Altamont Pass Amtrak Coast Starlight (3122)

California Central (San Joaquin) Valley

Folder: California
The area popularly thought of when people say "Central Valley" which is actually only the southern half - the San Joaquin Valley, from south of Sacramento and north of LA. Also included are nearby areas on the eastern slope of the Coastal Range, and in the foothills of the Sierras. Photos are in order alphabetically, by place name.
Central Valley California Aqueduct 1599a

Central Valley California Aqueduct 1599a

29 Dec 2009 100
California Aqueduct, taken from the same vantage point as the nearby photo, but in the winter after some rains. This is looking north. Best viewed as Part of Central Valley set.
Central Valley California Aqueduct 1600a

Central Valley California Aqueduct 1600a

29 Dec 2009 124
California Aqueduct, taken from the same vantage point as the nearby photo, but in the winter after some rains. This is looking south. Best viewed as Part of Central Valley set.
Central Valley: Amtrak Coast Starlight (3127)

Central Valley: Amtrak Coast Starlight (3127)

30 Jun 2012 130
Inside the parlour car
Coalinga CA 4014a

Coalinga CA 4014a

10 Jan 2008 139
I've tried to figure out what a "NOSE unit" is, but to no avail.
Coalinga oil 3093a

Coalinga oil 3093a

26 Jul 2010 134
Sunset on an abandoned oil processing facility east of Coalinga.
Coalinga solar (3550)

Coalinga solar (3550)

26 Jul 2012 198
Pictures taken at dusk of Coalinga solar facility, which is in the middle of an oil field. Coming over the crest of a low rise, it was a shock to see a reflective white line across the horizon. The sun was relatively low in the west, but the mirrors on the east side of the field were still tracking the sun.
Coalinga solar (3553)

Coalinga solar (3553)

26 Jul 2012 2 172
Pictures taken at dusk of Coalinga solar facility, which is in the middle of an oil field.
Coalinga solar (3556)

Coalinga solar (3556)

26 Jul 2012 1 165
Pictures taken at dusk of Coalinga solar facility, which is in the middle of an oil field.
Corcoran, CA 1293a

Corcoran, CA 1293a

24 Jul 2009 135
Abandoned grain elevator just east of downtown Corcoran.
Corcoran, CA 1295a

Corcoran, CA 1295a

24 Jul 2009 204
Corcoran, a small town northwest of Bakersfield. Amtrak station and BNSF freight.
Cutler, CA citrus (0403)

Cutler, CA citrus (0403)

24 Jul 2014 2 342
"Mr Sunshine," a citrus processor in Cutler, CA.
Cutler, CA citrus (0405)

Cutler, CA citrus (0405)

24 Jul 2014 296
"Golder Star Citrus & Produce," a processor in Cutler, CA. Where I'm standing is the roadbed of a former railroad that once served the produce processors. The railroad first started serving the area in 1888 and refrigerated shipment of citrus began in 1907!
Del Rey, CA school (0601)

Del Rey, CA school (0601)

30 Jul 2013 1 190
Del Rey elementary school. What stood out for me was the font used on the sign and the architecture of the central part of the building. The font is from the art deco era and is the same as a font used for many structures built by the New Deal. The architecture also fits with New Deal design from the 1930's. Unfortunately, I could not find any history of the school.
Del Rey, CA town center (0602)

Del Rey, CA town center (0602)

30 Jul 2013 246
An abandoned building, built in 1919, in what would have been the town center area of Del Rey. A surprisingly large building for a very small town (1600 residents), suggesting a more active, commercial town center in the past. Despite the decline of the town center, Del Rey has apparently become the site of a central processing point for POM Wonderful (trademark, a key processor of pomegranates) in recent years.
Dos Palos, CA Farmers Rice Co-op (0502)

Dos Palos, CA Farmers Rice Co-op (0502)

28 Jul 2014 3 1 356
Farmers' Rice Co-op just outside Dos Palos, CA. It appeared to be abandoned.
Dos Palos, CA Farmers Rice Co-op (0503)

Dos Palos, CA Farmers Rice Co-op (0503)

28 Jul 2014 1 365
Farmers' Rice Co-op just outside Dos Palos, CA. It appeared to be abandoned.
Ducor, CA and Southern Pacific (0378)

Ducor, CA and Southern Pacific (0378)

25 Jul 2013 1 1 285
Part of my effort to document the extent of railroads in the early 1900's, their effects on communities, and their eventual abandonment. This is looking north from the main street in Ducor, up the roadbed of the former eastern Central Valley line of the Southern Pacific.
Ducor, CA and Southern Pacific (0380)

Ducor, CA and Southern Pacific (0380)

25 Jul 2013 161
Note the placement of the buildings and phone poles along the roadbed of the former eastern Central Valley line of the Southern Pacific. Further south the line would have connected with what is now the main Union-Pacific line in the Central Valley. Part of my effort to document the extent of railroads in the early 1900's, their effects on communities, and their eventual abandonment.
315 items in total