Nostalgia & History > SP's West Oakland Coachyard.

Here are a pair of photos taken at SP's small coach yard at West Oakland,

On this August 4, 1984 date the "Phantom Fleet" as Joe Strapac liked to term the remaining SP cars, were still wearing their silver (or stainless steel) with red letterboard paint schemes but after the amazing success and public good will brought about by the Louisiana Worlds Fair Daylight only two months before, the word came down to paint the cars in red and orange. (© KPR Media Services, all rights reserved)

On February 15, 1992 I caught the "Daylighted" version of the Phantom Fleet after a rainstorm. It should be noted that the only part of the fleet to retain the silver and red scheme were the business cars. Up through the merger with UP, these stunningly painted cars were used regularly on special trains. Today, the diner, No. 290, sits on display at the California State Railroad Museum. I have no idea what happened to the balance of fleet. (© KPR Media Services, all rights reserved)

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Thanks.
That 1980s paint didn't seem to have the gloss of the classic Daylight finish.

I was lucky to have worked as a brakeman on a few officers' specials, and the interior of the Sunset reminded me of something out of a mid-50's version of Better Homes and Gardens. The lucky part was that they invariably amusing (once that one became separated from fear of one's job). Train crews generally were forbidden from performing their duties from the office cars (although Biagini did not seem to mind when he was on board), so to "comply" with the rules some official or another would assume the duties of the rear man. The Supt. of the Western Division (what's his name? between Jones and Brendenberg; later VP) replaced me once, and let's just say that he performed as well as I would have in his job.

-E.O
Wx4.org

Years ago I started calling the Sunset the "City of Formica".
Has the UP changed it any?
SR

Nobody between Jones and Brendenberg. Now MDO came next...

The Sunset interior was redone in 1973 by You-knighted airlines to look like the lounge of a 747



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/14 11:52 by WAF.

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nobody between Jones and Brendenberg. Now MDO came
> next...
>
> The Sunset interior was redone in 1973 by
> You-knighted airlines to look like the lounge of a
> 747

Anybody have any pictures of it pre-73 redecoration?

Also it looks like the business cars are getting ready to leave or just got back

Formica was "the living end" in the 1950s. Super classy designer material that everybody wanted.

In 1939, the SP "Daylights" got fluorescent lighting in place of the subdued indirect incandescent trough lighting of the 1937 trains. "The closest thing to daylight yet invented" they said. And the beautiful "Lark Club" triple-unit, in subtle tones of navy, rust, and gray, got a "California Bear State" makeover in the mid-1950s, with pale gray-tan Formica and sunny yellow walls. Fairly hideous in retrospect and comparison to the original, from this point in time.

Tastes and contexts change. Didn't one of the heavyweight business cars also have a Formica makeover? Was it "Los Angeles"?

~ BZ

I was lucky enough to see the inside of the Sunset around 1993 or so and agree that it looked like something out of Better Homes & Gardens!! Especially since the car that was coupled to it was a recently refurbed Santa Fe biz car which looked awesome! (I was riding on a press train for the inauguration of another San Joaquin, which is why we had two different biz cars from two different railroads.)

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nobody between Jones and Brendenberg. Now MDO came
> next...
>
> The Sunset interior was redone in 1973 by
> You-knighted airlines to look like the lounge of a
> 747


NOT SO. Succesion was: WMJ, DMM (Mike Mohan), RDB, MDO, LPM, DKM,

And I should know since I was Assistant Superintendent for WMJ, DMM, and RDB.

MDO.

> > Nobody between Jones and Brendenberg. Now MDO
> came
> > next...

>
> NOT SO. Succesion was: WMJ, DMM (Mike Mohan),
> RDB, MDO, LPM, DKM,
>
> And I should know since I was Assistant
> Superintendent for WMJ, DMM, and RDB.
>
> MDO.

hogheaded (previously) Wrote:
>The Supt. of the Western Division (what's his name? between Jones and Brendenberg; later VP) replaced me once, and let's just say that he performed as well as I would have in his job.


[Uh oh, I think that I'm going to be retroactively fired...]

Hi Mr. Ongarth! Nice weather that we've been having, eh sir?

-E.O.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/14 17:15 by hogheaded.

DMM must have spent a short time on the WD

WAF Wrote:
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> DMM must have spent a short time on the WD


Weeell, I wasn't speaking about DMM, as it turns out...never mind.

-E.O.

CrudPunko Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> On this August 4, 1984 date the "Phantom Fleet" as
> Joe Strapac liked to term the remaining SP cars,
> were still wearing their silver (or stainless
> steel) with red letterboard paint schemes but
> after the amazing success and public good will
> brought about by the Louisiana Worlds Fair
> Daylight only two months before, the word

My recollection is that the Budd Sunset cars were painted Daylight colors in 1989 after Phillip Anshutez purchased the SP.

>My recollection is that the Budd Sunset cars were painted Daylight colors in 1989 after Phillip Anshutez purchased the SP.

Not sure about the now-yellow Palace of Pink Toilet Seats, but the ones from the early 1950s Sunset equipment were painted this way before mid-1987, because it happened before I went to Atk.