. There have been several articles on modelling ST&E over the years, in al different magazines. They use(d) Alco 'S-1s' and mostly GE 70 tonners (now). The class ones did as much street running as the short line in Stockton. The Tidewater Southern was a WP subsidiary that also interchanged with Santa Fe iout n the Big Valley. The Sacramento Northern. an electric line owned by Western Pacific, connected I believe at Sacramento with ATSF, as did the WP itself.
