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| Title: |
Western Pacific APF "Auto Parts Forwarder" |
| Description: |
It's a little after the absolute crack of dawn and we left the rest of the family asleep at our motel to catch the "Auto Parts Forwarder" arriving into Milpitas CA, about to duck under Calaveras Boulevard with an almost pure first generation consist of a Sacramento Northern GP7, a Western Pacific GP7, a Western Pacific F7 and a lone second generation intruder of a Western Pacific U23B. The lens lice is Charles J Freericks (CKF's son). The APF was a Stockton to Milpitas train made up of auto parts and general merchandise. |
| Photo Date: |
8/2/1978 Upload Date: 11/18/2008 12:43:22 AM |
| Location: |
Milpitas, CA |
| Author: |
Charles Knox Freericks |
| Categories: |
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| Locomotives: |
SN 712(GP7) |
| Views: |
1305 Comments: 0 |
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| Title: |
SN 712 heads up the APF |
| Description: |
The Sacramento Northern was a subsidiary of the Western Pacific, which by 1978 rostered two locomotives, former WP GP7s #711 and #712. On this early morning, #712 lead Western Pacific's APF, the "Auto Parts Forwarder" up to the Milpitas Wye. Behind the train is the large Ford plant, which was the lifeblood of the Western Pacific at that time. GP7 #712 was delivered to the Western Pacific in April of 1953. After retirement, it went to the Western Railway Museum in Niles, California. Later still, it was sent to the Western Pacific musuem in Portola, California, where it is located today. |
| Photo Date: |
8/2/1978 Upload Date: 11/18/2008 1:13:13 AM |
| Location: |
Milpitas, CA |
| Author: |
Charles Knox Freericks |
| Categories: |
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| Locomotives: |
SN 712(GP7) WP 713(GP7) |
| Views: |
1639 Comments: 0 |
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| Title: |
WP APF "Auto Parts Forwarder" in front of Ford |
| Description: |
The "Auto Parts Forwarder" is probably beginning to bleed off its caboose now before kicking it to their outbound cut. Then they would shove the rest of their loads into the track they were delivering to. The "Auto Parts Forwarder" had begun its journey in Stockton about six or seven hours earlier. Called at midnight 7 days a week for San Jose. It carried South Bay manifest and Ford products that were less time sensitive. Three three lead engines all made it to museums, 712 and 917 to Porola and 713 to Niles. Only the U-Boat (the baby in the bunch) doesn't survive today. |
| Photo Date: |
8/2/1978 Upload Date: 11/18/2008 12:44:38 AM |
| Location: |
Milpitas, CA |
| Author: |
Charles Knox Freericks |
| Categories: |
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| Locomotives: |
SN 712(GP7) WP 713(GP7) WP 917(F7A) |
| Views: |
1729 Comments: 1 |
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| Title: |
Western Pacific SJM "San Jose Manifest" |
| Description: |
The "San Jose Manifest" outbound waits silently on track #1 of Milpitas Yard while its crew has gone to beans. The cut of cars on track #3 (with the mid 1950s era International bay window caboose) may be the FF "Fast Ford" or a local. If you look to the far right, there are some garbage truck bodies on a flat car, probably being delivered to Ford. U23B #2265, which rode on Blomber trucks from an EMD trade in, was delivered in June of 1972, making it 22 years younger than the F7 right behind it. |
| Photo Date: |
8/2/1978 Upload Date: 11/18/2008 12:44:57 AM |
| Location: |
Milpitas, CA |
| Author: |
Charles Knox Freericks |
| Categories: |
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| Locomotives: |
WP 2265(U23B) WP 917(F7A) WP 713(GP7) SN 712(GP7) |
| Views: |
2215 Comments: 0 |
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| Title: |
Western Pacific GP7 and F7 on the APF |
| Description: |
