Stockton, CA has been a popular railfan location for decades. From the mid 1990s and into the early 2000s this area experienced tremendous change as the railroads came out of their series of mergers with each other. Just before the mergers, the SP has first generation geeps and cadillacs in charge of their local and turn jobs, and we see five SD9s leading the Fresno to Roseville local out of Stockton in 1995.
Stockton Tower watched over this busy junction until it was demolished on May 27th, 1999. With the mergers turning three railroads through the interlocking to just two, the former Western Pacific mainline and yard was tied into the former Southern Pacific, as the Union Pacific now owned both properties. Views of Stockton in the early post-merger years show lots of fallen flag motive power as well as brand new locomotives and leaser units rolling the trains into the new millennium, and George Manley was there with his video camera documenting this time of change onto Hi8 tapes.
Trains are seen moving much faster across the diamonds after the cut over to remote dispatching, and you will see lots of interchange traffic between the UP and BNSF as well as the last of the EMD F40PH locomotives on Amtrak as they work the San Joaquin service between Oakland and Bakersfield.
Enjoy this look at Stockton during this period of intense change for railroading in the west!
