Steam & Excursion > Union Pacific Excursion March 14, 1954 - Sponsor?

Can anyone supply the name of the group or groups that sponsered an excursion on the Union Pacific Railroad between Los Angeles and San Bernardino on March 14th, 1954? 
I only know that it was not a Pacific Railroad Society excursion. I'm guessing that it was an R&LHS excursion but would like varification on this.  
Thanks! 

Steve Crise

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LA R&LHS for sure. Saw it in East LA,

Watts local

Any idea who the people were?

Mike Root
Madras, OR

Sharp group and femme fatale engr ready to highball!! What more could you want ?!? Lol

IC_2024 Wrote:
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> Sharp group and femme fatale engr ready to
> highball!! What more could you want ?!? Lol

Railfan bachelors would probably like a date with her after the excursion!

Walt Thrall was the hogger for the trip. I don't think he's in the photo though.

RuleG Wrote:
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> IC_2024 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Sharp group and femme fatale engr ready to
> > highball!! What more could you want ?!? Lol
>
> Railfan bachelors would probably like a date with
> her after the excursion!

Haha! And Freeman Hubbard, Railroad magazine editor, would send Virgil Staff to get photos, too—or William T Morgan, Richard Allen, Fred Clark Jr and John Uckley — four of the most well known train/ girl photogs besides # 1 Staff! 👍😂

Posted from iPhone

We at the PRS Museum think that the fellow at the top footplate is Ralph Melching.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

You would have thought that there would have been a 4-8-4 instead of a 2-8-2 for an excursion like this. Anyone know why this power? Don't get me wrong...I love Mikes!

Txhighballer Wrote:
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> You would have thought that there would have been
> a 4-8-4 instead of a 2-8-2 for an excursion like
> this. Anyone know why this power? Don't get me
> wrong...I love Mikes!

Dieselization on the LA&SL came early on and almost overnight and by 1954 steam locomotion on this end of the UP was, with few exceptions, a distant memory. In fact Walt Thrall told me that according to his timebooks, his last trip firing an 800 out of LA was in January, 1948.

According to Walter, the 2709 had been laid up servicable at LA several years before and was left to marinate so to speak and was scrapped not long after the excursion trip.
So, I suppose you could say that the ol' 2709 got the call account of being the only steam engine available.