Southern Pacific's Eastside Branch: A History

[@HitsTownUSA]

That is a lot of work and time invested to bring us this masterpiece. Thank you so much!

[@Ken_in_Wisconsin]

Enjoyed this. Thank you Mark.

[@bobselders8345]

Great piece on Railroad history Mark!! Thanks for putting it out there.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@roberttrometter5788]

Mark you are doing a great job with the history of the Railroad. Love to learn on the Railroads. Thans again. Robert

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

My pleasure! Thanks for checking it out!

[@gypsynomad75]

Great video Mark just started following your KZbin page I grew up as a child in Ivanhoe those packing houses had spur lines for the refer Cars picking up oranges they were tore out in late 90s early 2000s also the old Ivanhoe Dept was moved just south of rd 156 its on a property you can still see it thanks again for video great history

[@gregjohnston1781]

Love this. Thanks so much.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Very cool video and coverage on the branch, Mark! (Dave).

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@chuckmorris7043]

thanks Mark from bringing up memories for me. Our family went camping and hunting every year for many years up at Big Meadows, and traveling from the San Fernando Valley up hiway 99, long before I5. Thru Bakersfield, Porterville, and all those other communities north and then up into the High Sierra's, and yes, seeing trains a lot through that route. This was in 1940' through 1950's.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

It's still a beautiful area, but I'm sure, very different from back then!

[@Kansas-Trains]

Very Cool Brother Mark TY 😊🙏🇺🇸

[@lossangeles]

That spring switch is a sight for sore eyes! 👍

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

And sore backs!

[@kens.3729]

Hello Mark! There is so much History in the Railroad Industry so Thanks for Helping keep this History Alive. 👍🙏

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

My pleasure!

[@briankemp5206]

Thanks Mark for the history lesson. It brings back memories when I was stationed at NAS Lemoore from 1981 to 85.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

My pleasure!

[@geraldoreynoso2480]

Thank you for your history in California southern pacífic railroads...

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thank you for checking it out!

[@glengriswold9986]

Mark, We started to vacation in Camp Nelson from Pasadena in 1957. The road from Bakersfield to Porterville followed the train track. If we were lucky, we would come across a train with steam engine headed to Porterville. In those days, the road crossed over the track a bunch of times from one side to the other. The crossings were about a mile or so apart. In our '55 Chevy station wagon, Dad would pace the engine and when we got close to the cross over, he would speed up to beat it. Thinking back, it was like the old movies where the cars raced the trains to the crossing. I did go to Porterville college for a year in 1964 before joining the Marine Corps. Went to all the towns you covered. So much has changed. This brought back good memories. Love this presentation.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thanks, Glen! It was my pleasure!

[@salvadorvillagomez3406]

I was waiting for this piece for a long time. My grandpa used to take me out on this ghost branch when I was in my early teens. I’m 33 now but everything you covered was just like old times and I’m amazed what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. That wooden bridge being one of them. Great video

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

[@wrangler70jkujeep74]

I recognize some of areas used pic up produce at these places. Great video series.

[@l-a-c8128]

Hey, mark I wanted to add that if your ever back in porterville, you can find an old switch and mile post at the intersection of main and locust Ave, also a visalia electric video would be really cool to see

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

I've been considering a video/photo piece on the VE.

[@thomasrichardson9865]

Great video, Mark! I lived in Porterville back in the 80's up till 1993, but we were on the Santa Fe side of town, so I didn't see much SP action, but I did witness the sale and first operations of the SJVR. Sad to see the railroad tore up, but such is life.

[@johnscanlon5889]

Interesting short lines.

[@johnclements8549]

That was awesome Mark! I grew up and lived in Reedley since the 3rd grade in the early 60s till I retired in 2013. I always enjoyed the trains coming through our community!

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

With any luck, I'll get some video of a train passing trough Reedley soon!

[@Mrruneight]

Excellent Mark, Great presentation! Thank You for your hard work making this video as it was very informative.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

My pleasure!

[@Clouds_2914]

Amazing video! I really enjoy learning about this and the history around me. Especially the Southern pacific history in kern county. I also appreciate the time dedication you put into the video well done and thank you.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

You're very welcome, and thank you for checking it out! If you're not subscribed to my channel, you should do so and check out the many history videos I have there! Look for the "History" and "Railroad History" playlists.

[@revenniaga6249]

Great production, I love your history videos the best. Just because rails are removed I hope the govrrnments preserve the right of ways in case the railroad ever wants to rebuild.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thank you! I'm really happy to hear there are people who do enjoy these. They don't tend to get the views the train videos get, but I will still keep doing them because I'm a history geek!

