Campbell Ave. and Wigwags on a Rainy 1970 Day

It's outside my era, but it's still a great photo. Check out Stan Praisewater's shot of an SP diesel at the Campbell Ave. crossing taken in 1970 - the photo's at Dan's Rail Pix site as part of a collection of wigwags; scroll halfway down to see the photo, and click on it to see an enlarged version.

Interesting details: even in 1970, the Campbell Ave. crossing is protected with wigwag signals and wooden crossbucks - very little protection for the errant driver. The Sunsweet packing plant is just visible behind the diesel, but the 1970's era downtown is fuzzy but present, as are the smaller crossbucks to warn the tiniest railfans to be careful around the crossing.

There's also a "Truck Route" sign just beyond the crossing; in the days of multiple canneries and packing plants, keeping the trucks from blocking the main drag must have been a high priority. Although the tracks and Campbell Ave. are still there, downtown Campbell's a much livelier place these days.