22-5
N E W S O F T H E S 0 U T H W E S T C 0 R N E R * * * * * * * * *
SAN DIEGO & ARIZONA EASTERN
Business is booming - on the El Cajon line, that is. Several times in the past month the trains have consisted of 17 or 18 cars and three units. The units were 5101, 5114 and 5119. New spurs recently completed or soon to come include two on the El Cajon line. One, near 54th and Market serves Butler Feed Co. The other near Montgomery Ward, in El Cajon, serves a National warehouse concern rumored to be Sears-Roebuck. Coming soon is a new team track at National City near Burnett's spur. This track will also serve the Imperial Rug Mills.
Train 451 of the 22nd arrived in San Diego at 5:05am the following day. The cause was motive power failures in the Indio area on the SP.
San Diego's private car, the Cyris K. Holiday, went over the road on its way to Mexicali on December 15. It returned January 3.
A work train was in service the past few weeks. It consisted of a machine on a flatcar and an air dump car. It's purpose is to clean out ditches between Tijuana and Tecate.
Celery season is upon us once more. A second roustabout went into service January 3 to serve the South Bay area. It leaves San Diego at 7pm. So far no change in 452's leaving time.
SDA&AE's first installation of crossing gates is rumored to be at the Navy crossing, just east of Highway 80, Seeley.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY
The SP is testing the use of remodeled "Daylight-type" coaches in its San Francisco commuter service. The remodeled cars have "airplane" seating arrangements of 3-2. With a 65 percent decline in mainline passenger traffic during the past ten years, it is expected that many of the older cars presently in use will be replaced by these cars.
One day faster. That is the latest word in freight traffic. Eastward schedules on manifest, perishable and piggyback traffic call for third day delivery in Chicago.
The long anticipated Colton-Palmdale cutoff will soon be a reality. Constrution is expected to commence early this year. Once begun the line will be completed in about two years at a cost of $20 million.
More microwave. Installations are now underway between Los Angeles and Tuoson and on the NWP between Willets and Eureka. Eighty miles of CTC are being installed between Klamath Falls and Black Butte in Oregon. New piggyback facilities are now under construction at El Centro.
Motive power is undergoing a major renumbering. This renumbering does not include switchers under 800hp or engines due for scrapping by 1970. The Cotton Belt and T&L locomotives are also included.
A non-injury passenger train derailment occurred near Paso Robles on December 25. The train was the Lark and the passengers continued into LA by bus. Passenger service between Oakland and Portland has been suspended due to the northern California floods.
The depot at Indio was destroyed by fire on January 4. It was believed to be the oldest structure in the Imperial valley area.
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