Nostalgia & History > What and Where is SP Car #599?

The photos were taken by Richard Smith. Not sure if this was an excursion trip? I assume it happen sometime after June of 1956. What was this car used for and what happen to it? Anyone have any history on this car?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/14 17:42 by edsaalig.

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I assume it belongs to Southern Pacific?

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That configuration almost looks like one of the ex-CP cars on the Sierra, different
car, same idea.

Out



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

Looks like the 599 on the Sierra railroad. Mountain observation car ex Canadian Pacfic coach 1424, built in 1914' rebuilt in 1956 according to the California State Railroad Museum roster.

Its an ex-CP car that belonged to Orange Empire, if I recall. A "mountain obs."
Used to be a popular car on excursions. There's a sister car up in B.C.

It's a former Canadian Pacific car. It was owned by OERM before being sold to the Sierra. I rode it several times in the late '60's over Tehachapi and to Barstow. It was a great car to ride.

Steve

Not an excursion; looks to be the standard consist of the "San Joaquin Daylight" prior to the end of Railway Post Office service in 1967. Based on the reversed ex-Parlor Observation behind the RPO, I would guess 1966.

The_Chief_Way Wrote:
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> Its an ex-CP car that belonged to Orange Empire,
> if I recall. A "mountain obs."
> Used to be a popular car on excursions. There's a
> sister car up in B.C.


Both cars sold to Sierra

The 599 is an ex CP car. Mainly through the efforts of Ed Von Nordeck, Orange Empire purchased the car for excursions and brought it to southern Calif. And what a wonderful time we had with that car.

On one of the trips through Highland Park the crews had orders that no one was to ride in that car due to the low life existing there throwing rocks. The window glass was not safety glass, and probably still has never been changed.

The museum had no place to store it then and it was thought that Sierra would make a good home for it. Sierra made an equitable offer and it was theirs. Would be nice to have now.

At that time we didn't have a connection to the ATSF and no car barn for inside storage, as it has a canvas roof. Looks like they've taken good care of it.

Watts local

This car used to come through Mojave frequently on excursions on the Santa Fe in the '60s.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

If I may make a correction the 599 and her sister 597 are no longer owned by Sierra Railroad. They are both owned by the state of California and run on the Sierra Railway which is part of Railtown 1897.
The 599 is used every weekend on our regular runs at Railtown and she still has full seating. The 597 is used on special trains and was converted to what we call a bar car. At one end there are rest rooms the center section is set up as a bar and the remaining section is open with no seats. Don't quote me because I really don't know but I believe the conversion of the 597 was done when it was owned by the Sierra Railroad in the 1970's.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/14 22:08 by 28hogger.

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I rode this car several times on excusions over Tehachapi and Cajon back in the 60's. Went to Kelso on the UP once too. It was a great car to ride in. I think it was finally outlawed on some main lines because of the old type of bearings it had. Brass I think. If it looked like it was part of a San Joaquin Daylight it was because sometimes they would book a small excursion and tack a few cars on the back of the regular train. Of course there were no photo stops when run like that. I rode one of those to Bakersfield from L.A. once. Then we had to wait for the SP East, compass West Bound train to go back to L.A.

CRS



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/14 22:23 by CR3.

It's what streetcar buffs would call a California Car, open at both ends but closed in the middle. The cable cars on California Street in San Fancisco are, coincidentally, California Cars. But there are plenty of other examples like the Bakersfield & Kern trolley at, coincidentally, Orange Empire Railway Museum (picture borrowed from their web page). It's unfortunately not operable.

Marty Bernard

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The folks up in Squamish BC have another example of the CP Mountain Observation cars.
Theirs has been out on the mainline in recent years with the Rocky Mountaineer people.

Well, I can tell you the year it wasn't. SGillings and I rode it in May 1967. OETM arranged for an SP coach, SP 2401 and the 599 on a round trip to Bakersfield, leaving LA at 5:40am. I know this wasn't that trip, as the 2401 wasn't a Shasta Daylight, tall window coach, rather one built for the Golden State. It was a great trip, and we wandered all over the Bakersfield engine facility while we were there.

It was a great time to be 15 years old! Too bad it was before I had access to a 35mm camera...

Lee Hower - Sacramento

A couple of pictures of the 599 on a January 1967 trip over Cajon to Barstow that I posted a few years ago. On the way back, the 599 was next to the PA's. I believe that these two pictures were around Blue Cut or just below it. Santa Fe obs 1509 was at the other end and was next to the PA's on the way to Barstow. Lee, great trip, wasn't it?

Steve

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Ed, talk to Jim Baker at San Dimas.

Will try to post some details of the car and purchasing by OERM later in the week.

I was on the Jan 67 Alco PA trip to Barstow (we left from Pasadena to avoid LAUPT charges)--everything in the consist had six axles. Then we did the May 1967 trip from LA to Bakersfield--especially memorable because I got a cab ride in a KM diesel-hydraulic in the BAK yard.

Next year we did the City of Cima on the UP, Cima being as far as we could go and still keep within the Hours of Service limits. In May it was back to Bakersfield on the San Joaquin, with one of SP's new SDP45s on the point. With only six cars, the 3600 hp unit wasn't working very hard. This was the trip where I was taking movies (worked for Bell & Howell and could borrow a top-of-the-line 8mm camera) and found 599 to be a great camera platform with those open-air sections. You may have seen my story of how I showed the film to my daughters (who were 6 and 7 years old at the time). When we came to the view of the head end as we rounded the Caliente curve, my younger daughter said, "Daddy! That's a freight train engine!" and her sister chime in with, "I don't like it. It's too square!"

I think the last time I rode 599 was the "Discover Ojai" trip on Oct. 12, 1968, which included heading westward on the SP Burbank Branch, with a photo stop on the section in North Hollywood that was used by Pacific Electric interurbans until 1952.

But by then the era of one-day fantrips was drawing to a close, and the next time I rode 599 was behind steam on the Sierra in the mid-1970s.

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Sorry, have not been able to post add details of the 599. Medical conditions have not allowed me to get to file. Hopefully someday.

However the car was used on the official SP board member inspection train of the new Palmdale Cutoff, and car operated LA-Palmdale. Freight train back to LA.

Have photos buried somewhere.

Ed

Hi,

Perhaps this is the other coach. Called Henry Pickering, but was 598.
Owner: West Coast Railway Association - Vancouver BC
Current use: leased to Rocky Mountaineer for their North Vancouver to Whistler trips May to September.
Seen near MP 60 Squamish Sub this summer.

611

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