Southern Pacific Trains and Helper Action at Hunts Lane

In Loma Linda California, two Southern Pacific Trains are seen either pausing to cut out helpers (west-bound toward SP Colton Yard, Colton, California) or add helpers to the point before proceeding eastbound up Beaumont Hill on July 19, 1992

[@jeffmurphree2937]

I absolutely love this video! No graffiti, no DPUs, no yellow or orange safety vests... Just pure SP gray with a bloody nose.

[@werockyouthministries3089]

Wow! Still running? Southern Pacific! I love watching them go through my hometown when I was kid/ teenager! 50 + years ago!

[@b2major9th]

I wish the SP was still in existence. They were taken over by UP in 1996. I am happy I got the video that I did, however just wish I would have done more knowing what I know now. Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment

[@brentmiller3951]

Southern Pacific was a huge part of my childhood. My father worked for SP and one of his jobs was to run in front of the train opening 3 trestles .I was able to ride on the engines and a few caboose many times

[@thebigd6249]

Wow! Great footage for the time. I love the SP. The old EMD SD40-2. I grew up with them. I still think the low nose design was the best looking locomotive ever made. GP38’s were a great shorter version with only two-axle trucks. These things dominated the railroads from the 70’s through the early 90’s and this video brought back vivid memories from that time. Thank you. 😊

[@markhayes6407]

Love SP. Miss those dirty diesels and the drag freights

[@b2major9th]

Thank you for your comment. Nothing like the drama of the SP!

[@spacecalander]

Wow love those old EMDs and SP

[@b2major9th]

Me too, really miss those days. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@rack_9]

Wow this is great footage for the 90's and those were good times to railfan,LOL I wasn't even born yet.

[@b2major9th]

Thank you for your comment; I'm happy to share these memories.

[@mikeflynn1629]

Throbbing EMDs how I miss the Southern Pacific. I watched trains now and they're so quiet. I like loud SD 40 SD 45s I'd like to see some U-36s too. Southern Pacific had a branch line that went down the middle of the street where I lived since I was able to walk I would sit down on the corner and watch the action. I grew up with lots of beet trains. The Santa Fe was down east on the same road. Friend of mind would bicycle down there and talk to the Santa Fe conductor on the local

[@b2major9th]

Thank you for your comment. I too grew up in an area with both the SP and the Santa Fe. It was truly a great time to be a railfan. There is little variety today, and the power is much too quiet.

[@brentboswell1294]

I don't know what the Espee did differently (other than tunnel motors!), but somehow their EMD units made a kind of screaming noise that no one else's EMDs seem to make...especially tunnel motors!

[@bryce2680]

Thanks for sharing this.....Miss the SP!!!

[@b2major9th]

I too miss the SP - Great variety of power, interesting operations. Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to watch.

[@JD-zm4eh]

I love the singing turbines when accelerating.

[@b2major9th]

That EMD sound! Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to watch

[@mikeflynn1629]

In 1977 I was at devore California eating a ham sandwich in my car. The Southern Pacific railroad started there climb up cajon. No sooner did I take a bite and they bro ke a coupler right in front of me. Scared the heck out of me. You want to talk about loud. The engines there must have been at least eight on the front stopped. Then there was two guys that walked up from the caboose and replaced the coupler. I was going wow man. He said this just ain't our day.

[@b2major9th]

Thank you for your comment. That must have been pretty cool to have witnessed that!

[@pauljohnson8421]

I niss. Gray and Red were lovely

[@b2major9th]

Yes, our favorite railroad is gone, absorbed into a sea of yellow unfortunately

[@bnsf8610]

That ATSF C30-7 was doing all the work. GE is and will always be king.

[@b2major9th]

I know crews hated them, but always loved to hear from trackside the chugging of the GEs working hard! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment

[@georgehasler142]

As a ex renzenberger driver i remember taking crews out to hunts lane for the helpers

[@b2major9th]

Thanks for your comment!

[@rogerschell9515]

Love it. Thanks for sharing !

[@b2major9th]

Roger Schell Thank you for commenting. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@Greatdome99]

Boy, those grimy locos remind me of SP's darkest days, after being acquired by the Rio Grande, then bled to death with deferred maintenance.

[@b2major9th]

Yes SP sure didn't spend a lot of time polishing their corporate image, did they! Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to watch

[@Mark-jl6tl]

They were two of the hardest-working railroads around. The power spent much of their lives in tunnels. If you ever had a chance to witness the shoe at Tunnel 5 along the Tehachapi line, you could easily understand how those poor engines got grimy so quickly. Not to make excuses for the lack of soap, water and maintenance, but those motors earned their keep.

[@trainknut]

13:10 7611 spotted with full light package

[@b2major9th]

Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment. Late in the day for the light packages, even then it was a treat to encounter one. Especially awesome is when you got one on the point!

[@whiteknightcat]

SP and ice cream! How good is that?

[@b2major9th]

I can't imagine any better combination myself! Thank you for your comment.

[@cagorrie]

That's a great vid, I'm guessing the helpers were mid-train going by them moving forward then setting back to fill the gap in the train, is that correct?

[@b2major9th]

To my knowledge, and from a reference in my notebook for the day, that is correct. The helpers were being cut out and were being moved into the helper spur for their next assignment.

[@alex.k3166]

15:20 what in the blown turbo and head gaskets is this

[@b2major9th]

Yes, that was a bit smoky! Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to watch

[@timpriddy349]

I wanna ice cream

[@b2major9th]

You are in the right place, it is after all "the ice deck," and an ice cream truck is on approach!

[@averageguy7136]

Ah, the pre-graffiti railroading era

[@b2major9th]

Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to watch. I'm happy I was able to preserve these scenes otherwise no one would believe it!

[@mikeflynn1629]

Nothing like beautiful freight cars with no ugly graffiti

[@b2major9th]

The horrible graffiti is truly a sign of the deterioration of our society which has occurred at an accelerated pace in the last few years, sadly. Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to watch my video!

[@Mark-jl6tl]

🎯

[@Mark-jl6tl]

@@b2major9thSad, but so very true. It was cool back when the old carmen did it with chalk, though.

[@Mark-jl6tl]

🎯 14:23

[@b2major9th]

That takeoff was quite spectacular!