This morning's travels brought me to Shafter CA, via Tehachapi. I left Ontario at 4:30AM, and did see a double stacks train headed toward Mojave just west of Tehachapi Summit. This wasn't my main purpose for the trip, so I ignored the shot and kept driving. Destination: Tulare & Kings Counties.
This wasn't intended to be a train adventure. I hadn't done any research. So as I wandered aimlessly west of Bakersfield, looking for Rte 43 north, it was a happy coincidence that the Santa Fe main out of Bakersfield hugs Rte 43 for over 50 miles, into both Tulare and Kings Counties. It's also the CalTrans San Joaquins route from Fresno to Bakersfield, so the track is in tip top shape.
On my way north I ambled through Shafter, and noticed a museum in the Santa Fe depot. It wasn't open yet, so I kept going up to Corcoran, padded the town's coffers to the tune of a large coffee, and headed back south. Along the way I caught a 100+ car SB freight (Warbonnets front and rear, of course - you'll have to wait for the slides) and on the way back to Shafter a 6 car San Joaquin.
Here are some photo highlights from this whale of a museum. Aside from all the train paraphenalia (which included a Santa Fe ice car that had been used for potato service from Shafter long, long ago), there was a modest and incredibly interesting set of old maps, captured as best I could by my instant note-taker that doubles as a digital Brownie.
I'd been asked by the HAPT Dean Of Styrene to capture car details in my travels. I did my best with the tools I had available.
One other display item: a wooden box made by a German prisoner at the local POW camp. I'll have to find some obscure German beer tonight to honor this find.
Counties Collected: 2 ... The Wheelman, out
1 comment:
Neat photos! Looks like a hopping place once upon a time, like Oakfield, except they probably still grow a lot of produce now. The reefer was a "cool" find. Probably few in existence now.
Funny, I was just looking at a map of the Joaquins' routes yesterday.
BC
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