| Luther Junction. Rather non-descript
visually but important nonetheless. It was where the Western Pacific's
San
Jose Branch crossed the once-very busy Southern Pacific
Coast Line.
Interestingly, this crossing-at-grade
featured no tower; instead, permission to cross the Espee was obtained
by the WP crew from the SP Coast Line dispatcher in Roseville. This was
accomplished not by radio but by telephone. A WP crewman would hit the
ground, unlock the telephone box in the small silver shanty (seen left-center
in the second photo) and call the dispatcher, who would then issue a verbal
order to cross the Coast Line when clear. |
(above left) SP SD9E 4310
clatters over Luther Junction's diamond at speed while heading towards
Watsonville Junction in 1980.
(above right) Luther Junction
in March of 1975: Espee's main line slashes from the bottom left to the
upper right, while WP's San Jose Branch cuts horizontally across. |
