Name: George Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Dec 14, 2007, 9:09 am - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Spinnaker Cove, Ca
E-mail
Message: More useless trivia. Keith, the reason for all of the railroads in Hawaii. In the old days of Hawaii, the sugar cane plantation owners wanted an expediant way to get their sugar cane to the processing plant(s). So they had railroads built from the fields to the processing plants. Sugar cane And Pineapple at one time were the main export from the Hawaiian islands, before tourism became their main source of income. Thus there's a lot of old unused railroad tracks on many of the islands.

Name: Jerry Miles ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Dec 14, 2007, 9:05 am - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Fair Oaks, CA
E-mail
Message: Tin Can Beach is easy and I remember passing by there with my family as a child. We did a lot of beach camping but never there. The simple answer to the name was that it became an unofficial free beach camping spot for land locked Angelinos and hobos. As no one maintained the area, trash especially tin cans littered the shore. It was actually not desirable because many barefoot children and adults too would cut their feet on the sharp lids. About 1961 the state came in and cleaned up the whole area now known as Bolsa Chica State Beach.

Name: Shannon Keys ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Dec 14, 2007, 8:41 am - HHS Time
Class: 1981
City & State: Colorado Springs
No E-mail
Message: I?m concerned. I think there are some members of the "Top 100 Club", particularly those in the top ten, who are steroid users ("on the clear"). How else can you explain, the stamina, added vigor and "bounce back ability" it takes to post those enormous Feedback numbers. All I have to say to you Ctown members who are juicers, is look in the mirror, and think about those classes in the new millennium who look up to you and strive to someday achieve top 100-status.......it's not too late to clean up. John, you know we look up to you to keep this site clean and pure of performance enhancers???.! Enough Said.

Name: Ray Smith ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Dec 14, 2007, 8:13 am - HHS Time
Class: 1981
City & State: Portland, OR
No E-mail
Message: Woke up early (6:45 am) and checked out CT and saw that it's 46 degrees in Hawthorne? OMG...dats cold!!!! What was the coldest recorded record in Hawthorne?

Name: Armand Vaquer ~~~~~~~~~~ Fri-Dec 14, 2007, 7:42 am - HHS Time
Class: 1972
City & State: Tarzana, CA
E-mail
Message: Who came home from Hawthorne High and sat in front of the boob tube and watched "Dark Shadows" to unwind? [Raises hand.] I remember quite a number of classmates who did.

Name: Keith D. Jones ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 11:12 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1976
City & State: Las Vegas
E-mail
Message: I was very surprised to find out how many railroads were in Hawaii. There is still a small one that operates on Maui for tourists. The Big Island had a few and one of them is really neat by Waikaloa. Oahu had some good ones too. Do you know the old story on how the "Shaka Sign" was created.

Name: Steve Fraser ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 9:48 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Laguna Woods
No E-mail
Message: Before Engineer Bill took the airwaves TV, he worked with the "Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Lionel Flyer @ Avalon RR". Because RR rail spanned 26 miles acoss the sea, Federal Authorities mandated that a man knew the seas. The brave man selected was our own "Skipper Frank".

Name: Jim Raines ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 7:59 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Salt Lake City Ut.
E-mail
Message: I remember going down to San Diego back in the early 50's and seeing Tin Can Beach. What a sight! All these tin cans strewn all over the beach for miles. Maybe Jerry Miles or someone else can enlighten us on why so many tin cans ended up on this beach. Love to see a photo of it.

Name: Armand Vaquer ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 5:51 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1972
City & State: Tarzana, CA
E-mail
Message: I'm curious if Walter Holt received any response from the Catalina Museum or Chamber of Commerce to his queries. John, in the pamphlet, the Sequoias were not suitable for the pilings whereas the Coastal Redwood logs were "water-resistant." Plus, the Sequoias were too short.

Name: Cindy Wernicke ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 5:29 pm - HHS Time
Maiden: Maxson
Class: 1963
City & State: Stagecoach, NV
E-mail
Message: Sloey, That show you mentioned was Engineer Bill, John got his real name right. It has been really cold in Northern Nevada, in the teens at night. We had snow last Friday and some of it is still on the ground, more snow expected Mon. and Tue. This is really neat. Since I can't have my old Hawthorne back, this is like heaven.

Name: John Crotty ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 5:06 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1969
City & State: HB
E-mail
Message: "On the the green light you go, and on the red light you stop, 'cause no good engineer would ever run a red light!" Good old Engineer Bill. We actually did that and drank our milk with him. Sometimes we even had Bosco in it!

Name: Howard "Paco" Duran ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 4:14 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1961
City & State: Lake Forest
E-mail
Message: I finally found the train leaving for Avalon...

Name: BUD ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 4:09 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1974
City & State: Belmont Shore
E-mail
Message: John, answering your question....we all know the pyramid's were built by the aliens, not humans, come on man.

Name: jim sloey ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 3:26 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: solvang
No E-mail
Message: What was the name of the fellow who had a cartoon show on evryday and had you drink your milk to red light, green light? Engineer John?