[@kmcc01]

Great history of the East Side S.P. Line! Do you remember back in the late 80's or early 90's that there was a whole lot of old cannibalize S.P. Engines in Exeter?

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

No, I don't. I never worked much on those branch lines at all, and during that time I was either in Tehachapi or Palmdale. Thanks for checking it out!

[@Lindsay11bc2]

I just saw this video, and I wish that I had known he was going to make it. I worked for the SJVR for many years and took the last train down into the Richgrove branch and back. I’ve also worked the Ducor area and Minkler sub. I have a lot of stories about that branch.

[@doncheeto8549]

Do you have any video

[@scottcary1]

When I was living/working in Porterville in '91 and '92, SP and Santa Fe still had trains running through town. What little I noticed, Sp was ran trains during the day while Santa Fe ran at night. The signals along the line south of Porterville were still in place but were in the process of being removed in that time. It's a shame both railroad line are abandoned and no longer through lines. They could've been good commuter routes these days between Fresno and Bakersfield.

[@stevenschuman2374]

Nice history lesson of a part of the ESPEE! Living in Oregon the SP and BN had a lot of branch lines here. These branches are now owned by Portland & Western, CORP, A&E, and WVRR. Thanks Mark! "SP lives" Steven W. Schuman (SSW) in Gresham, Or.

[@charlesglandon7840]

Great informative video, Mark. The depot in Dinuba was moved to another location a few blocks away and is now a museum also too bad you missed the old Ivory Pine mill siding. Thanks for doing this for us, keep them coming, be safe.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thank you. I wish I'd realized the Dinuba depot was still intact! I'll have to go up and do a stand alone video about it! You'd be surprised how hard it is to find information on what used to be where on these old branches! Thanks for checking it out!

[@charlesglandon7840]

@@MarkClayMcGowan The museum is located 289 s K st. Dinuba Ca 93618. It's call Alta District Historical Society Museum, I don't know if it has much railroad history. I'm sorry to say, but I haven't been inside, and I drive by often. I'm going to have to make a point to go.

[@catshotfourone7951]

@@MarkClayMcGowan History in the valley is far and few between in my opinion unfortunately much is forgotten and lost, tried looking up information about how far south stern wheel paddle boats ever got in the valley couldn't find anything, I know they did I read it somewhere, saw pictures somewhere, saw a couple piers that were still standing in the 70s, I know they got quite far south during exceptionally wet seasons. South of Corcoran somewhere.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

I don't know about stern wheelers, but at one time, during runoff season, you travel by boat from Buena Vista Lake, southeast of Bakersfield, to Stockton, via natural lakes and man made canals!

[@catshotfourone7951]

@@MarkClayMcGowan Stern Wheeler's serviced the cotton industry back then, don't remember where I got that info, had to be 30yrs ago or more, I read someone attempted in more resent times to take a small boat from Buena Vista lake to either Stockton or the bay area, I think they made it but truly don't remember. Age seems to be taking a toll on my memory unfortunately. Thanks Mark.

[@edwinsinclair9853]

Great job documenting the old Eastside Branch of the Espee Mark. Kind of sad to see how little smaller industry ships by carload these days. I can imagine how busy this and the West Valley line were in the 40s and 50s.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

It was a fun project even if it did take two years to complete! Thanks for checking it out!

[@supercuda1950]

That last engine (the orange one) is owned by the Genesee RR, which is a large conglomeration of smaller RR's. They operate the Indiana and Ohio here in Ohio and also operate RR's overseas. All of their engines that I have seen are painted the same, they just use a different logo for whatever the region is.

[@catshotfourone7951]

Great piece mark, brought back memories of when I was a kid when the line was still thriving, after I got older I knew the line was owned by SP but I saw nothing but Santa Fe servicing the area around Richgrove now I know why and that bridge just south Richgrove crosses Rag Gulch a dry gulch for the most part and is the demarcation line for Kern/Tulare county's through the gulch to the west about a 1/4 mile is County Line Rd which was the gulch back in the horse and buggy days , I have seen that bridge washed out 3 times in my lifetime first in the mid 60s again in 72 and 98 El Nino, the line that ran west from there served numerous grape packing sheds and a winery. Those abandoned building's at Sherwood & Famoso was a chemical manufacturing plant don't remember the name cause I'm get'n old but it was a point of interest during the Mcfarland cancer cluster investigation. Looking forward to the Visalia electric piece another interest of mine I know very little about as far as key interest points and landmarks go also interested in if there were any narrow gauge lines in the valley, I may have read something about one serving the citrus industry but may be wrong anyhow as they say in Australia "good on ya" mark and thanks see you next time.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thank you! I still plan on doing something about the Visalia Electric, but that will take awhile as well! As far as I know, there was no narrow gauge in the valley. The flat landscape lended itself well to standard gauge, which made it easy to interchange any rolling stock.

