Page 3 - boynton1973_tomvernon

Chapter Two

Robbery at Saugus

The big three barreled locomotive had just Mint Canyon. Engine 5042 had left the Los
completed the momentary station stop at Saugus, Angeles, California passenger depot at about 6:30
California, and the dull metallic clank of the P.M. with her 12 car train, and the date was
manhole cover on the big Vanderbilt tender indi- November 10, 1929. Bob Fowler had bumped as
cated that Fireman Robert C. Fowler had her fireman on the passenger run, and it was his
filled with water. Hands gripping the rear eaves first trip since displacing the regular man. Fowler
of the cab, Bob dropped down onto the sandbox had failed to show for the run, and Sam Zachery*
and then slid across the glossy steel deck to the was called by the crew dispatcher to fire the fast
seatbox on the left side of the big 4-10-2. Engineer passenger train. Sam Zachery had prepared 5042
Richard C. Ball caught the conductor's tossed for the "varnish" run over the Tehachapi Mountains
lantern signal, released the air brakes, and eased to Bakersfield, California where the joint Southern
the throttle open, gently taking the slack from Pacific-Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad
the Limited so as not to awaken any of the sleeping tracks spilled out onto the vast, fertile San Joaquin
passengers. Fowler increased his firing rate to Valley. Engineer Ball and his emergency fireman
match the blasting exhaust of the accelerating were leaving the roundhouse preparatory to moving
engine, and checked the pulsating needle on his the big three-cylinder 4-10-2 through the yards to
feedwater heater pump gauge, making sure that the passenger depot when Bob Fowler showed up
he was supplying the increasing demand for boiler for work. In a decision that was later to prove to
water. As he overfired, the fire-door rumbled and Zachery's advantage, Sam allowed Fowler to as-
the damper levers jumped in their retainers but sume his rightful position as fireman on No. 59
soon settled down as the exhaust smoothed out with that fateful night.
increased speed. Ball called across the vibrating As the train blasted through Saugus yard, the
cab to Bob, saying to him, "Well Bob, it has been clear green light in the leaving block signal was
a nice trip so far." Little did the old engineer mirrored on the polished rails as the two enginemen
know that these words were to portend a direct verbally acknowledged the proceed indication. Ball
reversal of how things would become. was working 5042 pretty hard now, and was really
Although it was one of the many pauses on "knockin' apples" as he tried to get the heavy
the scenic run north to Portland, Oregon and train back up to track speed and on the "adver-
Seattle, the importance of this daily occurrence tised" again. The vivid greenish-yellow beam of the
was soon to be eclipsed by an avalanche of sen- headlight swept the barren hills of the Santa Clara
sational newspaper copy. Southern Pacific train River Canyon, and the last nostalgic sounds of
No. 59, the West Coast Limited, was soon swal- the rumbling train, sounding like distant thunder,
lowed by the darkening gloom as she pounded her rolled back from the mountains giving hint to the
way toward Mojave, California. The quiet Sunday uninformed that perhaps a railroad threaded this
evening was filled with the strangely haunting desolation.
off-beat exhaust of the huge dual purpose locomo- Train No. 59 was now committed to an un-
tive. The little knot of humanity leaving the dimly eventful journey that crossed the rocky wastes
illuminated station platform was suddenly filled of the ridge and near-desert, and she would soon
with an overwhelming sense of loneliness as the
last fading echoes of the beautiful Nathan chime *Southern Pacific-San Joaquin Division en-
whistle came whispering back from the walls of gineer, Seniority No. 1 (1971).

37 THREE BARRELS OF STEAM