410 and 628 at Sierra Vista
Pacific Electric blimps lead by no. 410, part of a Rose Parade Extra, pass through Sierra Vista as car no. 628 bound for Watts idles at a switch on a nearby track. The date is January 1, 1951.
Harold F. Stewart Photo, Stan Kistler Collection
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Looking closely at this, the 628 is stopped on the “Outbound” track of the former Temple City line, which is the end of the Watts-Sierra Vista service, so the motorman can line the switch back, and then pull in the clear at Sierra Vista. This is the end of a run from Watts, and the 628 will only go East another 10 or 15 cars to get over the switch at the end of track to cross over to the former “inbound” track.
The camera is facing East, so the blimps are returning in the afternoon from Pasadena.
I don’t think Blimps ever ran to Pasadena– More likely it was a returning Santa Anita Race Track special. The Monrovia-Glendora line had the freight-railroad clearances that would allow the ex-IER and NWP cars to run there.
Bob,
Interesting point, and although I lived two blocks from Oneonta Junction in a house that my grandparents built, on a lot purchased from the Huntington Land Co, I was only 4 at the discontinuance of service to Pasadena, but a couple of thoughts.
Fair Oaks is straight from Oneonta Junction past the car house at Mary Street, so no clearance problems. They did run box motor service on the Pasadena Short Line to the SP depot on what is now Arroyo Parkway.
Lastly, did they race on New Year’s day? And, look at the shadows, they’re fairly short, remembering this is the dead of winter, it can’t be past about 2pm. This would make it too early for a returning race track special, but about the right time to be returning from the West end of the Rose Parade at Colorado and Fair Oaks?