Merry Christmas from the Friendly Southern Pacific

 https://youtu.be/XT2DsL8wv3s

Edison, California

My first memory of Kern County was Edison. On May the 1st 1970, I arrived in the back end of a 1969 Ford Country Squire as a lad of ten years old. My family of five was relocating from the swamps of South Florida to Bakersfield while towing a Terry travel trailer. My Dad had been hired as the office manage at Spudco in Edison.

I had been an avid rail fan since babyhood. It all started with a ride from Florida to North Carolina on the Silver Meteor when I was two. Our hometown was serviced by the Seaboard, although only for the agricultural industry there. Due to the kindness of the local yardmaster, I was privileged to ride in the cab of a switcher doing some local movements the year before we moved. When I wasn't at home or school, I was always at the train tracks.

Edison looked familiar with its packinghouses. The familiarity ended, though, with weather, terrain and the Southern Pacific. My dialect was to be a problem at school, where even descendants of Dust Bowl Okies couldn't understand me. Today, people tell me I have a "broadcast quality" voice. This is the by-product of years working to overcome a regional dialect.

In John Signor's fine book "Tehachapi," he includes photos of little gems; depots that lined the tracks from Bakersfield to Mojave. There were also some of the larger number 22 stations along the route. The only small depot to survive is Bena station at the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield.  The majority were torn down. Even in so great a company as the Southern Pacific, corporate utilitarianism trumped historical preservation. 

I speculate that, even if the railroad had offered these buildings for sale to the public, the value of these structures would have been lost on the late Victorians who had a cultural disdain for "old things." Edison serves as an example of what happens to abandoned railroad buildings over time. In retrospect, it seems more merciful to tear them down than let them decay.

Edison depot in 1916. The main depot would have fronted the tracks. The building in the background appears to be on the site of the building featured in this article. It could be the original building, but if so the roof was raised to accommodate the transom windows.

Photo courtesy of Mr. John Signor from the Southern Pacific photo collection.

The Edison depot in 1955. By this time, a restroom had been added to the north side of the building, facing the tracks.

Photos courtesy of Mr. John Signor from the Southern Pacific photo collection.

By 1970, the depot was still intact and used, but the paint was faded and chipped.

Photos by Robert Gaddie. Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society Collection.

When I took these photos in the early 90's, the depot was abandoned. The Southern Pacific was soon to be acquired by the Union Pacific. I speculated that this structure would be torn down.

The inside of the building had a very curious layout. The structure was divided in the middle by a wall with two small cubbyholes where items could be passed back and forth, but the only entrances to the two halves of the building were through exterior doors.

The two entry doors. The security of the building was long-gone, and transients were obviously staying there from time to time. I made a detailed scale drawing of the structure.

By 2017, the depot was in a state of advanced decay. The late Robert Gaddie stated in an email to James Lancaster that the fire that finally destroyed the structure occurred in August of 2017.

All photos courtesy of James Lancaster

Edison depot on December 11th, 2020. The depot burned several years ago. Perhaps a transient lit a fire inside to keep warm. Even at this date, the Union Pacific has neglected to  clean up the ashes.

In writing this article, I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. John Signor for giving permission to use photos. His excellent books are available and definitely worth reading.

I am also grateful to Mr. James Lancaster, a founding member of the Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society. He obtained permission for me to use photos taken by the late Robert Gaddie.

 

The SP Room Remodel

 

After many years, I have a place again where I can replicate  a Southern Pacific ticket office from the 1930s. My first SP office was in a home I lost after the Great Recession of 2008.

My original SP office on Pine Trail Drive in Bakersfield, Ca. 

My home was built in 1947. I plan to research the builder at a later date. There are a number of homes in the Bakersfield area with my floorplan, and a mirror image of that floorplan. In some of those homes, one of the bedrooms was walk-through,  having an entry door at two different places. My home has such a room on the south side of the house. One entry door goes to the hallway with the other bedrooms. The other door goes into the laundry room.

The SP room begins to take shape with lighting, SP paint colors and a new ceiling fan.

The room needed three doors to be hung. I had help with the large glass door at the east side of the room. In hanging the other two doors by myself, I have had to learn some new skills.

              

                     Before and after photos of the west entry door from the hallway.                   

    

I was fortunate to find new/old door hardware.

A Formica hobby desk, purchased from Facebook marketplace for $10, has become the new Railway Express Agency counter. This also serves as the SP ticket counter.

                                                 

Two old cabinet doors were found in a yard sale. I replaced the glass with wainscot paneling in historic SP putty and Samoa Brown colors.  

Here are the re-purposed cabinet doors built onto my new Western Union counter. The inside of the counter will conceal a large screen TV.

Another skill I have had to acquire, is making molding on a router table. The chair rail requires two different bull-nose moldings. The small one at the bottom is readily available. I made the large one, which is out of production, from furring strips on the router table. I also used the router table to make the edges on my counter tops. The chair rail and countertops are painted in SP red-brown.

The new telegraph counter at Christmas

The California State Railroad Museum

Early in the 1990's, I visited the California State Railroad Museum for the first time. Out of all the excellent displays, the Southern Pacific depot held me spellbound. This display features Southern Pacific's depot plan number 22, and is portrayed around the year 1933.

 

The railroad briefly used Colonial yellow and SP light brown, exterior paint colors, inside their depots. Under the right lighting conditions, this color combination produces a tranquil mood.

 

This postcard was offered for sale in the museum gift shop. It has been out of print for some time. One can see the telegraph switchboard on the wall along with the lightening arrestor. I will explain railroad equipment used on the SP and other railroads in future articles.

 

 

The approach from the snowshed display inside the museum.

 

 

This fanciful display of a rebellious cat shows the family living quarters upstairs over the depot.

 

 

 

The waiting room and ticket counter.

 

 

These views of a female station agent would have been more likely during World War II, when the men were off to war. During that time period, there were many female station agents, as well as other railroad employees.

The only criticism I have of this display, is the Northern Pacific calendar on the wall. Surely a Southern Pacific system map from the period would be more appropriate.

 

I will feature items from my collection in future articles.