Railroaders' Nostalgia > Mad Dog Chronicle #305 SP Steam Operations 1960 to 1996

SP Steam Operations. 1960 to 1996.  Part 1

1.  Caveat and disclaimer:  This chronicle is largely written from personal experiences and (imperfect ) recollections .
      I have very few notes and no files.  I have not consulted references other than Google and Wikipedia and they are not really 
      helpful.  
      Any additions or corrections will be appreciated.  

2.   I believe that the last regular operation with steam engines on the Southern Pacific was sometime in1957. There were several excursions to mark the end of steam on SP in 1958,  I think that the last trip behind steam was to have been pulled behind the 4460 from Oakland and Sparks and return.  Any movements under steam after that trip, if there were any were only re positioning to storage.  Most of these were towed cold.

Many locomotives were given to on line cities for display in parks. I used to have a list, but cannot locate it.  The 4449 was retired in 1956. It was donated to the city of Portland in 1958.  In 1974 it was restored to operating condition and toured the US pulling the American Freedom Train.
SP 2472 went to San Mateo County for display at the county fair grounds. 4460 went to the St. Louis Museum of Transport and is still there.  SSW 819 went to the City of Pine Bluff, Ar.  I saw it in a city park under a open air cover in 1972 when I lived in Pine Bluff.  4294 was donated to the city of Sacramento and now resides in the main hall of the Sacramento Rail Museum.

List of preserved Southern Pacific Railroad rolling stockFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A large quantity of rolling stock formerly owned and operated by Southern Pacific Railroad has been preserved in museums and on tourist railroads across North America.    Preserved steam locomotives

• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/SP_4449_front.jpg/85px-SP_4449_front.jpgThe smokebox and pilot of 4449 at Railfair '91 in Sacramento, California.
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Steamfest07Front745A.jpg/90px-Steamfest07Front745A.jpgSP 745 in New Orleans, Louisiana

Number/nameClassWheel arrangement
(Whyte notation)Disposition and LocationCP 1
Gov. Stanford 4-4-0Static display, California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, CaliforniaST&E 1 4-4-0Static display, Travel Town Museum, Los Angeles, CaliforniaUP 737 4-4-0Static display, Double-T Agricultural Museum, Stevinson, CaliforniaSA&AP 60
Texas II 4-4-0Static display, Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad, Stone Mountain, GeorgiaEP&SW 1 4-4-0Static display, El Paso, TexasT&NO 146S-130-6-0Ogden, Utah1
C. P. Huntington 4-2-4TStatic display, California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, California8 4-6-0Narrow gauge locomotive; Sparks, Nevada9 4-6-0Narrow gauge locomotive; Laws, California18 4-6-0Narrow gauge locomotive; Independence, CaliforniaCP 60
Jupiter (replica) 4-4-0Original scrapped, replica is operational, Golden Spike National Historic Site, Promontory, UtahCP 63
"Leviathan" (replica) 4-4-0Original scrapped, replica is operational, privately owned by David H. Kloke of Cook county, IllinoisMW219  Travel Town Museum, Los Angeles, CaliforniaCP 233 2-6-2TStored, California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, California745Mk-52-8-2Operational, Louisiana Stream Train Association, Jefferson, Louisiana771 2-8-2Static display, Grapevine Vintage Railroad, Grapevine, Texas786Mk-52-8-2Undergoing restoration, Austin Steam Train Association, Austin, Texas794 2-8-2Static display, Southern Pacific station, San Antonio, Texas975F-12-10-2Static display; Illinois Railway Museum, Union, Illinois982F-12-10-2Static display; Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas1215S-100-6-0Static display, History Park at Kelley Park, San Jose, CA, owned by the California Trolley and Railroad Corporation.1221S-100-6-0Hanford, California1227S-110-6-0Sierra Northern Railway, Oakdale, California1229S-110-6-0Roseburg, Oregon1233S-100-6-0Woodland, California1237S-100-6-0Static display, Salinas, California1238S-100-6-0Fresno, California1251S-120-6-0Stored, dismantled, awaiting funds for restoration, Virginia City, Nevada1258S-120-6-0Martinez, California1269S-120-6-0Stored, unserviceable, Niles Canyon Railway, Sunol, California1273S-120-6-0Static display, Travel Town Museum, Los Angeles, California1285S-140-6-0Monterey, California1293S-140-6-0Tracy, California1298S-100-6-0Santa Cruz, California1629M-42-6-0Saugus, California1673M-42-6-0Static display, Southern Arizona Transportation Museum (Southern Pacific Depot), Tucson, Arizona1727M-62-6-0Static display, in Dunsmuir, California at the Dunsmuir City Park and Botanical Gardens1744M-62-6-0The San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad purchased and began operating No. 1744 over the former Denver & Rio Grande's LaVeta Pass route from Alamosa, Colorado to LaVeta, Colorado in May 2007.1765M-62-6-0Lomita Railroad Museum, Lomita, California1771M-82-6-0Undergoing restoration, California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, California1774M-82-6-0Static display, Veterans Memorial Park, Globe, Arizona1785M-62-6-0Woodburn, Oregon2018T-164-6-0Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico2248T-14-6-0Grapevine Vintage Railroad, Grapevine, Texas2252T-14-6-0Static display, downtown Roseville, California2353T-314-6-0Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, Campo, California2355T-314-6-0Static display, Pioneer Park, Mesa, Arizona2467P-84-6-2Operational, but on static display, California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento California2472P-84-6-2Operational, Niles Canyon Railway, Sunol, California2479P-104-6-2Undergoing restoration by the California Trolley and Railroad Corporation, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San Jose, California2521C-92-8-0Static display, Yuma Crossing Historic State Park, Yuma, Arizona2562C-92-8-0Static display, Arizona Railway Museum, Chandler, Arizona2579C-92-8-0Klamath Falls, Oregon Veterans Memorial Park2706C-82-8-0Privately owned, Oakdale, California2718C-82-8-0Alturas, California2720C-82-8-0Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, Campo, California2825C-92-8-0San Bernardino County Museum, Loma Linda, California2852C-102-8-0Orland, California2914TW-14-8-0Bakersfield, California3025A-34-4-2Static display, Travel Town Museum, Los Angeles, California3420C-192-8-0Stored at Phelps Dodge copper refinery, El Paso, Texas. Last run 1986. Needs boiler work to be FRA legal for running. Owned by El Paso Historic Board.4294AC-124-8-8-2Static display, California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, California4449GS-44-8-4Operational, Oregon Rail Heritage Center, Portland, Oregon4460GS-64-8-4Static display, Museum of Transportation, St. Louis, Missouri5021SP-24-10-2Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, Pomona, California



