Colton Crossing, Early 1960’s-Pic of the Day

The eastbound Golden State at Colton Tower as two westbound Santa Fe freights wait their turn.

(Click on the photo to view a larger image.)

This is from an undated dupe slide in my collection. Colton Tower is in Colton, CA, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. This is where the SP Sunset Route crosses the Santa Fe Transcon.

Based on the direction of the sunlight, it’s late afternoon. This suggests that the passenger train is the eastbound Golden State, which departed LA in the early afternoon. In 1965, the Golden State became an evening departure from LA. That places the date of this photo between 1962-1964 as this is when SP E9’s were being painted into the red & gray scheme.

Note the 2 Santa Fe trains in the background, apparently waiting for the passenger train to clear up before continuing their westbound trek toward Los Angeles. You can also see a UP caboose in a siding.  It also appears that there is a crossing tower protecting the Valley Blvd. grade crossing. The overpasses in the background carry I-10 over the Santa Fe.