My parents lived in Roseville, just a block from the eastbound yard throat. They were thankfully beyond the danger zone, which was closer to the west end where the explosions flattened the village of Antelope. I was in college down in Southern California at that time, and finally was able to get through on a pay phone (no cell phones yet, and the school's phones in the dorms didn't allow long distance). My parents were o.k., but shaken by all the explosions.

I never saw photos of the cars themselves, but these were probably ex-USN, by then DODX 50', 1 1/2 door PS-1s with a 10' IH (see attached; car preserved at the Western Railway Museum. Note the Chrysler trucks.). Certainly unique cars, and actually built within our period of interest. The explosives were iron bombs destined for Vietnam, but at least one tank car of LP gas was blown into the sky when the fire reached it. When the UP rebuilt the yard a few years after the SP take-over, their contractors found several unexploded bombs that had lain under the tracks for 25 or so years.

Yours Aye,

Garth Groff  🦆