Tuesday, March 17, 2009

SP Passenger Car


This was one of the abandoned railcars sitting on the old NWP sidetracks near the Skunk station last summer. The windows are boarded up because of interior fire damage, or the potential for it, when drifters tried to set up housekeeping inside. I think this one was among those eventually scrapped. Note the distinctive colors of the Southern Pacific Daylight train. I think Amtrak still operates the route as the Coast Starlight - a wonderful way to travel.

4 comments:

Virginia said...

So the car was this nice salmon color? Cool!!!
V

Petrea Burchard said...

I love that logo. These old trains are so beautiful. Your shots of them remind me of when I was a kid and there were still hobos. (Now we call them "homeless people," I guess.) We would find their camps alongside the railroad tracks in the woods sometimes. As far as I know they just rode the rails and didn't bother anyone much.

USelaine said...

V - I think when the paint job was fresh, it was bright red with orange details. But I like the mellowed look too.

P - I guess I think of hobos as being the train-riding homeless exclusively, but I could be wrong. I remember an "old-timer" woman telling me that they used to jump off the slowing trains, then find "known" households who would sympathetically supply some food. Especially during the Depression of the 30s, they were actively seeking work in their travels.

Petrea Burchard said...

I think so, Elaine. Men looking for work. After a while, maybe it got old and they were just rambling. There were still a few around in the early 60's.