Southern Pacific Lines Coast Line Division “The Route of the Octopus”

Southern Pacific Lines

Coast Line Division

“The Route of the Octopus”

Yard Operations

Yard Limits Definition

Yard limits on some branch lines were extended to include most or all of the branch to make operation easier. With few if any open agencies along these lines and before radio authorized block control (DTC) trains could operate without some of the train orders required outside yard limits. Trains moved at reduced speed and watched out for other trains that could also be operating within the yard limits.
Cliff Prather
Yard Limits have nothing what ever to do with union agreements, yardmasters, or even yards, for that matter.
Yard Limits define a section of Main Track (and ONLY Main Track) where Rule 93 is in effect, which relieves the requirement to protect a train stopped to perform work against other trains by flagging. Basically, Yard Limits is a means to expedite regular switching or other movements performed off the Main Track without requiring direct intervention by the dispatcher for each movement or use. Yard limits may or may not be associated with a yard, or with any section of Main Track where work is regularly performed off the Main Track. There are even examples where Yard Limits extended over entire branchline main tracks. Yard Limits would change over time as the need to use the Main Track to perform switching or other work changed, for example when an existing customer ceases operation, or a new customer is established.
And Yard Limits allows use of the Main Track without dispatcher authority.
Jim Eager

Yard Limits vs. Switching Limits

Yard Limits and switching limits were two different topics not necessarily related to one another. The company could establish, remove or change yard limits at any point on the line, as they saw fit without any input from the switchman’s union. Switching limits were another matter. They were established in connection with the union and their input was essential.
Cliff Prather

SP Changing Yard Limits

The SP choose the boundaries of extended yard limits, and would change those boundaries.
Looking at some old timetables for the San Jose to Los Gatos branch.
* In 1928, yard limits stretched from San Jose about a mile south to the Western Pacific crossing.
* In 1932, yard limits stretched from San Jose to Los Gatos - that's a good ten miles, and includes a junction with the Los Altos branch..
* In 1939, yard limits went only from San Jose to Campbell.
There were tradeoffs the yardmasters tried to make when setting up the limits. Traffic density affected the choices. Keep in mind, Yard Limits is a Main Track authority, and has nothing to do with yards or yardmasters.
Joe Gartman
More details from the old timetables here: http://vasonabranch.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-much-difference-could-few-years.html
1. Flagging and other safety rules are much different within yard limits; locomotives can move around without waiting for authority from the dispatcher. So, as a railroad yard area acquires more businesses to serve, it would make sense to expand yard limits to allow this greater freedom of operation.
2. The railroad had to pay yard crews extra if they had to perform their duties outside of yard limits. Considering SP's legendary tight fist when it came to money, I'd suspect that they would "grow" yard limits at any opportunity.
Joe Strapac
Item 2 would probably have more to do with switching limits, or how far from the home terminal a yard crew can travel, by contract. On former AT&SF properties, switching limits is a 25 mile radius from the home terminal, any work outside that is done by local/road switchers. If a yard crew is instructed to operate outside switching limits, the crew is due an extra days pay.
Joe Gartman
Yard limits length could be significant in some areas. Take for instance the Martinez subdivision of the Western division as of 1955. The Oakland yard limits ran from Oakland Pier (mile post 3.5) through West Oakland, Oakland, Shellmound,
Berkely, Richmond, and on to San Pablo (mile post 16.6) for 13.1 miles. The Port Costa yard limits ran from Pinole (mile post 23.0) through Crockett, Port Costa, Ozol, Martinez, and on to Bahia (mile post 38.0) which was eastward of the Suisun bridge for a distance of 15 miles. That's over 28 miles of yard limits in a distance of 34.5 miles. Back in those days, that part of the route was heavily industrialized. Yard limits (Sacramento) didn't resume until mile post 86.9, 2.1 miles west of Sacramento.
Mark Pierce
The posting of yard limits had as much to do with rates of pay and which craft could do a job as it did with train dispatching. A local switch crew who reported for duty at a single station and switched the area around the station had to stay within the yard limits for that station; if they worked outside those limits another employee could put in a time slip claiming that the unauthorized crew was doing work that by contract was his to do.
Jeff Pape

