End of an Era: Western Railroads
The Southern Pacific and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroads were two of the most influential institutions involved in the economic and land development of the state of California. The middle eighties were in essence a “last stand” for both railroads as the nineties would bring the eventual demise of both corporate identities. The Southern Pacific would end up as a part of the Union Pacific Railroad and the Santa Fe part of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Changes in the original railroads and their infrastructure were particularly evident in southern California, where I was born and grew up. The collection provides a comprehensive look at mainline operations of these historically significant railroads during this dynamic period of change. The continuing activities of the Union Pacific Railroad are also covered, including the documentation of the world’s largest diesel locomotives, the DDA40X “Centennials”.
We also take a look at the Western Pacific’s last days operating through the scenic Feather River Canyon, and the end of non-Amtrak passenger operations between Denver and Salt Lake City on the Denver and Rio Grande “Rio Grande Zephyr”. The Western Pacific was another railroad that was integrated into the Union Pacific System, like the Southern Pacific years later. The “Rio Grande Zephyr” featured classic General Motors Electromotive Division “F-unit” locomotives and Budd stainless steel passenger cars that formerly operated on the famous “California Zephyr” streamliner. I wish I had more opportunities to photograph the WP and the RGZ before they too became fond memories.
Please note that a substantial portion of the collection has not been made available so that we could focus on the development of this website and our initial photo production capabilities. We plan to regularly add new photos, so please bookmark our site and check back frequently for updates. In addition to the mainline scenic photography shown we took a considerable number of static photos of individual locomotives (3/4 angle “roster”-type), railroad signals, bridges and structures, so please contact us with your specific needs and we will see if we can be of assistance to you.