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Creative (Re)Interpretation of History


So, after a lot of research, studying of maps, driving of back roads, and assorted flights of fancy, here's the concept for my version of the B&V: On the brink of bankruptcy, the B&V was rescued by an investment by the Santa Fe, which saw an opportunity to establish a "back door" into the Los Angeles area. That permitted the line to be built as originally envisioned: From the SP interchange at Fillmore, into the mountains to the Lockwood Valley, then along the Cuyama River to the San Joaquin Valley, where it connected with the Sunset Railroad, co-owned by the SP and Santa Fe. The line was also extended from Fillmore to the SP (now UP) interchange in Oxnard, connecting with the (real-world VCRy) line to Port Hueneme.

I'm not 100 percent sure exactly where the proposed line was supposed to run. Articles I've read say up Sespe Creek to Sespe Hot Springs, then north and over the ridge to Mutah Flat; beyond there I'm not sure how it was supposed to get to the Cuyama, which is some distance (20 miles or so) northwest. I'm routing my version along Lockwood Creek, which is not the easiest route, but runs past the site of the now-vanished community of Lexington, and an equally long-gone gold mill at Long Dave Canyon. From there, it would arrive at Lockwood Valley near where the North Fork of Lockwood Creek meets Lockwood Valley Road. From there it would bear west, more or less following Lockwood Valley road to Highway 33, then north along the 33 to Maricopa.

In my version, the railroad built a division point at Lockwood, where engines could be serviced and crews rested after the hard haul up into the mountains. From there, a branch, or possibly a narrow gauge line called the Lockwood & San Emigdio, runs east and slightly north to serve the large borax mines at Stauffer. In real life, these were closed down by 1910, but I'm assuming with readily available rail transportation, they would have stayed in service for some years into the 20th century. That line continues east through Cuddy Valley, where there is some agricultural traffic, then north to the lumber mill at Mil Potrero.

My current thinking is to model this in probably the 1920s. Equipment at that point is a mix of influences from both the SP and the Santa Fe. By 1960, the line becomes a Santa Fe branch, and motive power is mostly blue-and-yellow Santa Fe road switchers.

Just to add further confusion, here's another concept, the Sespe Cuyama & Sisquoc (yes, I did choose the name because most people can't pronounce any of those words). This version is a narrow gauge line that continues west from Cuyama to connect with the narrow gauge Pacific Coast Railway near Santa Maria. The Eastern Division, from Cuyama Jct. to Fillmore, is the same route as the B&V. The place names are all based on real places and the industries noted on the map are also based at least loosely on reality. The spur to the borax mines is a foreshortened version of the L&SE. In one alternate reality, the SC&S was built as shown in narrow gauge, then later converted to standard gauge, with the Western Division to Santa Maria abandoned when the SPC closed down; the surviving standard gauge line was renamed the Bakersfield & Ventura, which is both more descriptive and easier to pronounce.




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