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Traction Company crewman Albert Crispin watches for wayward motorists at Harbor Street in Stockton.
Monday, December 6, 2021, 11:58 AM.
Nineteen year CCT veteran Vernon Draper protects the shove to Duraflame at the Port of Stockton.
Tuesday, November 9, 2021, 12:50 PM.
Hauling a healthy Lodi Flyer, Central California Traction Company 1501 hustles through the community of Morada.
Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 1:31 PM.
Still looking good in "Heritage II" factory paint after seventeen years in action, a run-of-the-mill Dash 9 grinds away in Stockton, California the Tuesday before Halloween.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 2:46 PM.
Beneath the converging clouds of early spring, CCT 1501 leads the northbound CV01 along welded steel in Morada on Holy Thursday.
In the 1970s, Traction Company management pushed for the procurement of ribbon rail to improve the physique of the shortline. Top brass first brought the idea to the attention of ATSF-WP-SP representatives (each carrier possessed a thirty-three percent stake in ownership of the CCT) at an operating committee meeting. The triumvirate was convinced that the concept was sound. The three Class I's reached an agreement to supply the Traction Company with preowned continuous welded rail on a yearly basis. In reality, this proposal resulted in just a lone unit train of continuous welded rail in 1976. The train ran to milepost 6 where approximately 2,800 feet of handed-down high iron was set down. Regrettably for CCT, the operating committee called off future rail replacement ventures, labeling the project too expensive.
Thursday, April 9, 2020, 2:01 PM.
Covered hoppers dominate the consist of the Lodi Flyer as CCT 1501 approaches the Quashnick Road grade crossing in a springtime setting.
Monday, April 6, 2020, 1:28 PM.
Plastered to the westernmost corner of the elderly carbarn, large letters spelling out the name of a surviving former interurban hauler bathe in the low winter light.
Shortly after Kenneth J. Tinker took over as head of the CCT in 1974, the charismatic General Manager embarked on a campaign to rejuvenate the image of the shortline during a pivotal time in the railroad's history. Interested in the storied past of the company he inherited, the classic quatrefoil emblem made a comeback, appearing on company paperwork, office buildings, and equipment. Importantly, these alphabetical characters were first fastened to the building during Mr. Tinker's directorship, where a compact cloverleaf sign was also hinged to the structure to the immediate right of the letters. As evidenced by this photo, the medallion is no longer at the carbarn but rather on display at 2201 West Washington Street, Building 12.
Friday, December 27, 2019, 1:04 PM.
The workday is just getting started for the men aboard the Lodi Flyer and immediately the crew is tasked with navigating the intricate intersection of Cherokee Road, Harding Way, and Waterloo Road. The engineer has a firm grip on the whistle valve as Central California Traction 1501 wanders forward along the quasi-street running section on Waterloo.
Thursday, February 22, 2018, 12:25 PM.
Central California Traction 1501 makes its presence known in the Fair Oaks neighborhood in Stockton, CA as the stout SW1500 saunters southward on B Street, nearing the BNSF Railway interchange.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018, 12:29 PM.
Although sun-splotches have gradually attacked the flanks on the long hood of BNSF 186, the unit still pridefully exhibits its colors from a past life. Even though ex-Santa Fe 4027 doesn't ply the rails on the point of time freights anymore, it still serves honorably on a range of yard jobs and local turns for the carrier. In this case, the engine is awaiting its next call for assignment at Mormon Yard in Stockton, CA.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017, 12:46 PM.
Central California Traction Company siblings 2101 and 1501 power through Morada while an approaching "Pineapple Express" sweeps across the Pacific Ocean. About thirteen hours after this photo was taken, the storm made landfall in Northern California.
Central California Traction Company 2101 started life in 1966 as a standard EMD GP38. The Geep was assigned road number 259 and operated on the Maine Central Railroad. Decades later, the locomotive ended up in the hands of Brookville Equipment Corporation. Becoming BMEX 259, the unit was fitted with three distinct Cummins QSK-19 engines. To highlight Brookville's "CoGeneration" technology, BMEX 259 toured the United States and several shortlines in the West. Impressed with the unit and its performance, Traction Company management opted to purchase the Brookville product outright. Painted, renumbered, and placed on the Lodi side, the locomotive made its first run as a CCT engine on Halloween 2011.
Wednesday, November 15, 2017, 1:34 PM.
Leaving Escalon, CA in the rearview mirror, the LRS51 job heads back to Stockton Yard as the train rolls past an almond orchard at the timetable station of Wagner, along former Tidewater Southern trackage.
Thursday, September 14, 2017, 12:40 PM.
At the gong of eight in the morning, the Westminster Quarters melody bellows from the clock tower at Robert J. Cabral Station in Stockton, CA while UP 8249 moves southward on Main 1 along the Fresno Subdivision.
Wednesday, September 6, 2017, 8:09 AM.
Although weathered and slightly contorted, the distinctive flame-cut whistle post sign frames Central California Traction 1790 as the EMD GP18 stomps into Morada, CA with a lengthy northbound train on the drawbar.
Monday, November 7, 2016, 2:04 PM.
Looking classy in its trademark red paint scheme with white striping, Central California Traction Company 1790 eases down B Street in Stockton, CA, inching closer to the BNSF interchange at Mormon Yard.
Built in 1960 for the Rock Island, the high hood EMD GP18 found itself on the West Coast by the 1980s, becoming one of the most famous shortline locomotives in California.
Friday, September 30, 2016, 12:36 PM.
Acampo, San Joaquin County CA USA, 28 April 2025.
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DIGITAL TO MONOCHROME
Samsung NX30 APS-C format digital camera (ISO 200)
Vivitar (KIno Optical) Series1 28-90mm F3.2-4.5 manual focus lens on Minolta MD to NX adapter mount.
Image post-processing using Paint Shop Pro 2022
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Acampo, San Joaquin County CA USA, 28 April 2025.
====================
DIGITAL TO MONOCHROME
Samsung NX30 APS-C format digital camera (ISO 200)
Vivitar (KIno Optical) Series1 28-90mm F3.2-4.5 manual focus lens on Minolta MD to NX adapter mount.
Image post-processing using Paint Shop Pro 2022
====================
Union Pacific RR bridge over San Joaquin County Road J10 (Lower Sacramento Road). This concrete bridge was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad between the two world wars.
Collierville CA USA, 28 April 2025.
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DIGITAL TO MONOCHROME
Samsung NX30 APS-C format digital camera (ISO 200)
Vivitar (KIno Optical) Series1 28-90mm F3.2-4.5 manual focus lens on Minolta MD to NX adapter mount.
Image post-processing using Paint Shop Pro 2022
====================
