With just inches to spare. When I first got word that CDTX 2051 and 2052 were coming down from Oakland to assist on expanded Pacific Surfliner trains, I was ecstatic. Growing up in the Central Valley, seeing these units working on San Joaquin's up and down the valley was for a time almost a daily occurrence. As more P42's began found their way into the system, however, these two slowly but surely found the majority of their time go from the mainline to switching cars inside Amtrak's Oakland yard. By the time I moved down to Los Angeles for college (2012), it was only on the rarest of occasions that either of the them were brought out from the yard - usually only in cases of extreme power shortages or to rescue a train with locomotive problems. Fast forward back to the present - these two have finished more than a week's work running between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo (SLO) with extra equipment. The bold move was made to accommodate the massive increases in ridership between SLO and Los Angeles during the closure of US HWY 101 following the deadly mudslides in Montecino. With their service to the communities throughout Southern California now complete, the two as seen taking a final spin on the 1927-built, ex-Santa Fe Redondo turntable as they are lined out of the "roundhouse" area. While two F59's have no problem fitting on this turntable, two Dash-8's are another story. The line "just inches to spare" was actually worded by one of the crew members on this move as the two motors eased onto the table - carefully spotted prior to their turning.
Unless something as drastic another mudslide, the maintenance facility in Oakland unable to complete a certain task or the ownership of these engines changing - this very well could be the last time these two ride the turntable here in Los Angeles.
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
