Recently its been noticed the ex WP Alco switcher #511 has disappeared from Woodland. Anyone know its current location or any future plans for this unit?? TAZ, you got anything?? Any help is appreciated.
Well got a chance to look around Woodland myself yesterday and nothing. Checked out some of the sites of the 'local' railroad museums and historical groups but no news there either. My buddy says she did get moved to the end of the line right downtown sometime in the last two weeks but then disappeared along with the ex SP caboose. I wonder if she is finally getting work/paint or gone to some museum?? Heres a pic:
Nope...511 is still in Woodland in pretty much the same location that it has been stored for the last few years (on the end of an unused track near Hanson Way on the East end of Woodland). 511, along with all of the other "stuff" (SP caboose, an ex-Amtrak coach, an old friction bearing tank car), was moved to the West end of the line (...The Woodland yard near downtown...) about a month and a half ago of so (late October, early November) so that painters could access the side of the building that it was stored next to (the unused track mentioned above). Once the painters completed their work, we switched out a (ballast) hopper and shoved the rest of the cut back "into storage". As far as I know, there's nothing going on with the 511 (plans to restore her or donate her to a museum, etc.). My understanding is that the 511 is owned by a private individual but I do not know who this individual is. I did have a chance to "walk around" the 511 before we moved her back into storage...She's in pretty rough shape due to sitting out in the elements but there has been some of the work (brake cylinder pistons removed, batteries removed, brake stand removed [for rebuild?], etc.) done on her over the years in an effort to help preserve her. Hopefully, one day, she'll get her chance to be restored (operable, I hope).
Thanks Taz!!! My buddy and I explored all the sidings but never sighted it. I'll have to look more closely at the Hanson Way location.
John, that's the same location where your (posted) picture was taken. Best way to get to this location is either to take the "Road 102" exit off of I-5 North, bear to the right and turn right on Main Street or to take the "Elkhorn" exit (first exit after you cross the Sacramento River on the Vietnam Veteran's bridge) off of I-5 North and turn left on the River Road (which runs parallel to the Sierra Northern track/trestle over the Yolo by-pass) which eventually turns into Main Street when it hits the Woodland city limits. Hanson Way is the last grade crossing (East bound) in Woodland protected by crossing gates. BTW: The SERA 133 has been back in Woodland for the last month. We've been using it as a "shoving platform" (...running, but "Dead in train"...) for the Christmas/Santa trains this month...Looks kind of neat having a locomotive on both ends of the train not to mention that it's a warm, dry, location for the conductor to ride on the shove back into Woodland (which can get mighty cold and/or wet based on the weather). Another plus is that it has a (really loud!!) horn and lights which makes motorist take notice at grade crossings. :teeth: "Power" for the Christmas/Santa trains this year has been either the 132 or the 134.
Well that is exactly where I expected to see it but it wasn't there. Hmmmm. Can't find it anywhere else either. Jeff will be delivering in the area the rest of the week so will keep an eye out.
taz, Can you see it from I-5? I was driving up to Arbuckle just this past Saturday and thought I saw it from the freeway - maybe I was seeing things...
From what I remember, it can't be seen directly from I-5 (North or South) due to a couple of warehouses (Walgreen's distribution center and a warehouse for lease [from Buzz Oates]) that block the view of the track at this location from I-5. To make matters worse, the siding that I'm referring to sits below the grade of the railroad by about 3 or 4 feet...
Just out of curiosity, can anyone just go wandering around train yards (or trains just sitting on tracks somewhere) getting pictures and looking around. I was going to see if there may be something in the area, but didn't know if the areas are usually restricted. Is anyone gonna club me if they catch me? lol If so, I'll wear a helmet!
The "general" answer to that question is "No" but that can sometimes change based on the railroad. Most, if not all railroads, don't want you poking around in their rail yards...Honestly, it can be a very dangerous place to be especially if there is a some type of activity (i.e., switching, etc.) going on. However, if you can take the picture that you want from some "public access point" (i.e., one where you aren't trespassing on railroad or other private property), you can usually take as many pictures as you want. The caveat there, especially with the large Class 1 railroads (i.e., BNSF, CN, CP, CSX, KCS, NS and UP) is that the train crew may just place a call to the railroad police. In that case, you may have them show up at your location and ask you a series of questions. If you're crusin' around the web, there are several really good write-ups (articles, postings, etc.) on what you can do and what you shouldn't do. If I'm not mistaken, there is a really good thread on this topic in the "Ready Track" section here...
A quick correction to my last post...The thread that I was referring to can be found in the "Railfanning Discussions" section and is called "Railfan safety: It is all our business" (click the link to go straight to the thread or take a look at that section...It's been made a "sticky" by the administrators and is the first topic that appears there. ).
It's on the far Eastern end of town and he (Jeff) may not make it out there very often...Nothing but warehouses, tumbleweeds, and jack rabbits (and, of course, the railroad ) out there... As far as not noticing that it got moved, you know us (railroad types)...We're good at hiding large items in plain sight (...LOL...) :cool6xb:
