Tehachapi: SP Oil Cans at Woodford & other freights 1989 

I'm glad that you enjoy my videos. Thanks for the comments.

Very similar to my own impressions when visiting Tehachapi AND Cajon for the first time on the same day in 1976. That experience included DD40X's, DD35A's and cabooses on every train. I had never heard what railroad diesels sound like under constant full load on a 2.0+% grade. It was like a right-brain feast of intuitive physics. Thanks for the comment.

That is the all-business "bloody nose" paint scheme that actually de-emphacized accumulated grime and then looked "regal" when cleaned up.

SP power was usually dirty and grimey, but when their locomotives were freshly painted and clean they were beautiful.

It was certainly a magic place. Thanks for the comment.

It was a fun adventure to camp at The Loop. Now you can't even go there. Cajon Pass basically the same.

It was a rare sight. My California Operation Lifesaver Special video has one that looks like it was Simonized. There are also a few Kodachrome specimens in other vids that "look" clean. Thanks for the comment.

@@vidwilzvids9587 I was a signalman right there 35 years ago. Loved the area and the job

if they don’t have clean engines there’s two reasons…they are a busy railroad or they ate a broke railroad….both applied to the SP

Clean burning from what I see just not in appearance

GEs had a tendency to catch on fire.

You're very welcome. That would indeed be an excellent area to work in. Thank you for the compliment.

Their "personalities" really came out at Run 8. Enjoyed your latest posts incl. the ICE at Davenport. Thanks for the comments.

Jeff... when you get a chance, tell me about the camera you used for your latest posts. I didn't notice any rolling shutter effect.

The IC&E video was done with a Panasonic camcorder that used mini DVD disc. Which you can not get the right disc for anymore. They don't sell that model anymore, mini DVD cameras were short lived. I've gone thru 2 VHS camcorders then the Panasonic and now I use a Sony that uses mini SD cards. My videos 2008 to 2012 were done with the Panasonic. Hope to get a camera with 4K down the road. Hope that answers your question.@@vidwilzvids9587

Thanks for responding. I remember those mini-dvd camcorders. They had a quirk that if it slipped out of your hands the gyro effect of the disk could wipe out the drive. I bought a Canon DV camcorder a few years back that has a CMOS imager that has terrible rolling shutter effect especially when shooting fast pans and pacing shots. So I've been using cameras with CCD imagers like Sony SX10IS, SX20IS, & H300, all of which will only record in 1280 X 720 HD. That seems to provide enough detail for RU-vid MPEG-4's, but I'd like to eventually get into an Ultra HD camera that has a global shutter imager with no "Jello" effect. Apparently that's a major hurdle among the pro-sumer camera makers. Thanks for the info about IC&E.

The EX Amtrak SDP40F Cowl units…U-boats, SD45’s, Tunnel motors, best memories. Cajon Pass catching UP Bicentennials, DD35’s working in tandem. Ughh those surely were the best days of railroading.

Thank you both for the comments.

@phillyslasher "in house"😂

That's because that oil can train is actually pretty small compared to the trains running on Tehachapi today. The "cans" were under 5,000 feet usually.

You're welcome. You are young enough that you will see the gradual demise of, first, two-stroke diesels, and then, all diesel locomotives, toward natural gas, fuel cells, and other technologies. Thanks for the comment.

@@vidwilzvids9587 Your welcome and thanks again for sharing your experience with us!

Thanks for your comments,

No graffiti on these cars is an amazing sight to see.

I will add that the slow pan following the lead and DPU units, the judicious and timely use of the zoom lens, framing of natural background features (trees), late day photographic use of natural light, transition frames (birds on telegraph wire), and sound quality, is by far the best assemblage I’ve seen online. Let me not forget to mention the happenstance catch of the lone subsidiary Cotton Belt locomotive unit pulling the 6 parent SP locomotives, and the trailing SF caboose and red tail lights drifting into the sunset. Grade = A+

One reason: There was no DP (distributed power) back then. Thanks for the comment.

Maybe even slower.

Thanks for the comment.

Only Santa Fe did it right with the SF30Cs, having one engine as the master at the front of the train and the receiver engine in the middle of the train. Those worked well from what I know.

Thank you for your comments and sub. I subbed your channel; I really like European rail subjects. I'm still re-configuring my capture rig but hope to post some more vids soon.

I'm glad that you enjoy my videos. Those gyrating (or oscillating) lights were Mars lights and Gyralights. The Mars lights were invented by the same guy that made Snickers bars. Of the western railroads, SP used these the most and the longest. SP also used the rarer Oscitrol, which was non-mechanical and solid state. One of these can be seen at 2 min., 34sec. of my video titled "Colton Crossing & West Colton Dec. 19, 1987". One of the commenters of that post (James Harness) brought that to my attention. Apparently there were only 16 SP units that had them. Thanks again for the kind comment.

@@vidwilzvids9587 😀👍

My guess: The entire concept of the train was dependent on a 2-way communication between an ETD (End-of-Train-Device) and head-end and manned helper power. I don't think that relying on a crew member in a caboose was ever an option. Thanks forr the comment.

think its just the traction motor casings painted red…probably refurbished TM’s

The loaded trains ran from Saco (near Bakersfield) to Carson (near Dolores Yard) on the SP via Saugus and Taylor Yard. Here's the whole story: sptco.proboards.com/thread/881/call-oil-cans-june-1992

The loaded trains ran from Saco (near Bakersfield) to Carson (near Dolores Yard) on the SP via Saugus and Taylor Yard. The train was filled in two tracks in Saco. and unloaded in two segments in Carson. Here's the whole story: sptco.proboards.com/thread/881/call-oil-cans-june-1992

@@vidwilzvids9587 Thanks for the link. Outstanding!

The loaded trains ran from Saco (near Bakersfield) to Carson (near Dolores Yard) on the SP via Saugus and Taylor Yard. Here's the whole story: sptco.proboards.com/thread/881/call-oil-cans-june-1992

Billy Billy The Coast Line Oil Can train is the one that takes oil to Valero in Los Angeles.

Crude oil going to LA refineries.

Railfan birds that like Woodford.

The standard answer is that it depended on supply/demand, and storage and refinery capacity. Apparently there was also a seasonal influence.

vidwilzvids yes very true it was mostly like around 70 something aye? Mostly 5 at front and 6 helpers?

I know I've seen as many as eight unit head-end and helper consists on the oil cans. I would agree that 70 cars was a typical Tank Train.

vidwilzvids 8 at front and 8 in the middle??? How many loads??

Here is an exerpt from a comment on trainorders.com: "It was usually a 4 x 5 operation, with 72 "cans", 6 sets of 12 cars, the cars were about 132 tons each loaded. The loaded train was approx. 9,500 tons. There were also the 78 car trains (the 13 car 'sets'), abt. 10,300 tons. The cars were 28 tons each empty. You had 3 tracks at Saco, and at Mojave. 24 cars to a track, loaded from the middle, spotted under the rack. They could be loaded in about 6 1/2 hours to 8 hours. It depended on the temperature of the crude. Usually they weren't in a rush, and would just let it flow, un-heated, taking the 8 hours. If they had to 'catch-up' on a schedule, they would give it a little heat, and get it loaded in 6 hours. They didn't do that very often, as it used alot more energy. A sidenote: The storage tanks at the Mojave facility could hold 4 trains worth of oil, total. In the (few) times we had a few minutes to wait in Palmdale, the entire train would just barely fit between Sierra Hwy., and Palmdale Blvd."

Getting that 43800 hp to the rail was the trick. Thanks for the comment.

@@vidwilzvids9587 thank you for your videos, I am from agentina, and visit the loop in 1998, unfortunately, the oils tanks was gone at this time, but I was so lucky ,i think, that I saw so many sd45, sd40t2 and sd45t2, in sp scheme, perhaps is a theme of generations, but I dont like the new eco engines, and the fact that the union pacific holds the sp, all the engines are armour yellow, for me long life to the v20 turbo e3, i miss so much their twenty cilinders screaming to hell and you can hear them from miles away battling the mountain grades, regards

Now you know the reason that I scrambled to record these legendary views. Gracias for your kind comments.

Here is an exerpt from a comment on trainorders.com: "It was usually a 4 x 5 operation, with 72 "cans", 6 sets of 12 cars, the cars were about 132 tons each loaded. The loaded train was approx. 9,500 tons. There were also the 78 car trains (the 13 car 'sets'), abt. 10,300 tons. The cars were 28 tons each empty. You had 3 tracks at Saco, and at Mojave. 24 cars to a track, loaded from the middle, spotted under the rack. They could be loaded in about 6 1/2 hours to 8 hours. It depended on the temperature of the crude. Usually they weren't in a rush, and would just let it flow, un-heated, taking the 8 hours. If they had to 'catch-up' on a schedule, they would give it a little heat, and get it loaded in 6 hours. They didn't do that very often, as it used alot more energy. A sidenote: The storage tanks at the Mojave facility could hold 4 trains worth of oil, total. In the (few) times we had a few minutes to wait in Palmdale, the entire train would just barely fit between Sierra Hwy., and Palmdale Blvd."

You came to the right channel.

SP's idea of "failsafe".

vidwilzvids you mean bankruptcy

@@vidwilzvids9587 One of my SP engineer friends said that they always threw on some extras, knowing a few units would go down during the trip.