zimage030-San-Bernardino-tower
Victorville, Cajon Pass, San Bernardino, 5 April 1982
In March and April 1982, my Air National Guard unit deployed to George AFB in Victorville, California to support Operation Gallant Eagle 82. My job was maintenance of communications equipment and I was assigned to graveyard shift. This meant that we were on call and slept in the shop van, but rarely did anything break, so most nights, we just slept.
I had my 1962 VW bug with me, and with the days free, I often went out train watching. Cajon Pass was nearby and many days I wound up there.
My notes from the trips are buried or lost, so I can reconstruct what I did with photos. On 5 April, I stopped off at the Victorville depot, where UP had a couple of SD40-2s stationed for helper service. A Santa Fe local freight was switching. It picked up and dropped off covered hoppers at the nearby cement plant, among other things.
After a few photos there, a westbound intermodal train, led by GE B36-7 7489 came through and I followed it over Cajon Pass to San Bernardino, getting photos along the way. It met SP and ATSF freights where I was in position to get photos of the meets.
At San Bernardino, I gave up the chase and shot a few other things in the yard before moving on to other subjects, which will be posted in later albums.
zimage030-San-Bernardino-tower
Victorville, Cajon Pass, San Bernardino, 5 April 1982
In March and April 1982, my Air National Guard unit deployed to George AFB in Victorville, California to support Operation Gallant Eagle 82. My job was maintenance of communications equipment and I was assigned to graveyard shift. This meant that we were on call and slept in the shop van, but rarely did anything break, so most nights, we just slept.
I had my 1962 VW bug with me, and with the days free, I often went out train watching. Cajon Pass was nearby and many days I wound up there.
My notes from the trips are buried or lost, so I can reconstruct what I did with photos. On 5 April, I stopped off at the Victorville depot, where UP had a couple of SD40-2s stationed for helper service. A Santa Fe local freight was switching. It picked up and dropped off covered hoppers at the nearby cement plant, among other things.
After a few photos there, a westbound intermodal train, led by GE B36-7 7489 came through and I followed it over Cajon Pass to San Bernardino, getting photos along the way. It met SP and ATSF freights where I was in position to get photos of the meets.
At San Bernardino, I gave up the chase and shot a few other things in the yard before moving on to other subjects, which will be posted in later albums.