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I have pictures of 2240. The current and original owners son shared this with me,

My father bought the blue GT350 from the Santa Fe salvage yard in San Bernardino California. There were 14 cars on their was to the upper Midwest when the train derailed. Two cars we damaged but the Santa Fe policy was they must buy all of the product. My father and grandfather were long time railroaders and got first dibs on the cars. You have to hear my fathers version of the cars on the lot. He tells of a special order 427 with a supercharger but I have never been able to validate it. Anyhow he purchased #2240 for my mother and brought it home to

Interesting information, but raises a few questions. 

1.  If he is saying these cars were being transported by Santa Fe, how does Southern Pacific get involved?  SPRR sold all of the cars after picking them up from Santa Fe Salvage Depot.

2.  I know 2759 and I believe my car, #2339 were damaged.  Hard to believe there were only two.

3.  Does the current owner of 2240 now any details of the derailment?

4.  The latest registry states the Santa Fe Salvage Depot was in Los Angeles, CA not San Bernardino.

Greek

Fourteen cars are listed in the registry as derailment cars.  The rail cars held fifteen cars, so either there were only fourteen on the rail car, or one is not listed.  If they were bringing fourteen cars back with various degrees of damage, why not bring all fifteen.  There has to be some memo somewhere in S.A.I files pertaining to the cars, to date nothing has surfaced.

I have compiled a spreadsheet containing all fourteen cars, their number, and where they were being shipped.  Unfortunately, the spreadsheet does not paste on the forum in any readable form.

Greek

the problem with seattle is all the Californians moved up here......phred

Not all of us...yet.

As a side note, Gov. Moonbeam(aka Jerry Brown)  has jacked up the registrations with his special tax.  This is to fix the roads and other infrastructure because the original gas tax money has been siphoned off for other projects.  Also, has taxed gasoline for the same purpose.  Just returned from San Antonio where gas is about a dollar cheaper than CA.  Made sure I gassed up in AZ before crossing the CA state line.

Greek

Brian,

I had the same problem with my 66.  Changed the ignition switch and the problem was solved.

Greek

Or you may be momentarily sealing the vacuum leak when depressing the pedal.  Either way you have it diagnosed.  Good luck!

Greek

Before you send it off, if you have not isolated the booster try that.  That is what I did when my trans would not shift, the idle was rough or engine would die.  Isolating the booster pinpointed the problem.  If your idle problem goes away, send to Booster Dewey.  They are the best.  You will also get a bag of "Booster Nuts" which are peanut M&M's

[What damage did the cars receive?]

What damage did the cars receive? That may indicate a slow speed yard spill or high speed main line wreck.

As far as damage received I can only speak to my car and 2759.  It appears my car had some damage to the rear and 2759 had some major damage to the front sheet metal.

I also found out during correspondence with railroad personnel, if there were no fatalities or extensive property damage a report may or may not have  been generated.

Greek

The two main railroads heading east at the that time would have been ATSF and Union Pacific.  In communications with BNSF(formerly ATSF) employees, the ATSF did not have salvage yards in the Los Angeles area.  Also, freight heading east would have also been transferred to Union Pacific at Taylor Yard.

Here is some information about train routes in the 1960's.

For Santa Fe, the likely freight route would have been Los Angeles to Chicago on what's now known at the BNSF transcon mainline.  That route goes from Los Angeles to San Bernardino, Barstow and Needles in California, then Kingman, Flagstaff and Winslow, Arizona.  From there, the route goes through Gallup, Belen and Clovis, New Mexico.  Then, Amarillo, Texas, through the panhandle of Oklahoma to Wellington, Kansas.  The train would then go to Emporia, Kansas by way of the transcon mainline or through Wichita to Newton, then east.  From Emporia, the train would go to Kansas City via either Topeka or the transcon mainline.  From Kansas City, the line goes through Marceline, Missouri to Fort Madison, Iowa, then through Galesburg through Joliet to Corwith Yard south of downtown Chicago.

The likely interchange points would be either Kansas City or Chicago, as Santa Fe's only line into Nebraska is a branch from Kansas to Superior, Neb., primarily used for grain shipments during harvest season.  Also, in the 1960s CB&Q, C&NW, Rock Island, Milwaukee Road and Illinois Central each had routes that covered parts of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri.  Given that revenue was based on line haul miles, if the auto loads originated on Santa Fe in Los Angeles, Santa Fe would have preferred to take them to Chicago for interchange.  However, the shipper may have dictated where the interchange would take place as Kansas City would be a natural because all of these railroads had lines there.

