Nostalgia & History > A few years ago in Salem

          Here's a look back at SP train #20 making a station stop at Salem Oregon.  In this view it
  looks like the train is still rolling and the baggage car will be stopped next to the loaded cart. Today's
  train is led by Alco PA 6030. There aren't a lot of passengers this day although there appears to be
  plenty of baggage. Perhaps some are mail. No date on this photo but it looks like mid sixties to me.
  A very nice view I think. This is from my friend Jim Morris' collection.

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Very nice. There seems to be a shortage of PA photos in Oregon.

Yes, very nice. Looks like there are two carts, maybe the train will stop the mail car by first one that's loaded high and the baggage car by the second one that's in the shadow. Looks like a long train, would they keep just two units on it for the mountains?

NYC303 Wrote:
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> Yes, very nice. Looks like there are two carts,
> maybe the train will stop the mail car by first
> one that's loaded high and the baggage car by the
> second one that's in the shadow. Looks like a long
> train, would they keep just two units on it for
> the mountains?

SP 20 is eastbound, or geographically northbound towards Portland, almost at the end of its run.  Additional power for over the Cascades was removed at Eugene.

Lee Hower - Sacramento

NYC303 Wrote:
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> Yes, very nice. Looks like there are two carts,
> maybe the train will stop the mail car by first
> one that's loaded high and the baggage car by the
> second one that's in the shadow. Looks like a long
> train, would they keep just two units on it for
> the mountains?

Train 19&20 operated on slower schedules which did not have massive power requirements that say, the Cascade and Shasta Daylight did given their faster schedules. That said, the superiority of the ALCO PA's GE traction motors gave them an edge over EMD power consists of equal horsepower.

The ALCO's weakness were in the 244 powerplant, which suffered from weak crankshafts. Many of the issues were addressed through the production of the PA and other ALCO products. SP and Santa Fe both put their PA's through a major rebuild program initiated with ALCO and GE. This improved their reliability and performance. Sadly, a much improved PA with a 251 prime mover never saw the light of day. Cataloged in 1954, a 2400HP PA3 was offered, but found no buyers. It's performance most certainly would have outmatched an E9, but with the passenger locomotive market that was past it's peak, the passenger train itself on a downward trend, and the poor reputation ALCO had acquired as a result of the 244 prime mover problems,  all gave buyers reasons to stay away.

The second track and the building to the left are gone. Neat photo.

Marty

By the mid-60s train 20 was a mail train with a rider coach, used primarily by SP employees and their families on passes.  Anything you see that wasn't mail was probably express.

MartyBernard Wrote:
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> The second track and the building to the left are
> gone. Neat photo.
>
> Marty

Yeah, I worked there (Del Monte Plant #126) summers from 1969 to 1973 - and watched many a train go by.