Steam & Excursion > Blasting Into Town Under The Wig-Wag With Her Freight In 1946!

So much of another era is captured in this fine photo of Western Pacific 2-8-2 #308 as he powers her freight into Oakland, California on a cool winter morning in December 1946.

The War is over and the billboard behind the train shows the country returning to normal.  We see the head-end brakeman is relaxing on the top of the freight cars while the locomotive's fireman is watching the crossing to be sure the WP cross-buck,  flashing wig-wag signal and the engine's ringing bell are heeded by the early morning traffic.

Yes, quite a different time indeed.



Martin
 

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I wonder if WP was tender swapping on that mike?  That is the 3rd different model of tender I have seen on those engines.

308 is from the first order of 2-8-2's. The tenders seemed to get bigger with each new order.

#308 is actually from the third group of WP 2-8-2s.  #301-305 was the first order, a WP design.  #321-325 was the second order, light 2-8-2s shoved down WP's throat by the USRA during WW1.  WP hated the #321-325s and loudly complained to the USRA, who took them back after eleven months, sending WP five USRA heavy 2-8-2s that the EJ&E didn't like, they became #306-310 (the third group of 2-8-2s on the WP).  The five light 2-8-2s found a good home on the Wabash.  The tenders on the #306-310 were originally coal, converted to oil by WP, and yet later had their sides extended to increase water capacity.

I've been going nuts all day trying to figure out the location.  Is it just south of Jack London Square?  Or farther south around San Leandro?  I really should know because I was one year old when the pic was taken and living in the East Bay.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/15 16:47 by LarryB.

LarryB Wrote:
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> I've been going nuts all day trying to figure out
> the location.  Is it just south of Jack London
> Square?  Or farther south around San Leandro? 

Looks like the bottom number on the crossbuck post is 10-point-something.  Milepost 10 puts it in the vicinity of Melrose, and the only curve on the WP in those parts is just west of High St.  The 1946 aerial on historicaerials.com suggests the High St. crossing is a possibility...if the train is eastbound in the afternoon.  Perhaps Martin could give us a blowup of that crossing number?

Here you go.

Martin

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