It's 5:45 am on November 13, 1982, a mere five weeks before the Western Pacific would be merged into the new Union Pacific System. Idling on the departure track at Western Pacific's Milpitas, California yard is the San Jose Manifest, WP's eastbound merchandise freight used to transport freight and finished autos from Ford's huge assembly plant to the railroad's Stockton Yard.

Aboard GP40 3535 the tired crew waits for clearance to move railroad west (geographical north) up the San Jose Branch to Niles Junction, where the train will roll onto the mainline for the run east to Stockton. Tucked in behind the 3535 are F7As 917 and 921, WP's last two covered wagons, which will continue to work out their days on the train that made them famous.

Unlike the photographer, the SJM's crew has been up most of the night, having left Stockton at 1:00 am with the Auto Parts Forwarder, a train used to deliver auto parts to the Ford plant, along with general merchandise. 

(Right) One of only two F7A units left in service in California, WP 921 waits patiently in "dawn's early light" with the rest of its consist for the nod to head east to Stockton. (click photo to enlarge)

Upon arrival in Milpitas the crew would set out their train and pick up their outbound loads, all under cover of darkness.

When it became apparent that the WP would soon be no more, I (along with many others) decided to intensify efforts at documenting the last days of the railroad. The best day to do this for me was Saturday, which happened to be the only weekend day the APF/SJM ran. 

Between August and December of 1982, I would wake up at 5:00 am each Saturday morning, turn on my radio scanner then lay in bed, dressed with eyes half open, waiting to hear the word "SJM" to crackle over my scanner speaker. It still amazes me how hearing that magic word could propel me out of bed so quickly, sleepiness  immediately replaced by an intense adrenaline rush. In a matter of minutes I rush out the door to my truck for the 20 minute drive from my home in Campbell to WP's yard in Milpitas. 

That was the sequence of events on that chilly November morning that found me trackside, my trusty Nikon FM2 secured atop my tripod making a series of exposures, including the ones presented here. 

But the story doesn't end there. As I did on many of those Saturdays, I  continued "chasing" the train all the way to Stockton, making exposures in Niles Canyon, Livermore, Altamont Pass and French Camp in order to photograph the SJM in light. 

Today there are few things that would get me out of bed any earlier than 8:00 am; but were the SJM to run again, I would be right there to photograph it.