Yard Limits Placement

The placement of Yard Limits had to do with operational economies in terms of the point(s) at which a railroad wanted to dispense with most/all of the requirements of clearing the time of and/or flagging against superior trains on main track(s). Doing so then enabled the railroads to perform local switching operations most effectively along busy main track(s) which passed through yards. Similarly in those situations wherein main track(s) entirely by-passed yards, Yard Limits defined the point(s) up to which track(s) other than main track(s) could be occupied without fouling main track(s).
Within Yard Limits in the least restricted sense, cars and/or engine(s) coupled together whether with or without markers and occupying the main track(s) are not required to clear the time of superior trains and/or flag against other trains on the main track(s). That places the responsibility for avoiding collisions on the superior trains and as a result causes superior trains to slow way
down to Restricted Speed in order to be able to stop within a restricted line of sight in order to avoid collisions. However, many railroads required that trains on main track(s) within yard limits clear the time of or at least flag against 1st Class trains, in order to avoid unnecessarily delaying the schedule of the 1st Class trains.
Yard Limits would be created, relocated, or eliminated as required by the Operations Department in order to achieve the greatest operating economies. As local business shifted to/from the railroad and/or as railroad system-wide operations changed with classification points changing as a result (e.g., opening a new centralized classification yard such as Colton, would eliminate older, less efficient yards such as LA Yard -- please don't yell at me Mr. Kohler, as I only wish that Taylor Yard still existed in all its glory, so would Yard Limits change.
Eric Berman

SP Rules applying to Yard Limits.

The following definitions and rules are from SP's Rules and Regulations, effective February 15, 1943:
"Yard (definition) - A system of tracks within defined limits provided for the making up of trains, storing of cars and other purposes, over which movements not authorized by timetable, or train order, may be made, subject to prescribed signals and rules, or special instructions."
"Main Track (definition) - "A track extending through yards and between stations, upon which trains are operated by time-table or train order, or both, or the use of which is governed by signals."
"With Caution (definition) - To run at reduced speed, according to conditions, prepared to stop short of a train, engine, car, misplaced switch, derail or other obstruction, or before reaching a stop signal. Where circumstances require, train must be preceded by a flagman."
"Rule 93 - "Within yard limits the main track may be used, protecting against first-class trains.
Second and inferior class trains, extra trains and engines, must move with caution within yard limits.
When not protected by block signals or when moving against the current of traffic, first-class trains must move with caution within yard limits.
Rule 93 generally states something to the effect (exact wording varies by road):
“Yard Limits will be indicated by yard limit signs and designated in the Timetable.”
“Within Yard Limits the Main Track may be used by trains and engines without protecting
against other unscheduled trains or engines, but must give way to scheduled and extra trains
upon their approach. Times of First Class trains must still be cleared in advance.”
“All trains and locomotives must move within Yard Limits at Restricted Speed, prepared to
stop within one half the range of vision. (Basically visual operation rules.)”

Yard List

“Dwell Time”

Railroads try to attain a SINGLE enroute classification for freight cars (that is the ideal), and that TWO is acceptable, but only when unavoidable, and THREE, well, someone might be in trouble in that case.
Tim O'Connor
Railroads strive to MINIMIZE handling and classification of freight cars in yards. The car probably could be held for the longest possible haul from El Paso to the closest yard to the destination that is served directly by a train that departs from El Paso. Railroads call this "dwell time" and most yards have average dwell times well in excess of 24 hours. Only exceptional, expedited traffic (perishables, livestock, auto parts) would receive special treatment to minimize dwell time.
The waybill did and does indicate routing, including interchange points. The individual railroad might move a car along its route by designating the next yard in turn, with route cards or something similar, but the waybill DID direct where the car goes.
From El Paso, obviously cars might move via T&P or SP, but if SP agents had a hand in the route selection, it's likely that the SP routing would prevail. Westward from El Paso, it would of course be SP. Often for traffic with a long way to travel, the car might be carded for, say, Colton, where it would be blocked for its next move(s). Or it could be carded all the way to the major yard nearest its destination.
Tony Thompson
The yard would compile a inbound "yard list" based on the way bill information. The yard list would specify how the incoming train should be classified in the yard. And, of course, the yard also compiled an outbound yard list which specified car forwarding information for making up trains.
Lou Adler

In most large yards, specific tracks were assigned to specific forwarding destinations.