The other routes to Chicago from Los Angeles would have been Union Pacific to Omaha via Salt Lake City and Cheyenne, Wyoming, then interchanged to one of the other railroads at Omaha, Kansas City or St. Louis.  UP did not have a line to Chicago at that time.  Southern Pacific would take the shipments to Tucumcari, New Mexico, for interchange with Rock Island (Golden State Route), or to St. Louis via the Sunset Route and Cotton Belt for interchange with other railroads.  SP did not have lines to Chicago or Kansas City.  The most direct route would have been Santa Fe.

Greek

This is a mystery for sure.  There was/is a railroad line running from the Chevron El Segundo Refinery, past LAX, and terminated at Taylor Yard by Dodger Stadium.  Taylor Yard is where rail cars were transferred to other trains headed north, east, or south.  I am thinking the derailment happened sometime between June 27 and July 7,  since the replacement for my car(2339), 2340 was shipped in early July.  The fact that all of the cars were cycled through the Santa Fe Salvage Depot, which seems to have been in the Los Angeles area, leads me to believe the derailment happened in the Los Angeles area. Santa Fe Salvage Depot might have been on Santa Fe Street or in the town of Santa Fe Springs.  One of the cars(2759) was sold to its first owner by Glendale Ford.

I think the derailment happened on the way to or at Taylor Yard.  There are no ICC or DOT records of this derailment on open tracks during this time period.  Southern Pacific Railroad used that section of track during the time period in question and most likely the transporter due to the fact they assumed ownership of the cars.  My Marti Report indicates Southern Pacific Railroad as the selling dealer.

This is the conclusion I have come to with all of the research I have done.  This includes the following:

Talking with a former Southern Pacific Railraod Engineer
Contacting the Southern Pacific Railroad Historical Society
Contacting Stanford University Library where Southern Pacific Railroad archives are kept
BNSF Raiload

A last piece of the puzzle could be the paper trail.  Probably a memo to Shelby American from the railroad outlining the derailment, insurance memo with details of payment, or other documentation within Shelby American.  To date, I have not been successful on any of these fronts.

Greek

Randy,

I am aware the plates did not come from the dealer, but as you stated, sometimes from local DMV Offices.  I also have the steering column spring holder as used by the original owner.

Greek

I agree it could be possible if the car was sold in the Los Angeles or other large city in California, but think it is a stretch as well.  My car is an April 1966 sale out of San Luis Obispo, CA and starts with SAL.  Also, a possibility the car was first sold in 1967, as it might have languished on a dealer's lot for a while.

Greek

I was able to get my badges inserted into the barrel nuts without damage.  I was very careful and slow.

Greek

Trying to figure out the approximate time they went from Fomoco to Autolite on the  breather caps for a GT350  or 500.  Im guessing it was pretty early

   I think Jim is looking for a range - serial or build date wise - so as to post the correct cap in the rules, or, on a restoration he is doing.

You think?    I know I was waiting to see what others thought before commenting.

Maybe the others are waiting to see what you thought before commenting.  I am fairly sure it was before the May 3, SJ completion date of my car, #2339.

to add on to your post.....would be nice if we could find someone to restore the 68 350 caps.....

Try Jack at Dead Nuts On.  I believe he restores 68 to 70 oil caps. www.deadnutson.com.

Greek

427- I can totally understand you view point.  Most of the Day 2 modifications on my car can be easily reversed.  Only the Monte Carlo Bar holes and making the lower scoops non-functional would require some welding.  We car enthusiasts tend to make our cars what we want to own and drive.  That, I think, is what makes our hobby so interesting and dynamic.  We can attend a SAAC Convention and see cars that have been restored to better than new, some with slight modifications, and some modified to run the hell out of them.  It is all good no matter what the preference.  I, for one, like to see the all of the different examples, because that is what makes our hobby great.  Everyone expressing their view of what their car should be, enjoying and appreciating what others have chosen to do makes the conventions appealing to all.  Just do not put in a Bow Tie engine.

Greek