From "Doc Alders Farmington's Lone Eagle": The heavily used branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad running through Farmington connected with the main SP line at Stockton. The Southern Pacific main line ran the length of California's Great Valley connecting all the valley towns from Bakersfield to Sacramento including Stockton. The freight trains running through Farmington were held to a maximum of 99 cars because a second crew was required for trains longer than 100 cars. Boxcars were left at the Farmington siding to be loaded with sacks of grain grown in the vicinity. Refrigerator cars were dropped off for shipping the locally grown fruit. The cars were switched around by the crew and engine to place them in the train. Doc's dad, Ed Alders, shipped his fabulous plums via Southern Pacific refrigerated boxcars. Doc's father used a refrigerated car to ship the plums. They would load them here at the depot and a lot of times, they wouldn't have a full car. They would have half a load. Steam engine and crew would come in and jockey them around. When they loaded those cars, they loaded two halves and left a space in the middle. They put in two-by-four braces and boards and they were in there tight wedged against it so the crates wouldn't move when they were shipped. The conductor, he got a little careless and bumped the cars and knocked the crates down. Ed Alders told him two or three times to just take it easy when they moved them. He was sitting on the front porch of the hotel and the switcher bumped the cars and knocked a bunch of crates down and Ed ran over there and grabbed the conductor by the nape of the neck and he had a signet ring on and he hit the conductor and knocked him half way across the platform. The rest of the crew, they didn't like the conductor anyway. They just stood there and watched him. "Now" Ed says, "Dang you!" "When you switch the cars here, take it easy." He never had any more trouble after that.

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Labor Day is Monday, September 5th. There will be no school.

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I would still like to hear from you. Have you taken a trip? Have you had out of town visitors? Let me know of family birthdays, anniversaries and new arrivals to your family. Whatever you want to add to the Farmington News is welcome.

Please contact me if you have items for the Farmington News column. E-Mail me at farmingtonnews@gmail.com or phone 896-6697.