Intermodal Yards

SP had a medium to smaller one at City of Industry, CA. It grew bigger over the years and toward the end, but maybe that would work for you. David Krammer from this group did an excellent article for Railfan Magazine back in the 90's for this yard. Reno also had a mini area for pig loading. You may even consider the revamped Bullring Yard in L.A. during the 90's.
The rest I'm thinking of off the top of my head were quite large, like Oakland, Brooklyn (Portland), and LATC (Shops Yard).
Jason Eminian

Specific Yard Operations

Colton Yard

Colton the older, smaller, regional or Div. point yard.
SP did have an active yard, though nothing like what came later. See the aerial view in the PFE book, p. 270. This was by no means a PFE facility only, and in fact the SP facility was there first. Colton in the ‘30s played the role West Colton played later: the eastward train assembly point outside the city and the congestion of Taylor.
Tony Thompson
Yes, old Colton yard was the only game in town in 1955 as the Palmdale-Cutoff was opened in 1967 and new West Colton yard in 1973. So the only way to get to Northern California was thru Taylor Yard in LA; it would be logical that all sorting would be done there. Eastbounds could have come from Colton, though.
Peter Arnold

West Colton Yard

Today's "West Colton Yard" is not the same as yesterday's "Colton Yard"; two totally DIFFERENT facilities separated by several miles. West Colton is the huge modern hump yard built in conjunction with the Palmdale cutoff.

Los Angeles Yards

A thread by ex-SP employee explaining different LA yards.
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,676347
A Yard was the Taylor receiving yard. North/RR West end.
B Yard was the Taylor hump (classification) yard.
C Yard was the Taylor departure yard. South/RR East End.
D Yard was between the ML and C Yard, near Dayton Tower.
E Yard
F Yard
G Yard
H yard
I Yard
J Yard
K Yard was on the San Pedro Branch at Firestone Jct.

Taylor Yard

Taylor would be the major "classification" yard in the area. From Taylor trains go up the Coast Line, or towards Mojave/Bakersfield, or down Alameda to the ports, or eastwards on the Sunset route. Taylor was slowly shut down after West Colton was opened.

If you don't see any retarders, then any photo must be before the 1948 opening of the yard. Note the hand throw switches and individual switchmen riding the cars down the hump!
Jim Baker
In 1949-50 the Taylor Yard had a major overhaul when the electro-pneumatic retarders were installed on rebuilt hump area.

Taylor Yard Workman

Note (From 1943 Book pf Rules, or 1956 Switchmen's Union Contract), those are Switchmen NOT brakemen riding those cars. While the job functions are very similar, the contracts in place between the crafts and the railroad specify some very distinct differences, most especially the work locations.
Pat LaTorres

References

One problem when working the yard was the smell of the Van de Kamps bakery ovens .
http://www.dmjmhn.aecom.com/NewsMedia/45/55/index.jsp
http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15150coll4/id/10751/rec/8

http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajaxhelper/?CISOROOT=p15150coll4&CISOPTR=10751&action=2&DMSCALE=80&DMWIDTH=7240&DMHEIGHT=3756&DMX=200&DMY=400

http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15150coll4/id/10751/rec/8

http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajaxhelper/?CISOROOT=p15150coll4&CISOPTR=10751&action=2&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=18600&DMHEIGHT=10392&DMX=0&DMY=0

L.A. Terminal Sub Yards

"Bull Ring" River Station Yard

It constitutes all that part of the yard along N. Broadway which lies easterly from the lead which extends diagonally across the Yard. That’s the portion closest to LA River adjacent to North Spring Street. The Bullring yard was Railroad East of Taylor. They were located between Taylor yard and Los Angeles city hall, right next to Chinatown. The Cornfield and Bullring yards were part of River Station Yard, located just north (RR west) of LAUPT/Naud Jct. An old wooden pedestrian footbridge crossed the Bullring yards.

“Bullring” Yard Name in Los Angeles

As to the origin of the yard's name, there is a reference to a plague in the Plaza at Olvaro Street in Los Angeles. During the 1830's and 1840's, an area near this spot {LA Plaza} was fenced off on Sundays and religious holidays for the presentation of Bullfights, sponsored by prominent citizens. By 1849, a permanent Bullring had been constructed about a mile northwest of here on Calle de Toro {now part of Hill Street} on the site of present day French Hospital. The last bullfight was held in the Bullring in 1858 and in 1860 the city joined the Statewide movement and formally outlawed the spectacle.
So the SP yard was given the name “Bullring” in honor of the former Los Angeles tradition.
Arved Grass

Photo of east end of the “Bull Ring” http://spsbsub.blogspot.com/2012/04/old-photos-of-young-railroader.html

“Butte Street Yards”

