LEONARD DALE SALISBURY SD & A/SD & AE Locomotive Engineer
August 3, 1907 - November 14, 2002
A Tnbute By Dick PennickEast of Seeley, a station and farming community on the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway between Plaster City and El Centro, the track roadbed had a severe case of "Athene cunicularia". But, to be fair, cunicularia was only part of the problem. Although the name sounds like a virulent jungle disease, it is the scientific name of a species of North American burrowing owl, common to the western half of the U.S. and particularly the southwestern deserts. This owl never digs its own burrow, but instead lets the local ground squirrels or prairie dogs do the "grunt" work. When the burrow is no longer needed by the original excavators, Mr. & Mrs. Owl move in.
On this particular Imperial Valley afternoon, veteran SD & AE engineer Leonard "Salty" Salisbury, his fireman Leroy Holzman, and conductor Don Little were piloting #452, the daily eastbound freight, with 80 cars including several reefers loaded with fresh celery. In a few minutes, they would deliver their train to parent S.P. at El Centro, tie up, go for beans, and get the required rest before herding tomorrow's westbound #451 back to San Diego.
A local farmer had overflowed his field with irrigation water on both sides of the single track for the past couple days. Historically, what ballast there was under this stretch of track - and most of the remaining 140-odd miles of this S.P. step-child for that matter - was decomposed granite or other native, locally-available and cheap material. The excess irrigation water had found its way into the owl burrows in the track embankment, and by the time Salty and his six-axle RSD-5's arrived, the roadbed was pretty soggy. As the heavy locomotives rolled onto the spongy track, they suddenly began to rock violently from side to side like a kids' carnival ride. A veteran of many such situations on this mountain railroad. Salty "big-holed" the brakes and the head brakeman was poised to "Join the birds". By the time the train came to an emergency stop, the locomotives were miraculously still on the track but many of the celery cars had derailed. Fortunately, the derailed cars stayed coupled together and in a straight line. The old Harriman combination car (#174 or #175) being used as a caboose at the rear, stayed on the iron, to the relief of conductor Little and his rear brakeman. The crew had survived another day on the "Slow, Dirty & Aggravating"!
Leonard received his final orders from the Great Dispatcher on November 4, 2002 "with rights over all trains". He was 95. He passed away at Valley Lutheran Hospital in Mesa, Arizona, not far from his Apache Junction home, from heart failure due to complications of asbestos-related lung disease. Leonard was cremated the following day, November 15th, the 83rd anniversary of the completion of the San Diego & Arizona Railway in 1919.
He hired out on the 6-year old SD & A at 17 as a Machinist Helper at the gas-electnc car terminal at the foot of 'B' Street, across Kettner from the new Santa Fe station in San Diego. His job was to help keep the problem-plagued second-hand G.E. cars running. He finally got his chance for engine sen ice in the fall of 1925, beginning his student trips not long after his 18th birthday. He went firing on December 15, 1925, working passenger trains on the branch line to Lakeside, freight on the Coronado and Chula Vista branches and the Main Line to El Centro. He was finally promoted to engineer in January 1943 during the hectic days of WWII, at 35 the youngest engineer on the SD & AE.
When he eventually made his final run and retired from the railroad on July 25, 1973, he had fired or run every steam engine on the SD&A/SD&AE roster from #1 to #106, including the Museum's #104, many SP Moguls and Consolidations, and most of the SP 2300-series Ten-wheelers used on the line, from #2314 to #2384, including our #2353. He also worked for short periods on several SP divisions, hostling or firing a variety of engines including the big GS 4-8-4's. He had served as chairman of Local #515, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, for 30 years.
When the San Diego Railroad Museum was completing restoration of its big Ten-wheeler #2353, Leonard was invited to provide his expertise, joined by his long-time friend and former SD & AE fireman Richard Dick, to train our initial steam engineers and firemen in the fine art of steam locomotion. In his 80's by this time, and 40 years alter he had last sat at the throttle of a working steam engine, he was as comfortable in the driver's seat as he would have been on his living room sofa. Twenty-five years of steam experience instantly relumed for one final hurrah.
On February 9, 2003, a Museum crew consisting of engineer Dick Pennick, conductor Robin Becker, brakeman Brian Sampson, and steward Seth Miller pulled the ex-AT & SF observation car #1509 and 35 of Leonard's friends and family on the rear of Trains 4/5, the regular Miller Creek turn, as a tribute to a fine gentleman and one of our own. On the return to Campo, in the vicinity of the former Clover Flat passing track, engineer Pennick began an extended set of mournful whistle tones as family members on the rear platform of the #1509 paid their last respects to "Old Salty Dog". It was a very emotional experience, for the crew as well as for the family.
The Museum and all of Leonard's friends on the Steam Team crew extend their condolences to his wife, Fern, and other family members. The Salisbury family has made a $500 memorial contribution to the 2353 Steam Locomotive Fund. Any member who would like to make a memorial contribution in Leonard's name to this fund should make the check payable to: "PSRM - 2353 Fund" and mail to the Museum c/o Dick Pennick, SteamTeam Fundraising Coordinator, 9584 Upland Street, Spring Valley, CA 91977-2834. All such contributions will be used to help return engine #2353 to service on Leonard's home railroad, and are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. All contributions will be acknowledged and tax receipts will be provided.
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