Name: John Crotty ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 2:19 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1969
City & State: HB
E-mail
Message: Okay, I'll put this to rest, at least for me, but don't be too hard on yourself Big John. About 20 years ago, I was up in the Bay Area and rode on this bridge/road, near or out of Sausalito. It seemed to lie right on top of the water. The ocean was only inches below the road surface and I believe, it kinda floated on the water...could be wrong, but it seemed like it. Perhaps some other Cougs know that bridge/road of which I write. So, the thought of some timbers and rails providing the same type of passage back in the late 19th century didn't seem quite so impossible to me. Thus, I bought the whole idea.....'nuff said

Name: Jerry Miles ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 2:05 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1966
City & State: Fair Oaks, CA
E-mail
Message: Actually all this commotion and doubt confuses me completely. My family always loved to take day trips to Avalon. One time in the late Fifties the International Longshore and Warehouse Union was on strike shutting the Great White Steamship down. I remember my dad telling us all to jump in my mom?s 1950 Studebaker and we headed in the direction of the harbor. My dad had grown up in the area and spent a lot of time in the beach towns. He knew exactly where the termination point of the old trestle was and we headed right for it. This is where the story confuses me. Instead of being removed in the 1920?s it was still there in the late 50?s and we took that old Studebaker all the way to Avalon. It was a little bumpy and it didn?t seem as if it was being maintained but it was safe and secure for our roundtrip to Santa Catalina. I hope that clears it all up. On another note, I have some wonderful swamp land with a view coming up for sale soon if there are any Cougars out there interested. Some of you are reaching the time to be looking for retirement property and I?ll give you a great deal. Cash only please.

Name: Art LaMere ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 1:51 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1973
City & State: Ice covered Iowa
No E-mail
Message: Just a little cold here in wonderful Bettendorf Iowa. Anyway was watching the TV last night channel Checking and come on to the court tv show they were doing a thing on guys picking up kids off the internet. low and behold it was the good old Hawthorne Police Department. I can remember the Police station across the street from the naval station. Anyway it was good to see the old home town. Take care all, Art

Name: Armand Vaquer ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 1:39 pm - HHS Time
Class: 1972
City & State: Tarzana, CA
E-mail
Message: C'mon guys. You were only hoaxed for about 24 hours. This hoax lasted almost 70 years: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake's_Plate_of_Brass

Name: John Crotty ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 12:08 pm - HHS Time
City & State: HB
E-mail
Message: JB, I got the same pamphlet sent to me from Armand. I even responded and asked why there has never been a documentary or such detailing this achievement. I mean, as Bud wrote, "what an engineering feat." I wondered also how they managed to traverse 26 miles of open, rolling ocean!!!! So, I got had twice!!!!! Oh well, I never professed to know everything....as they say, "ignorance is bliss!"

Name: Bud Rhoades ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 11:55 am - HHS Time
Class: 1974
City & State: Belmont Shore
E-mail
Message: Yea but nobody is mentioning the secret C.I.A tunnel that connects the mainland and Catalina, now everybody knows about that one, been in it myself.......

Name: Armand Vaquer ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 11:18 am - HHS Time
Class: 1972
City & State: Clamperfornia
E-mail
Message: Yes, John. You caught on! The San Pedro & Catalina Island Railroad was a hoax perpetrated by the folks who brought you the famous Drake's Plate Hoax (for years historians thought the brass plate allegedly placed by Sir Francis Drake was real), The Ancient & Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus (of which I am a member). My original post on this (Charles Elias Felton) was a little re-working, only the name and dates were changed. You have to admit the pamphlet was well-written.

Name: Howard "Paco" Duran ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 11:04 am - HHS Time
Class: 1961
City & State: Lake Forest
E-mail
Message: I forgot to mention bad boy Ike Turner passed away. My favorite song was "A fool in love".

Name: Howard "Paco" Duran ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 11:02 am - HHS Time
Class: 1961
City & State: Lake Forest
E-mail
Message: John,in 1962 at my first Newport Beach house, which was on Balboa Ave. a man with a car full of kids pulled over and asked me where he could find the bridge to Catalina...I smiled and tried to find Allan Funt. True story.

Name: John Baker ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 10:41 am - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Lomita, CA
E-mail
Message: After doing a little digging on Armand's San Pedro to Catalina Railroad I have to say I was "had" too. In my humble opinion, IT NEVER EXISTED!! Armand, show me some proof other than an E Clampus Vitus pamphlet. 300 foot redwood logs 20 feet in diameter for pilings brought down by wagon from the Sequoias? Hey, I was believing it too until I read that.

Name: Keith D. Jones ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 10:30 am - HHS Time
Class: 1976
City & State: Las Vegas
E-mail
Message: From what I found which was a painting, the railroad was fictitious. I think this means "fake" but not sure.

Name: George Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~ Thu-Dec 13, 2007, 9:10 am - HHS Time
Class: 1962
City & State: Spinnaker Cove, Ca
E-mail
Message: John Boy; When I was a boy growing up in Hawthorne, there was an old man, Mudbone was his name. He used to tell stories about the old railroad spurs that ran from San Pedro to Catalina Island. This railroad was also connected over water to San Clemente, San Nicholas, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and then back to the coast up near Ventura. It was quite an engineering feet, however, as Armand said the wood pilings rotted away and so did the railway. This story was verified by snoops.com.