Question has been raised about the following-
Dear Sir,
I bought a 24" x 18" medal sign in a frame. The sign was from the
Batxer Ward estate. The sign is silver with yellow and orange stripes in
the center area, with the words El CAMINO SERVICE in black letters
running in the middle. Below in the middle under EL CAMINO SERVICE is
LOS ANGELES COUNTY. I was told this was a Zephyr sign that was on the
back of the last car in the train. I saw a picture of the sign on a car,
but I didn't get the name of the car. Do you have ant information on
were I could find the name of the car and the service? I think it was
about 1956 that the train was running.
Thank you
Dan
Baxter Ward was a well known former TV newsman and latterly LA County
Supervisor that is generally considered to the "father" of modern day
LA public sector heavy rail commute service. Although this is now
ancient history, and I have no ready reference to the details,
essentially he was able to get some funding for purchase, conversion,
and restoration of a number of pretty nice passenger cars for a new
high quality LA commute service. They were painted in a handsome
paint scheme, the details of which I do not recall. However, the
train either never operated, or only operated for a short time (in
the 1970's?), the funding having completely dried up (these was long
pre-Metra).
The cars afterward would occasionally individually pop up here and
there, but for the most part, they disappeared from both view and
mind. Altogether, the train was reported to be extraordinarily
handsome.
Someone will know more of the equipment details than I, and perhaps
he or she can enlighten us all. Baxter Ward died 5 February this year
at a reputed age of 85.
Denny
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Denny S. Anspach, MD
Sacramento, CA
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