This is a mystery for sure. There was/is a railroad line running from the Chevron El Segundo Refinery, past LAX, and terminated at Taylor Yard by Dodger Stadium. Taylor Yard is where rail cars were transferred to other trains headed north, east, or south. I am thinking the derailment happened sometime between June 27 and July 7, since the replacement for my car(2339), 2340 was shipped in early July. The fact that all of the cars were cycled through the Santa Fe Salvage Depot, which seems to have been in the Los Angeles area, leads me to believe the derailment happened in the Los Angeles area. Santa Fe Salvage Depot might have been on Santa Fe Street or in the town of Santa Fe Springs. One of the cars(2759) was sold to its first owner by Glendale Ford.
I think the derailment happened on the way to or at Taylor Yard. There are no ICC or DOT records of this derailment on open tracks during this time period. Southern Pacific Railroad used that section of track during the time period in question and most likely the transporter due to the fact they assumed ownership of the cars. My Marti Report indicates Southern Pacific Railroad as the selling dealer.
This is the conclusion I have come to with all of the research I have done. This includes the following:
Talking with a former Southern Pacific Railraod Engineer
Contacting the Southern Pacific Railroad Historical Society
Contacting Stanford University Library where Southern Pacific Railroad archives are kept
BNSF Raiload
A last piece of the puzzle could be the paper trail. Probably a memo to Shelby American from the railroad outlining the derailment, insurance memo with details of payment, or other documentation within Shelby American. To date, I have not been successful on any of these fronts.
Greek