Well, honestly, my dad took this picture about two seconds too late, but I've posted it anyway for the historic value of that freshly painted GP7 and F7 under the Calaveras Boulevard overpasses. At the time, Milpitas was the home to the "Final Four," Western Pacific's last four F7(A)s, which were still in service, mainly handling Stockton to Milpitas runs like this "Auto Parts Forwarder." Sadly for us, #917 was the only F we saw even though we had actually included Milpitas as part of a non-railfanning family vacation just to get them. GP7 #713 was delivered to the WP in April of 1953. F7 #917 was delivered to the WP in January of 1950. |
| Photo Date: |
8/2/1978 Upload Date: 11/18/2008 12:43:52 AM |
| Location: |
Milpitas, CA |
| Author: |
Charles Knox Freericks |
| Categories: |
Roster |
| Locomotives: |
WP 713(GP7) WP 917(F7A) |
| Views: |
1906 Comments: 0 |
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| Title: |
WP APF "Auto Parts Forwarder" in front of Ford |
| Description: |
The three trailing units on the APF are seen along side Piper Drive at the at the southeast corner of the Ford Plant in Milpitas (today the site of the Great Mall of the Bay Area). This is the mainline of the Western Pacific "San Jose Branch." At this point in time, they are pulling the whole train south, before beginning the work of dropping their loads and picking up their outbounds. |
| Photo Date: |
8/2/1978 Upload Date: 11/18/2008 12:44:19 AM |
| Location: |
Milpitas, CA |
| Author: |
Charles Knox Freericks |
| Categories: |
Roster |
| Locomotives: |
WP 713(GP7) WP 917(F7A) |
| Views: |
1617 Comments: 0 |
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| Title: |
EL "GEEP" #1229 out in the cold |
| Description: |
Waiting out the weekend with the commuter trains is freight GP7 #1229 at Woodbine Yard. It was delivered new in February of 1952, so it's still a teenager here. One freight unit was kept in Spring Valley to switch Lederle Labs in Pearl River. Out of shot, there would also be a 1400 series (passenger) GP7 in the yard with two ex ATSF El Capitan cars. To the right, is one of the brand new U34CH "Bluebirds." |
| Photo Date: |
12/1/1971 Upload Date: 3/9/2008 12:29:49 PM |
| Location: |
Spring Valley, NY |
| Author: |
Charles Knox Freericks |
| Categories: |
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| Locomotives: |
EL 1229(GP7) EL 823(E8A) |
| Views: |
1758 Comments: 1 |
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| Title: |
Returning "BT Turn" |
| Description: |
This is probably a BT Turn. Date is an estimate, location appears to be the connector track between the New York Susquehanna and Western and Conrai's Bergen County Line. If you look closely at the upper section of the short high hood, you can see where the New York Central "Cigar Band" era number is starting to come through the black paint. #5652 was delivered to the New York Central in September of 1951 as a class DRS-4e. It retained its number under Penn Central, as a class ERS-15. It never did get Conrail paint, winding up in the Elizabethport scrap line by 1983. |
| Photo Date: |
8/1/1979 Upload Date: 2/4/2009 10:19:44 PM |
| Location: |
Saddle Brook, NJ |
| Author: |
Charles Knox Freericks |
| Categories: |
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| Locomotives: |
CR 5652(GP7) |
| Views: |
1216 Comments: 0 |
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| Title: |
"BT Turn" heads down the connector track |
| Description: |
Probably a BT Turn running southeast on the connector track from Conrail's Bergen County Line down to the Suquehanna, but this is an educated guess. Date is also an estimate. If you look closely at the long hood, you can see an "Erie Diamond" peeking through the Erie Lackawanna paint. #5969 was built by EMD in April 1952 as Erie #1231 (a class MFSE-15). It kept the same number through its Erie Lackawanna years. |
| Photo Date: |
8/2/1979 Upload Date: 2/4/2009 10:20:07 PM |
| Location: |
Saddle Brook, NJ |
| Author: |
Charles Knox Freericks |
| Categories: |
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| Locomotives: |
CR 5969(GP7) |
| Views: |
1126 Comments: 0 |
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