It was a Pacific Electric facility used to transfer freight cars of the PE to the SP, UP and Santa Fe. PE freight operations lasted until 1964, PE's Butte St. yard and SP's J yard are adjacent and are near center of the map. Butte St. Yard is effectively the east end of the Santa Monica Air Line which is leased from the SP and thus shown in red. J Yard comes off the SP San Pedro Branch at Clement Jct. Both yards end at the "Butte St. Transfer" where connections are made with the UP & ATSF. On this map, both PE's Butte St. and SP's J yard are shown are shown as PE owned (yellow).
An article with photos from Pacific Electric Magazine June 1946: "Butte Street Yard - Center of Pacific Electric's Freight Operations" http://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/employeenews/PE_Mag_1947_Jul-Aug.pdf
The parts about waybills & other paperwork and icing a reefer of celery were particularly interesting. Same with the photo of Amoco tower with a PE freight coming off the Santa Monica Air Line crossing the 4-track main.

"Corn Field"

It was that part of the same yard lying westerly of this lead. This should be the section along North Broadway, closer to today's Chinatown. The Corn Field yard was Railroad East of Taylor. They were located between Taylor yard and Los Angeles city hall, right next to Chinatown. The Cornfield and Bullring yards were part of River Station Yard, located just north (RR west) of LAUPT/Naud Jct. Most of the dead units were stored in the Cornfield, toward the hill and Chinatown. An old wooden pedestrian footbridge crossed the Cornfield / Bullring yards.

Photos of the Cornfield yard http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=170279&page=203

Graham Yard

Graham Yard was approx. MP 5.3 on the Wilmington Branch (ex-PE) between Firestone Blvd. and 92nd St. just north of Watts.
Robert Simpson

"Links"

The "Links" yard is simply another name for the "Cornfield" section (closer to the hill) of River Station Yard. The other section being the Bullring (closer to the river).
Robert Simpson
It was a sub-yard of the River Station Yard complex where the incoming and outcoming "Sunset" freight houses were previously located. This is at the extreme the southwestern end of River Yard near Chinatown. The Links yard would be between the freight houses at #7 & #8. Note that the tracks in Spring St. (#3) is actually the SP line to Central Station via Alameda St. and points south, not a Pacific Electric line. The Links yard was Railroad East of Taylor. They were located between Taylor yard and Los Angeles city hall, right next to Chinatown.

J yard (SP)

They are adjacent and are near center of the map. J Yard comes off the SP San Pedro Branch at Clement Jct. The yards end at the "Butte St. Transfer" where connections are made with the UP & ATSF. LA Div and Spec Instr. #4 dated April 27, 1975 shows: Los Angeles ("J" Yard) at MP 485.7 on the line to Dolores and Watson.41030 Station Number, and looking at and an ETT dated Aug/07/1970 shows the same listings. SJ&LA Division August 02 1970 with "J" Yard at sta 41030 mp 485.7 .

Midway Yard

The Midway yard was Railroad East of Taylor. It was located between Taylor yard and Los Angeles city hall, right next to Chinatown.

River Station Yard

It was later known as the “Links”.
The River Station Yard with the diagonal mid-yard lead divides the north side "Cornfield" and south side "Bullring" yards.

SP/PE yards between Taylor and Slauson Jct.

Refer to SP's "Industry Map of Los Angeles 1925" from the Huntington Digital Library:
http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15150coll4/id/10751/rec/8
SP lines are shown in red, PE in yellow, UP in black, ATSF in purple (and LARY in dashed black). North is to the right.
This 3MB pdf shows three air photos of Los Angeles in the 1930s. From the August 2010 Classic Trains Magazine. Download then change the extension from .ashx to .pdf and open as any other pdf.
http://ctr.trains.com/~/media/Files/PDF/BEV/L.A.%201930s%20BEV.ashx
This photo from the bottom end (Clement Jct./Alameda St.) of Butte St. yard looks northeast. Click to enlarge. PE's Butte St. yard is on the left/north side. The unwired SP J yard is on the right/south side.
http://www.westcoastrailforums.com/thread-1864.html
After the 1965 SP/PE merger, both yards would be SP. My October 30 1966 employee timetable identifies Butte St. yard, but has no mention of J Yard (or any other letter designated yard). When I went worked the area on the UP between 1978-84, I think we referred to the transfer as Butte St. Over the years, I've heard Butte St. and J Yard being used, even though they were effectively the same except for access at the bottom end. Butte St. continued to be the official name per timetable.

