Steam & Excursion > This Line's Most Impressive Steam Power At This Famous Station!

Built by ALCO in 1937 SP&S #904 was part of the impressive Z-6 Class 4-6-6-4 locomotives that the line became famous for. She cost $188,393.74 when new.

On October 20, 1939 she, along with her sister engine #903 was sold to parent railroad Great Northern as part of a power shuffle. She would wear the number "4001" while in service on the GN until July 1, 1946 when she was sold back to the SP&S for $112,867.12. She then was given back her #904 designation that she wore until she was finally retired in 1956.

In this fine view taken by W. Sievers in 1955 we see #904 and her train ready to leave the station at Spokane, Washington. The station's joint ownership is quite evident from the signage on it's clock tower.

Spokane still sees it's share of trains daily. However, none leave the impression on the soul that #904 does in this view.

Martin



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/17 00:54 by LoggerHogger.

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I wonder if any one has ever heard from old time mechanical department if they favored any one of the builders, Lima, Alco, Baldwin, Roanoke, etc. for their design in aid of dismantling and rebuilding for any of the class levels of service requirements. Were pipe junctions in place hard to work and designed without the thought of how hard it was to take apart and put back together? Would this be a reason Roanoke favored its own design? Different railroads favored certain builders but could that be because of the design was easier to take apart and put back together? I guess the folks who would know that answer are long pass on. Did any magazine in the Engineering Magazines ever write up a engine design made to ease the service rebuilding?

Look at the piping maze on this Alco, and Lima had engines that looked the same. Who built it best for later servicing?

Great photo Martin. Wonderful range of tonality. Detail in the shadows and clouds. Just beautiful.

Station tower is all that remains.

One of the best photographs of our steam gods ever! Says I.

The look of this engine to me is brute power at its best. Some may not like the looks of its front but that and the piping is what makes it for me.

In engineering parlance, it's called “serviceability” and sometimes called DFA (Design for Assembly). In the design process you try to include features that make it easier to assemble and disassemble, such as lifting lugs for heavy parts, quick-connectors for hoses, 1/4-turn fasteners where possible, logical assembly sequence, fewer (or more) parts, make things easily accessible, etc., etc. Just remember that most of these details add cost so management will discourage this unless it can add to the perceived product value at the sales pitch. E.g., you tell the customer that first cost is a little higher than competing manufacturers but life-cycle cost is lower because of the easier (less hours to perform) service.

Two cross compound air compressors and a feedwater heater pump mounted on the smokebox front sure reduces the size of the smokebox door. Great photo, Martin.

LoggerHogger Wrote:
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> In this fine view taken by W. Sievers in 1955 we see #904 and
> her train ready to leave the station at Spokane, Washington.


Judging from the position of the bell I would say that #904 is in motion moving westward through the station rather than being ready to leave there. From my recollection it would have been unusual for an SP&S Hillyard to Pasco freight pool crew to make a stop on Havermale Island at the GN/SP&S depot.

Having just crossed Howard Street at the west end of the depot, in a couple blocks she will cross from the island to the north side of the Spokane River and follow it until turning south and crossing the river again into GN Ft. Wright (junction), taking a left turn onto the SP&S line and immediately hitting the grade out of town as she pops into the 2,134-foot long tunnel under Greenwood Cemetery.

The tunnel was a nasty place for SP&S engine crews who, due to their slow speed on the grade, had to cover their faces with waste (with a short piece of hose stuck through it into their mouth in order to breathe) to prevent their skin from blistering.

Martin, is your picture marked to indicate what day in 1955 it was taken? My father moved our family from Wishram to Spokane on Memorial Day 1955 and he ran on the Hillyard to Pasco freight pool from then until he could hold the NP Parkwater to SP&S Scribner "Scribner Turn" in about 1960 and SP&S #1 and 2 a few years later where I often fired for him on my runs out of Portland until the advent of Amtrak killed all SP&S route (including the Oregon Trunk mixed train) passenger service. Depending upon the date the picture was taken, he very well could have been running the 904.

Notice the Great Northern business car on the east end of Depot 1.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/20 05:56 by Jim700.

Jim,

Sorry, but the only date on the negative is 1955.

Martni

Well the photo wasn't taken in the winter so it must have been in July.
RB