Nostalgia & History > Riding an SP Dome Car

This official photo by Southern Pacific depicts train #52, the San Joaquin Daylight and one of SP's home built dome cars enroute to Los Angeles. My first ride in an SP dome car was in 1955 on train #51, the westward San Joaquin Daylight, and again the car was painted in red, orange and black as were all the cars in the train. The power was a black & silver semi-streamlined 4-8-4 of the 4400 series. I always thought that had been a great, although short, ride and guessed that the other passengers in the dome had been just as happy. Over the years I observed domes, rarely full, in use on other SP trains, but never again behind steam. The few other times I rode on SP the trains did not include a dome, but no matter. The open upper vestibule door turned out to be a more enjoyable place to ride.

In 1976 I had to fly to San Luis Obispo for an emergency and returned to Oakland on Amtrak train #11. After all those years I was on a train with an SP dome in its consist. It only required about an hour before I had enough of the dome car seat and returned to a coach to relax. Those dome seats caused you to sit up and see the scenery but were not built for long term comfort.

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That's what the restaurant folks call "turning the tables."

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

Some Robert Hanft photos from the Western Railway Museum Archives depicting the dome-behind-steam on the SJ Daylight:

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Westbound Wrote:
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> This official photo by Southern Pacific depicts
> train #52, the San Joaquin Daylight and one of
> SP's home built dome cars enroute to Los
> Angeles. 

Sure looks like #51 going around the Caliente Horseshoe.

Best regards,

Rob L.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
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> Some Robert Hanft photos from the Western Railway
> Museum Archives depicting the dome-behind-steam on
> the SJ Daylight:

Evan that 2nd photo you posted is awesome ... thankx for posting ...

Posted from Android

rob_l Wrote:
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> Westbound Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > This official photo by Southern Pacific depicts
> > train #52, the San Joaquin Daylight and one of
> > SP's home built dome cars enroute to Los
> > Angeles. 
>
> Sure looks like #51 going around the Caliente
> Horseshoe.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Rob L.

If that IS Caliente though, the train wouldn't be headed toward L.A.
That modern looking structure on the hill in the background doen't look like something you'd see in the Caliente area either.
But if it's not Caliente, I sure couldn't tell you where it is!