From the Spring 2026 Issue of "Coast Mail" (#95)
The significance of 2026
People are fond of big, round numbers.
The year 2026 marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence.
It's been 100 years since the Museum's former Santa
Fe café-lounge car was released from the Pullman
Company shops as ATSF 1512. Later named LaCondesa
(no space between words) when owned by a local teacher, it's now called La Cuesta. The car resides comforttably on the Museum’s display track, and can be rented
as an event venue. More...
RIP Track office done
When cars en route developed problems that
didn't require major shop resources to correct,
they could be switched out and positioned on
repair-in-place (RIP) tracks for local workers. More...
A Gem of Southern Pacific Intermodal History
The forklift above was purchased by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1950, for use at SP's Oxnard, California, freight house,
on the California Coast Line. The forklift was built by Clark
Equipment Co. in 1950. It is a "Carloader" model, specifically
designed to be small so it can enter and load and unload railroad boxcars. It is about six feet long, with a lift capacity of
4,000 pounds. Its 4-cylinder, flathead, 32-1/2 horsepower engine
was made by the Continental Co. More...
And much more...