[@chuckgilly]

Hi there. I'm related to the Guerrero family in Richgrove. In the late 60s- early 70s I would spend my summers in Richgrove with my cousin David Guerrero. They lived at the very south end of town across from the tracks before they pulled up the tracks. He now owns South Tulare County Refuse at the same location.

[@catshotfourone7951]

@@chuckgilly I knew the family at least my parents did, if I'm correct David's dad was a reserve sheriff he heard me doing burnouts and racing around town when I was 10yrs old in my parents brand new AMC Hornet, pulled me over in front of our house right next to my parents bedroom window, man I thought I was busted for sure, he just gave me good scolding and told me to go home, l remember they owned the 76 gas station maybe it was Gulf back then.

[@chuckgilly]

@@catshotfourone7951 LOL. Yeahhh, That would be Manuel Guerrero. IIRC he drove a white Chevy Nova on night patrol. They ran the 76 gas station on the corner, and a Cafe. Later he started South Tulare County Refuge with an old Leach rear loader truck. I'm 62 years old now. So I was around 7 when I started spending my summers there. I was always on alert looking out for trains. The SP would come at night to service the branch that went west toward Delano. I would watch for that ABS searchlight signal to light up.

[@catshotfourone7951]

@@chuckgilly yup, I remember Manuel but it was always Mr. Guerrero when we were kids, during the summers at night was a lot of of train action, I'd run as fast as I could across town to watch, we lived on the eastern edge of town on Vineyard Dr.

[@gdrriley420]

Theres some plans to get the line from Porterville to Exeter rebuilt and modernized as part of a Cross Valley passenger line which would then go west to Lemoore. I'd love to see the same happen to Exeter to Fresno.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

I hadn't heard that. Interesting.

[@gdrriley420]

@@MarkClayMcGowan Its a very old plan, dates back to the 90s but until CAHSR wasn't a priority

[@catshotfourone7951]

Just remembered the Sanger Depot at it's original location was the terminus of the longest log flume in the world of 52 miles.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Is that the flume you can still see parts of above 190 up in the mountains?

[@PaulA-yh7kr]

Thank you I like yourself love history. Thank you for your Time Mark and Jennifer I wish I had more to give but just don't Paul

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

I'm very happy you enjoy it! Just watching my videos is giving enough!

[@suppylarue220]

did you receive that photo of the Reedley depot and SP switcher I emailed a few weeks back?

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

No. I went back to December 1st and saw nothing in mail or spam. Can you resend it?

[@suppylarue220]

@@MarkClayMcGowan just FWD back to you, @ motopoet59.

[@johnbrendon6225]

22:29 progress kills of a lot of these place a sham

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Progress didn't kill this line, SP's gross mishandling of it was the biggest factor. Their exorbitant rates created the opportunity for trucking to get the business. SJVRR attempted to recapture it, but the damage was done. Many of the businesses along the line were abandoned as farmers consolidated their packing and shipping facilities. Thanks for checking it out!

[@johnbrendon6225]

@@MarkClayMcGowan Thanks Mark, the same thing has happen here in Australia. They have closed lines everywhere, where I live they closed the line right through to the main line which closed of 5 to 6 sidings which now has to rely on road transport. All our lines were owned and ran by the government then in there wisdom they decided to privatise it, which lasted for approx 5 years so they closed sections of the lines bit by bit. Sorry I didn’t word what I was saying what I should have said is what you have stated. Keep up the good work I enjoy all of your contents and safe travelling.

[@suppylarue220]

@@MarkClayMcGowan the greatest contributor to rail service decline is the shift of management from rail orientated people to corporate desk jockeys who favor report numbers and juggling the books instead of servicing the customer. but the history of railroads has been fraught with wall street and government interference. even today you will see most older diesels forcibly scrapped in the next 5 years by federal mandate.

[@rodmarr6586]

It is amazing how your voice probably sounds better now than before covid! Good work.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

My wife says it's softer than it was.