Edited 10 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/15 16:20 by mdo.

Tommy the Rocket DeLaRosa qualified as an SP engineer in steam in 1955 and said he spent most the next two years running the locos to the scrapper--in Oakland?
C

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

mdo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SP Steam Operations. 1960 to 1996 . (. Under
> construction)
>
> 1.  Caveat and disclaimer:  This chronicle is
> largely written from personal experiences and
> (imperfect ) recollections .
>       I have very few notes and no files.  I
> have not consulted references other than Google
> and Wikipedia and they are not really 
>       helpful.  
>       Any additions or corrections will be
> appreciated.  
>
> 2.   I believe that the last regular operation
> with steam engines on the Southern Pacific was
> sometime in1957. There were several excursions to
> mark the end of steam on SP in 1958,  I think
> that the last trip behind steam was to have been
> pulled behind the 4460 from Oakland and Sparks and
> return.  Any movements under steam after that
> trip, if there were any were only re positioning
> to storage.  Most of these were towed cold.
>
> Many locomotives were given to on line cities for
> display in parks. I used to have a list, but
> cannot locate it.  The 4449 was donated to the
> city of Portland.  2472 went to San Mateo County
> for display at the county fair grounds.

4274 ran over Donner on Nov 30-December 1, 1957. 4460 ran over Donner Oct 18-19, 1958. Excluding the narrow guage 18 in the Owens Valley on the Keeler Branch in 1960, that was it until 4449 in June, 1975



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/15 15:30 by WAF.

mdo --
I look forward to more details about steam operations
on the SP.  Thanks for this start.

(NOTE: The following is purely from memory.)
The last regularly-operated SP passenger train that was
pulled by a steam locomotibve was Train 130,  an eastbound
SF-SJ commute train, that left SF on Jan. 22, 1957, behind
the SP 4430, the class GS-4..

Methinks, for freight ops behind steam, the narrow-gauge
line out of Laws may have been the very last place steam
locomotives pulled SP freight trains.  I do not know the date.

WAF a minor correction the SP 4449 ran modern era first in June 1975.
SP railfan drew has a photo eastbound on Donner on 6-24-75 in Soda Springs, CA.
This is the info I understand from many railfan photos of
this epic mainline rebirth of the SP 4449 in June 1975.
I hope this info helps you and others with the corret historic timeline.
 ----- Daniel

========================================
WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> mdo Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > SP Steam Operations. 1960 to 1996 . (. Under
> > construction)
> >
> > 1.  Caveat and disclaimer:  This chronicle is
> > largely written from personal experiences and
> > (imperfect ) recollections .
> >       I have very few notes and no files.
>  I
> > have not consulted references other than Google
> > and Wikipedia and they are not really 
> >       helpful.  
> >       Any additions or corrections will be
> > appreciated.  
> >
> > 2.   I believe that the last regular operation
> > with steam engines on the Southern Pacific was
> > sometime in1957. There were several excursions
> to
> > mark the end of steam on SP in 1958,  I think
> > that the last trip behind steam was to have
> been
> > pulled behind the 4460 from Oakland and Sparks
> and
> > return.  Any movements under steam after that
> > trip, if there were any were only re
> positioning
> > to storage.  Most of these were towed cold.
> >
> > Many locomotives were given to on line cities
> for
> > display in parks. I used to have a list, but
> > cannot locate it.  The 4449 was donated to the
> > city of Portland.  2472 went to San Mateo
> County
> > for display at the county fair grounds.
>
> 4274 ran over Donner on Nov 30-December 1, 1957.
> 4460 ran over Donner Oct 18-19, 1958. Excluding
> the narrow guage 18 in the Owens Valley on the
> Keeler Branch, that was it until 4449 in June,
> 1973

The last revenue steam operation on the Southern Pacific was on their Owens Valley narrow gauge line in August 1959; I believe it was on August 25th of
that year. #18 put in lots of years of hard work, but it was shipped to Independence, CA for display in 1955. I am a long way from being an expert on SP steam,
but I am reasonably sure of these statements, thanks to a 1959 trip to Owenyo and the rest of the narrow gauge for a few days. I was lucky enought to catch #9
in service. But in large part, the information came from Joe Dale Morris's fine book "Southern Pacific--Slim Princess into the Sunset". As hard as it is to believe,
with all of the varied and incredible steam locomotives that Southern Pacific operated over the years, little #9 closed the book on their revenue steam operations
for good.

Thanks for your article--lots of good information.
Hermosa45
 

Often overlooked was the operation of the Western Pacific ten-wheeler 94 in the summer of 1959 for the filming of the Walt Disney Studios production of "Pollyana" on the SP's Calistoga branch (now the route of the Napa Valley Wine Train) most notably at the St Helena station.


http://kevinmaclean.blogspot.com/2010/06/walt-disneys-pollyanna-then-now.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/15 14:02 by Pullman.

---