LAUPT Track Length

The SP Coast Daylight reached 18-20 cars during the years after the war. Based on a 1937 map, Tracks 9 and 11 at LAUPT could accommodate 17 inbound cars. Outbound, Track 9 could accommodate 19 cars and Track 11, 20 cars.
The difference between the inbound and outbound numbers reflects keeping the engine escape tracks open on inbound trains. Photos indicate, though, trains sometimes pulled in to the full length of the track they were on, which would increase the capacity.
John Sweetser
If necessary (and if track space out along the river was available to stage a backing movement), SP could have done the same thing--obviating the need for an escape track.
Joe Strapac

Reference

The Southern Pacific in Los Angeles book has a map on p. 50 showing the location of the diagonal lead track.
Larry Mullaly
This 3MB pdf shows three air photos of Los Angeles in the 1930s. From the August 2010 Classic Trains Magazine. Download then change the extension from .ashx to .pdf and open as any other pdf.
http://ctr.trains.com/~/media/Files/PDF/BEV/L.A.%201930s%20BEV.ashx
The 1st photo is dated February 12, 1934 shows part of River Station yard, L.A. General Shops, and the river corridor north to Taylor Yard. The East Bank connector (#11) between Dayton tower (#3) and the UP Pasadena/Glendale branch will open June 30, 1934. UP retained ownership of the East Bank line north to the point their Pasadena/Glendale branch split off, just south of the ATSF L.A. River bridge (#6). The line between that point and Dayton tower is SP.
2nd photo shows River Station Yard with the diagonal mid-yard lead dividing the north side "Cornfield" and south side "Bullring" yards. Per Larry Mullaly, the Links yard would be between the freight houses at #7 & #8. Note that the tracks in Spring St. (#3) is actually the SP line to Central Station via Alameda St. and points south, not a Pacific Electric line.
Robert Simpson

3rd photo dated May 3, 1939, days before LAUPT's grand opening. The viaduct identified as 1st St. is actually 4th St. (#24). The L.A. river channelization has yet to begin.

The 1930 view below shows the Bull Ring to the left, the Cornfield to the right and in the center far rear one can see the ladder track switches that constitute the Links (as in linking switches). This is not Taylor Yard
Hank Winn
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajaxhelper/?CISOROOT=p15150coll2&CISOPTR=3860&action=2&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=2155&DMHEIGHT=3000
Tim O'

Bull Ring, i.e. River Station Yard. The photo was clearly taken from the North Broadway bridge at the point where it passes over the tracks. That's L A City hall in the background. Pic is looking about SSE. See Mullaly's and Petty's SP in LA 1873-1996, Pg. 56 for a view 180 degrees.
D.A. Waggoner

Here's a link to a copy of the SP 1925 Industrial Map of LA that was stitched together by someone else.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/80998212/Industry_Map_of_LA_1925.jpg
Robert Simpson

Photos of the Cornfield yard http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=170279&page=203

San Pedro Branch Yards

Tweedy Yard

Tweedy Yard was on the San Pedro Branch (SP) between 92nd and Century Bl. Served the big GM plant.
Robert Simpson

Wilmington Branch Yards

8th St. Yard

8th St. Yard was on the Wilmington Branch (ex-PE) at 8th St.
Robert Simpson

Graham Yard

Graham Yard was approx. MP 5.3 On the Wilmington Branch (ex-PE) north of Watts (MP 6.4). Between Firestone Blvd. and 92nd St.
Robert Simpson

West Oakland Yards

Homestead Yard

The primary yard in the Oakland complex was Homestead Yard just south was Homestead Yard. When people spoke of "the Homestead" they were referring to the east end of the yard. The whole yard west of Adeline and south of 7th St was West Oakland Yard, maybe even the Desert counted as part of West Oakland.
In the 1970s, there were yardmasters at the Homestead, Bays, and West Oakland. The Homestead yardmaster talked to Magnolia Tower via intercom to obtain permission for their switch engines to use the two leads into the yard. Switch crews had to obtain permission to from Magnolia.
Mark Acuna
The interlocking tower next to the Niles mains at Cedar St was West Oak Interlock;
West Oakland Tower was the yardmaster's tower in the yard south of there.

All of the S.P. yards were considered within Oakland yard limits and were all worked from the same seniority roster.
Pat LaTorres

"The Chinaman"

The "Chinaman" referred to the trackage around Gilmore Steel and the old baseball field near 16th Street.
Mark Acuna

"Electric 6"

"Electric 6" referred to the IER (Interurban Electric Railway) trackage. Electric 6 was the rail geographically east of the Martinez Subs mainline.

