Steam & Excursion > Sitting Among The Newer Steam Power Is This Aging Veteran!

Some railroads had a knack of getting more than the usual life out of certain classes of steam motive power they bought.  Southern Pacific was very adept at this when it came to their fleet of 4-8-0's.

L.L. Bonney was visiting the busy SP roundhouse in Eugene, Oregon in March 1949 when he spied this aging product of the Schenectady Locomotive Works resting on one of the garden tracks flanked by larger and new steam power.  Even though SP #2928 was built back in July of 1892 she is still putting in daily service for SP despite her advanced years.

SP Portland Division was the last real home these 4-8-0's had.  They suited the needs of the railroad in this region from the Tillamook Branch to the valley lines between Portland and Eugene and even the Coos Bay Branch.

#2938 would soldier on in service until finally being set aside in Eugene in January 1952 and finally scrapped in May of that same year in Portland, Oregon.  That makes 60 years of service for this venerable locomotive.  Not bad, not bad at all.

Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/16 03:28 by LoggerHogger.

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Fortunately for SP steam fans one of these "twelve wheelers" is preserved.

And that sister 2914 was one of the last SP steamers to run.

Out

Still had the slide valves - wow!

LoggerHogger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some railroads had a knack of getting more than
> the usual life out of certain classes of steam
> motive power they bought.  Southern Pacific was
> very adept at this when it came to their fleet of
> 4-8-0's.
Even though SP #2928
> was built back in July of 1892 she is still
> putting in daily service for SP despite her
> advanced years.
>
> #2938 would soldier on in service until finally
> being set aside in Eugene in January 1952 and
> finally scrapped in May of that same year in
> Portland, Oregon.  That makes 60 years of service
> for this venerable locomotive.  Not bad, not bad
> at all.


Just imagine if the SP would have kept the GS-4400 class running, 60 years from 1930-1943 would have been 1990 to 2003 of active service.  We can dream anyway it could have lasted that long, instead of a very unfortunate short 13 years for the GS-6 class.

I have to marvel at the technology visible in the 2938's photo.
In the days well before computers, lasers, CNC machining, CAD, etc., the precision on the parts of that locomotive and others still impresses me.  Steam-tight slide valves and water-tight flues, crown brasses, and the like - no wonder a future machinist used to spend his first few years as a helper!

Thanks, Martin, for posting this and all the other great, historic photos...plus the stories behind them!

-Jim

I agree on the fact that before computers machinists were able to make parts with such precision they would interchange. No digital mics or computer machines making them. Look at the WW11 aircraft that were made. Rows and rows of manual machines but parts would interchange between aircraft of the same model.  For train engines the size of them and the machine tools needed were amazing.

LoggerHogger wrote:

>Even though SP #2928 was built back in July of 1892 she is still putting in daily service for SP despite her advanced years.

The engine number is 2938.

> SP Portland Division was the last real home these 4-8-0's had.

Of course, Bakersfield, California was the home of 4-8-0 #2914.

callum_out wrote:

>And that sister 2914 was one of the last SP steamers to run.

Not really.   #2914 was donated to the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield in July of 1955.  Meanwhile, steam continued to be used for passenger and freight service in the San Joaquin Valley until September 1956 and for Bay Area commute service until January 1957.



 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/16 13:22 by johnsweetser.