Forty-Three Years Ago at SP's West Colton Yard
Late in the afternoon, a Southern Pacific freight passes local landmark Slover Mountain as arrives at the railroad's West Colton Yard. A pair of Cotton Belt diesels are up front, SSW GP40-2 7655 (just 14 months old) and SSW SD45 8972, along with SP SD40 8450 and SP GP35 6623. (The St. Louis-Southwestern, or Cotton Belt, is a subsidiary of the larger Southern Pacific Railroad, and SSW locomotives roamed freely upon the SP.) Slover Mountain (also known as Mount Slover or Marble Mountain) is now gone, as all the usable marble and limestone has been quarried, leaving a flat area that will be turned into a new Union Pacific intermodal facility soon. The GATX car repair facility on the right, however, remains in business at this location, adjacent to West Colton Yard, now owned by Union Pacific. (Colton, California – March 15, 1980)
