Steam & Excursion > SP's back bone for yard work---the 0-6-0

Some 0-6-0's lasted right up to the very end and 0-6-0 1261 was one of them...This little guy is working the Fresno yard, tough little brutes, SP at one time had 300 0-6-0's, but as the alco s-2's began to show up, SP found that one diesel switcher could handle two shifts, and the 1000's were in most cases already gone and the 1100's and early 1200's were being replaced by the diesels......When steam was king, there was one engine for each shift and the locomotives pretty well stayed in their assigned yard or division until it was shop time and  in most cases they came right back....

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I really enjoy seeing the SP photos that barstool has been slowly sharing with us on TO.  To stay on the SP 0-6-0 theme,  I am enclosing a photo of Baldwin #49485 from SP Class S-10 0-6-0 #1242 that lasted until 12-28-1954 and a photo of Baldwin #49486 from #1243 that lasted a little longer and was scrapped on 8-20-1957.  We are most fortunate that many SP builder's plates were saved.  My first builder's plate was a 12" Baldwin plate from an SP 2-8-0 with a piece missing.  I purchased it at a flea market in 1963 for $18.  I wish that I still had it!

Ron

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I wonder why the two builders plates are of different materials, when clearly they were manufactured at the same time in the same plant?

Both plates are cast in bronze.  The top plate is just as it was removed from the locomotive covered with graphite and soot.  It is rare to see a plate like this today, but this one was in storage for many years!

Some Southern Pacific 0-6-0 switchers lasted even BEYOND the end of steam as we know it.  Here is one such example.

Still lettered as SP #842 we see Green Brothers Sand & Gravel Co. #842 working their operation in Franklintown, Louisiana on September 21, 1963!  Yes, she was still working strong into 1963 - long after her other SP 0-6-0 sisters had been silenced for good.

Martin



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/17 04:13 by LoggerHogger.

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But thankfully they still exist in model form.

Out

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There are reportedly 14 preserved SP 0-6-0s.  For a list of them (scroll down to the 0-6-0s), go to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_preserved_Southern_Pacific_Railroad_rolling_stock



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/17 13:59 by johnsweetser.