REPORT Page 19-2
right out into the ocean, turn north, and "motor" around Point Loma, Sunset Cliffs and Ocean Beach for a grand entrance into Mission Bay. PSRMA has chartered the Star & Crescent Boat Company's M.V. Silvergate for the five hour run. Vessel will leave the Foot of Market Street landing at 10 a.m. and arrive at Mission Bay about 11:45 a.m. At press time, the itinerary was not set but it is expected the Silvergate will berth at the islandia pier with excursionists debarking for a 20-minute rest period or a 60-minute lunch break. Time permitting, the Silvergate will also follow the coast line north a few miles before returning to San Diego Harbor. Because of its seven foot draft the excursion boat's tour of Mission Bay will be limited to the commercial basin. It will, however, detour into the Shelter Island area in San Diego harbor earlier in the trip. As far as is known the September 26 excursion will be the first public excursion between San Diego Harbor and Mission Bay. Fare will be about $5. Call Wally Duthie for details.
IN THE GLARE OF THE HEADLIGHT............by GEORGE OLIVER
Any readers still with this "column" must be tired of hearing about animals along the railroad, but I hope to close out that subject with two short items, the dog that played "chicken" (you know, the game of playing chicken is to stand on the track until the last minute in front of a train and then jump off, maybe), and the "CHICKEN" that played chicken.
In the sag just beyond Pacific Beach a Doberman dog often walks his owner, cavorting all over the place, running along the track trying to nip the journals of the trains. One morning as I was officiating on #73 said dog decided to try something, and took a stance in the middle of the track and dared me hit him; I took the dare, but Dobie chickened out and jumped off at the very last moment. The same dog took great delight in chasing the Track Supervisor on his motor car, nipping at him as he ran along. He - the dog - met, his come-uppance the other day when he was too bold and was struck by the putt-putt; as there is no maneuverability to the machine, it is obvious the trespassing pooch was at fault. Non-R.I.P. and Q.E.D.
Just beyond San Juan Capistrano station a family living in an old house has lots of chickens which roam about in the orange orchards. They are pretty wise to the ways of trains, but a few trips ago, again on #73, a large rooster decided to take his harem into the trees on the other side of the track; as I approached with the one Alco unit making plenty of racket on the climb out of SJG, the hens wisely flew back to where they came, but Senor Gallo, perhaps thinking he was playing the gallery, stood between the rails with hackles extended and head lowered, like the dog, daring me. On the ground I might have backed off, but riding the Alco I again took the dare and my opponent chose to run to fight another day, the chicken "chickened out."
Readers of the "Waterfront News" in the San Diego Union have read of the big shipments of potash going through this port: even to me, an active railroader on the Fourth District, that was news, as, being on #78 and #73, I see nothing of the heavy freights which run in the middle of the night. Except for one extra train, the regular "Flip," a freight, running nightly from San Bernardino has handled all this potash, reducing to tonnage for the Sorrento-Miramar hill at Oceanside, the night local bringing same to San Diego.
Another item in the "Waterfront News" was to the effect that a contract had been signed with the Santa Fe to build a thirty-mile line from Bouse, on the Cadiz-Phoenix line, to Swansea (perhaps on the right-of-way of a long abandoned railroad) and haul much low grade copper ore to San Diego for shipment to Japan. Phil Middlebrook, another man, and myself, made a side trip from Bouse to Swansea several years ago, mostly along the abandoned railroad, taking pictures of the ghost town of Swansea. Maybe we should have bought the place up, but, how did we know!!!
REPORT, the official publication of the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association, c/o the Santa Fe station, 1050 Kettner, San Diego, Calif., is mailed free to members and at a 10¢ per issue rate to non-members. It is published six times a year. Mail to: Eric Sanders, 7861 Normal Avenue, La Mesa, President: Stanton Kerr, 10830 Fuerte Drive, La Mesa, Calif. For excursion information write to Wally Duthie at the Santa Fe station PSRMA office.
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