Hi-Jinx and Mikados at Redondo Jct.

The 1934 movie Twisted Rails is pretty much of a turkey, and I mean dried out leftover Thanksgiving turkey that you are trying to make a sandwich out of on Sunday. How many movies though, were filmed at Los Angeles' Santa Fe Grand Station, and Redondo Jct.  roundhouse?  Won't give away the plot, you can watch it on YouTube below. Suffice to say there is deviltry going on at the roundhouse. Someone is sabotaging locomotives and a chase ensues.

A curious looking saddle-tanker shop switcher.

They went thataway!

Later on in the movie is an epic roofwalk battle with many continuity errors.

No Need for Instagram - Redondo Jct. 1968

A Santa Fe Alco HH-1000 takes a spin on the Redondo Jct. Roundhouse turntable.

Santa Fe operated these McIntosh/Seymour powered switchers late. I would have loved to have caught them on some of the industrial trackage in L.A. The antique photo effects are thanks to a leaky 127 box camera, and not to some photo effect on my smartphone!

Pooch - According to Webster

Photo by Pdxrailtransit

Pooch


1.  n.   Slang for a dog.    2.  v. to take a little off of a  punt in football, for strategic advantage.
3.  n.   Railfan slang for the General Electric P30CH Amtrak locomotive, presumably named because of their slow "dog like," acceleration.


But seriously, these boxy beasts were a also a railfan favorite due to their distinctively non EMD looking carbody, and the classic GE  exhaust bark.  ATK 707 is seen above laying over at Redondo Jct. Roundhouse in L.A. in 1991, between runs of the Sunset Limited. The tri-weekly schedule meant that these beasts had a some time to kill along the banks of the L.A. River. I used to like to pace the Pooches out of their station stop in Pomona, just to take in the sound show. I would break off the chase at the crest of Pomona hill near East End Ave as the train reached track speed, and the bark subsided.