![]() I spent my professional career in the rail industry and I know more than a few things about rail economics, operations, and federal regulations, so I always suspected that this high maintenance-low utilized line would be on the Asset Department’s hit list for abandonment. Every time I’m in Torrance, I marvel at the very existence of the line and wonder how it has managed to survive so long while entertaining such sparse utilization. Rail service is infrequent with short trains every other week or so. The line is owned by Union Pacific Railroad (whose tagline is “ Building America” – they should add “ and not wrecking it“) and it’s really just one long lead that serves a single industry located at the very north end. ![]() I have family members who reside in Torrance and they live on a divided street that has an active rail line that traverses the median. Our unfortunate victim appears to be a Custom version. And of course, being the halcyon year of 1969, there was an SS396 performance variant which was an option package for the Custom trim level. First up was the Standard, which aligned with the Chevelle 300/Deluxe and it was followed by the Custom which was the Camino version of the Chevelle Malibu. Based on the A-body intermediate Chevelle and chassis, a 116″ wheelbase station wagon platform to be exact, the El Camino came in three different trim levels that year. Credit has to go to Ford for developing the concept first, known as the Ranchero and introduced in ’57, but Chevrolet stuck with it longer and it proved to be a popular component of their very commanding 1960s line-up – ’69 El Camino production exceeded 48K units. So, sit back, and I’ll tell you about the travails of a Chevy ute that used to call Torrance, California its home.Ĭhevrolet’s El Camino (’59-’60 and ’64-’87) filled a niche for those that wanted car-like driving dynamics but needed the functionality of a pickup truck. Unfortunately, it’s not unheard of – it’s the stuff of legend and stories. To have a cherished vehicle survive for 54 years and then one chowder-headed move evaporates it in the blink of an eye is an unfortunate and needless event. This is a sad tale, a tale of an old car, an everyday driver, and an owner’s enthusiasm for it on one hand and big corporation stupidity and carelessness on the other. If a palm tree falls in southern California and no one hears it, does it make a sound? It does if it lands on a 1969 Chevrolet El Camino.
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