tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post1567827074986371018..comments2023-06-04T04:11:05.291-07:00Comments on Santa Cruz Trains: East Monterey & SeasideDerek Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17715926686413316877noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-72890109682401179982015-07-10T19:50:22.622-07:002015-07-10T19:50:22.622-07:00There is a major misconception going around that t...There is a major misconception going around that the Del Monte, discontinued in 1971, was<br />called the Del Monte Limited or the Del Monte Express or the Del Monte Special in it's later years of operation. According to Lucius Beebe in his classic reference book THE CENTRAL<br />PACIFIC AND THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROADS. p. 624, it was called the Del Monte<br />Limited only until 1891. Until June 1927, it was the Del Monte Express. Then it became just<br />two words: DEL MONTE. It remained this way until the train was discontinued in 1971.<br />Because it ran every day, whether or not it was "special" may be up for debate. If you saw<br />what this train looked like in the 1960's as I did, you probably would not have called it "special".<br />It was being pulled by one or two GP9 diesels with two or three coaches. The schedule for<br />the Del Monte at Seaside is a little complicated. It was usually a flag stop for the Del Monte<br />from at least the 1950's onward but it is shown as a regular stop for the southbound Del Monte <br />daily except Sundays & Holidays in the Sept. 30, 1951 schedule. By Jan. 15, 1954 when I have <br />my next timetable, Seaside is shown as a flag stop in both directions. Seaside remained on the<br />employee's and public timetables as a daily flag stop through the final run on April 30, 1971.<br />The only change in the Del Monte's schedule in 1963 was that the northbound train<br />started running an hour later and the train number changed from # 139 to # 141 because<br />of a new hookup in San Jose with a later commuter train to San Francisco. Seaside remained<br />a flag stop for the Del Monte until the end in 1971.<br />Duncan Nanneynoreply@blogger.com