Do Not Hump -- Train Engineer and EMD GP40 Locomotive in San Luis Obispo, California Women's T-Shirt

Humping is a method of sorting railroad cars. A locomotive pushes cars to the top of a hill, where they are released to roll down the other side on their own. The track on side of the "hump" branches into several parallel tracks where the trains are made up. The car or cars can be made to roll into whichever of the parallel tracks needed so it becomes part of the right train. While quicker and more efficient that having a locomotive take each car to its appropriate train under power and returning to pick up other cars, some cars containing fragile contents, hazardous material, or otherwise require special handling may be marked with a "Do Not Hump" sign to indicate they should not be free-rolled in a hump yard.

Back in 1994, all locomotives coming through the San Luis Obispo depot weren't yet painted UP Armour Yellow. Southern Pacific was still the railroad that called the Coast Line home, and as a division of the SP, Rio Grande equipment could often be seen powering trains over...

I have been photographing the things I see for over thirty years. A resident of San Luis Obispo County, I'm lucky to have many excellent photo destinations within a few minutes' or hours' drive. Beyond the local area, I have traveled throughout California and the western United States, visited far away American destinations such as Chicago, New York, Florida, and Alaska, and international destinations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. My photography varies from Architecture to Industrial Art to Nature to Wildlife and I'm sure you'll find something suitable for your home or office. Visit my blog