Western Railroad Discussion > SP passenger train #43

I am looking for the name, and starting point of SP passenger train #43. You can see a picture of the train on page 58 of R. J. Church's book "Those Daylight 4-8-4s" being pulled by GS-4 4450. Also can anyone tell me what was usually in the consist of this train? The picture says the train is arriving in Los Angeles in the mid 1950s. Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Haxor

Trains #43 and #44 were the Californian and operated between Chicago and Los Angeles via the CRI&P and SP. It was an all coach train with a diner. In later days it became more of a mail train as passenger business dwindled. I guess, when it was popular, it was the counterpart to the all pullman Golden State which operated over the same route.

Thank you for your help.

ExEspee stated that 43 and 44 operated over the same route as the Golden State. That's 99-44/100% true, but:

For those 300 miles between Mescal, Arizona, and Anapra, New Mexico, the Golden State (3 and 4) operated over the South Line--the old EPSW. 44 also operated over the South Line, but 43 operated over the North Line. (5 and 6 were likewise split--5 South Line, 6 North Line.)

[I thought 43 and 44 were the Argonaut, but I have no intention of arguing with ExEspee. If not 43 and 44, then what was?]

--George Birch

The Argonuat ran as trains 5 and 6.

A little on on train number 43. The Californian were renumbered 43 and 44 in Jan. 1937 and carried chair cars and tourist sleepers. In 1947 the name Californian was dropped and the train operated west of Tucumcari,NM. From March 1949 to July 1951 the train was named the Cherokee. In July 1951 the name was dropped and all passenger equipment was removed except a rider coach. The trains were discontinuedn Jan. 9, 1955.

From my ancient memory I thought the train was renamed the Apache. As a kid I got to ride that train between Phoenix, and LA with my parents. It almost always had a GS type locomotive and a mountain type on rare occasions. Half the train was ususally mail and baggage.

In the Feb. 1948 Official Guide train 43 had sleepers Memphis/LA,
St. Louis/LA and Tuscon/LA. It had chair cars Memphis/LA, Oaklahoma
City/LA, amd Fort Worth/LA. There was a diner Carrizozo/LA and a
lounge car for Pullman passengers El Paso/LA. #43 went thru Lordsburg
and #44 went thru Douglas.

According to Beebe, The Apache ran as trains 11 & 12 and were discontinued in 1938. A note on the trains 43 and 44, for a time after they were discontinued east of Tucumcari they still carried cars that connected with other CRI&P trains at Tucumcari.

What kind of cars were usually used on it? I have a brass #4450 that I want to decal up for this train (it is the only one that I have a picture of this locomotive pulling) Was it heavy weight, harriman, streamlined or a combination of all of the above? About how long was it usually?
Thanks in Advance...
Haxor
Class of 2001 WCHS

I have a reprint of a SP equipment circular for 6/46 that shows 43 and 44 as the Californian. Both trains ran in two sections one sleepers and the other chair cars.
1/43
baggage express Niland-LA
baggage express El Paso-LA
express Chicago-El Paso
3 tourist sleepers Chicago-LA
tourist sleeper Chicago-Yuma
tourist sleeper El Paso-Yuma
lounge Tucumcari-LA
2 diners Tucumcari-LA
lounge Tucumcari-LA
Standard sleepers Tucumcari-LA from Memphis
3 standard sleepers Chicago-LA
2 standard sleepers Chicago-Phoenix
Standard sleeper Phoenix-LA
Note ran as 2/5 between El Paso and Tucson

2/43
mail baggage KC-El Paso
mail baggage El Paso-LA
baggage El Paso-LA
baggage express Tucumcari-LA from OK City
baggage express KC-LA
baggage express Chicago-LA
2 coaches Chicago-LA
coach KC-LA
3 coaches El Paso-LA 2 from T&P Ft Worth
diner Tucumcari-LA
coach Tucumcari-LA from Memphis
coach Tucumcari-Yuma to San Diego from Memphis
coach Chicago-Yuma to San Diego
coach El Paso-Yuma to San Dirego from New Orleans