“Desert Yard”

Back in the late 30's early 40's the SP built a new yard in West Oakland called “Desert Yard”.
Dave Nelson
It was called "Desert", because there were no locomotive watering facilities. Desert would rise and lower with the tide of the bay, since it was all built on fill. The elevation at the center of the yard could change by as much as three feet. Cars without the handbrakes tied down properly both rolling out of the yard as the tide came in, or rolling to the center of the yard when the tide went out.

"The Glasshouse”

There an area known as "The Glasshouse”. The "glasshouse" was part of the West Oakland diesel shop that was torn down in 2011. In the 70's the "Glasshouse" referred to the West Oakland Yardmaster tower.
A job called the " glass house" was the Owens Corning glass plant off High Street between highway 17 and the estuary. There was an Alco switcher semi permanently assigned to the job.
Wesley Fox

"Tie Pile"

A section of the yard compass south of the roundhouse/shop area was referred to as the "Tie Pile", even in the diesel days. The "tie pile" was removed and made into the piggyback ramp. Still referred to the ramp lead as the "tie pile lead".

Piggyback / Intermodal Facility

There was a piggyback/intermodal facility over along Inner Harbor Road and next to the Naval Supply Center complex.
Thom Anderson

East Oakland Yards

There was another small yard right down near the RR east end of the yard at Magnolia; there was East Oakland Yard, down along Hwy. 17 at 5th Ave., Shell Mound, up near the Oakland/Emeryville border; and Elmhurst Yard, out near 98th Ave.
There was a crew out of East Oakland that during the "off season" would work O.C., the Fruitvale freight house, American Can Co. and the Del Monte cannery. During the "heavy season" there would often be two assignments of crews working 24/7 at the cannery by itself, plus other crews working O.C., Can Co and the freight house. These crews would often go on and off duty at Fruitvale. Once the season slowed down, the crews would go back to East Oakland.
Pat LaTorres

Santa Barbara Yard

For 1948, most of the businesses were all getting rail traffic. The engine facility including the roundhouse was in active service and the yard's 8 or 9 tracks were in use. The ice plant and ice dock was serving local perishable traffic and Southern Pacific employed over 250 in the Santa Barbara area. It was a good time for the railroad in Santa Barbara and everywhere else.
The two stub tracks in S.B., which were remnants of the yard and industry access/scale track, were seldom used at the end.
Bruce Morden
Modeling Santa Barbara in the later SP period Southern Pacific Santa Barbara Subdivision
Carpinteria, CA http://spsbsub.blogspot.com

San Louis Obispo Yard

The Coastline had engine facilities at SLO. San Luis Obispo had a big yard, where they can cut helpers in and out of the through freights, hold trains for crews, etc.
There would be a long time span between trains arriving and departing at San Luis Obispo. A train would come in, they would switch it out, maybe shorten it to go up the hill, or make it bigger to go south. If you had really low-priority cars sitting in the yard, like empty drop-bottom gondolas, they might sit awhile before you had space on a train to move them out. Hot cars like perishables of course would go right out. No. 2829, with that rectangular tender, Duchessis was the engineer who ran it all the time, and his fireman was a guy called “Numb Nuts.” It got one of the yard jobs. They had two, a north-end job and a south-end job. They also used #2918, a Twelve-wheeler, on the yard jobs, sometimes a Ten-wheeler.”
Tony Thompson per Mac Gaddis
In SLO, the uphill track (left side next to hill facing east) was full of sand. The down hill side track was clean.

SLO Caboose Track

There were 8 to 10 cabooses always in SLO at one time.

SLO Wye

SLO had a wye at south end of the yard for Cab-Forwards.

Reference

Cars divided at Osos St. as req. by city ordinance Coast Line Pictoral, pg. 139, 142)
For a good view of SLO yard and buildings Coast Line Pictoral, pg. 139 great!
Trainline -22 ) SLO yard ‘60s

Modeling SLO Yard

Alden Armstrong SLO diorama Model Railroader, June 2001, pg. 92

Southern Pacific Lines
S.P. Yard Operations

Yard Operations
Yard Limits Definition
Yard vs. Switching Limits
Changing Yard Limits
Yard Limit Placement
Intermodal Yards
Specific Yard Operations
Colton Yards
Los Angeles Yards
- Oakland Yards
San Louis Obispo Yard
Santa Barbara Yard