Nostalgia & History > E.K. Muller: SP 4460 special in 1954?

SP GS-6 4460 is well-known for bringing the curtain down on mainline steam in California with a series of excursions in 1958. Digging through the negatives of E.K. Muller at the Western Railway Museum Archives, I came across what appears to be another special passenger movement of some sort that went over Tehachapi behind 4460 on September 16, 1954. I can't find any documentation of an excursion on that date, and the consist doesn't really look like an excursion, but also doesn't look like a normal second-section of the eastbound San Joaquin Daylight, whose train number it carries. Anybody know what we're looking at here?

69454: SP 4460 waiting patiently at Bakersfield, CA
69457: The first section of the No.52 rolls into Bakersfield behind PA2 6032 and PB2 5924
69460: At the depot, 1-52's power has now been swapped for an ABBA set of F-units

So far so ordinary, but...

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69463: Now at the foot of Tehachapi Pass at Ilmon, Muller caught 4460 with "52" in the indicators leading the same two PA's that brought 1-52 into Bakersfield. Behind them is a string of heavyweights.
69465: Muller hotfooted it up to Tunnel 2 above Caliente to catch the train again. This and the blowup view give a better overview of the trainset. I see some occupied Dutch doors, but that car with the sliding door in the middle of the train has a decidedly military look to it. Troop train, maybe?

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The last pic looks like a troop (MAIN)train - there's a troop kitchen car in the middle of the train... The Korean War was underway at the time.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

Why is the stack so clean in #5?

Could 2 PA's not pull 10 cars uphill? That's only 5 cars per diesel unit. I thought the PA's and their GE traction motors were more powerful than that.

Definitely a troop train....that's one of the modern troop kitchen cars in the middle.

MojaveBill wrote:

> The last pic looks like a troop (MAIN)train - there's a troop kitchen car in the middle of the train... The Korean War was underway at the time.

Makes sense. I just looked a few negatives earlier in the set and discovered SP 6441 and company pulling 2-806 with a cut of military equipment behind the power the day before they pulled 1-52.

coach Wrote:

> Could 2 PA's not pull 10 cars uphill? That's only
> 5 cars per diesel unit. I thought the PA's and
> their GE traction motors were more powerful than
> that.

Even if the PA's were physically capable of handling the train alone without stalling, the extra horses would have helped get the train up the hill faster. Muller has other photos of eastbound passenger trains heading for Tehachapi with two PA's as road power plus a 2-unit EMD helper. Can't tell how long #52 is in the second shot below, but the Santa Fe train (the Grand Canyon, maybe?) is 11 cars.

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>Could 2 PA's not pull 10 cars uphill?

Sure, but two things: 1) Two units might not make schedule speed, and 2) two units might not be able to achieve a speed sufficient to keep the traction motors from overheating, i.e. the traction motors' short time rating.

-E.O.

pecosvalleychief Wrote:
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> Why is the stack so clean in #5?


The Fireman knew what he was doing?

HotWater Wrote:
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> pecosvalleychief Wrote:
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> > Why is the stack so clean in #5?
>
>
> The Fireman knew what he was doing?


Odd no steam trace showing from anywhere on the engine either along with no heat distortion from the stack either. Didn't think they could operate that clean. Hotwater, any thing to add here????

Thanks for sharing these images, Evan. Excellent look back on Tehachapi. Interesting view at Rowen with the SP 6441.

~Ryan

Posted from iPhone

BAB Wrote:
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> HotWater Wrote:
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> > pecosvalleychief Wrote:
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> > > Why is the stack so clean in #5?
> >
> >
> > The Fireman knew what he was doing?
>

The GS's (and I'm sure other oil-burners) ran very clean and given a 100 degree day in Southern CA- no steam showing isn't too surprising either.
Due to an odd chain of events I got a chance to fire the 4449 during my time on the AFT. I posted a description of that night over on the RR's Nostalgia page. (if you're interested look for "My Dumb Luck" 44) It's a somewhat rudimentary description and I'm no expert- You're right to ask Jack for a more informed answer/discussion of the subject!
SR
>
> Odd no steam trace showing from anywhere on the
> engine either along with no heat distortion from
> the stack either. Didn't think they could operate
> that clean. Hotwater, any thing to add here????

Wonderful photos. Thanks for posting. Are the Western Railway Museum Archives available on line? I was not previously aware of this museum, and when I went on their website after seeing your photos, I didn't see a reference to such Archives or to the possibility of public access to them, at least on line.

Thanks again.

Jerry

Evan:

These are great photos. Thanks so much for posting them!

~Steve Sloan
San Jose, CA

glibby Wrote:

> Are the Western Railway Museum Archives available on line?

Not yet, although they would like to.

MojaveBill Wrote:

>... The Korean War was underway at the time.

Hostilities ended on July 27, 1953, so the Korean War (though technically not over as the war has never officially ended) had been inactive for over a year.