AT&SF No 1 at the Fresno Depot, early morning
Classic 1970s era railroading: Framed by a cantilever signal, a brace of F-units idle with the westbound SF Chief as it gets serviced during the station stop at the Fresno Depot. It's about 5:50 AM and the sun is just peeking over the Sierra, catching the sides of the F-units and the Mission Style depot and freight house. Meanwhile a pipe-smoking supervisor is overseeing the filling of water tanks for the steam generators in each of the four units as a problematic steam leak persists between units 2 and 3. The small stub-end downtown yard on the left of the frame services a paper company, team tracks and a gantry crane off/on-load in the distance. The engine crew is changed here, having brought the train from Barstow this morning. Unit 325 will soon lead the westbound on toward its terminal yard at Richmond, CA, only another 191 miles to go along the Santa Fe mainline.
AT&SF No 1 at the Fresno Depot, early morning
Classic 1970s era railroading: Framed by a cantilever signal, a brace of F-units idle with the westbound SF Chief as it gets serviced during the station stop at the Fresno Depot. It's about 5:50 AM and the sun is just peeking over the Sierra, catching the sides of the F-units and the Mission Style depot and freight house. Meanwhile a pipe-smoking supervisor is overseeing the filling of water tanks for the steam generators in each of the four units as a problematic steam leak persists between units 2 and 3. The small stub-end downtown yard on the left of the frame services a paper company, team tracks and a gantry crane off/on-load in the distance. The engine crew is changed here, having brought the train from Barstow this morning. Unit 325 will soon lead the westbound on toward its terminal yard at Richmond, CA, only another 191 miles to go along the Santa Fe mainline.