Steam & Excursion > Only A Steam Locomotive Could Ever Put On A Show Like This!

Not to fail to give the diesel its due for it's efficiency an power, they still could never put on a show like this.  Only a steam locomotive in full throttle with a loaded train behind it pulling a grade can put on a show such as we see here in 1954 when Sierra Railroad 2-6-6-2 #38 headed east out of Oakdale, California bound for Jamestown.

Steam would have less than a year left as the exclusive motive power on the Sierra.  After April 1955 no longer would the trains on this Mother Lode Shortline put on such a show.

Martin



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/18 02:29 by LoggerHogger.

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Martin, wasn’t there talk of restoring #38 to operation again?

Keystone1 Wrote:
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> Martin, wasn’t there talk of restoring #38 to
> operation again?

No, there has never been any disussion of that.  Maybe someday, but not in the forseeable future.

Martin

Too bad. I like that engine.

Many people do love #38, but she is not an easy candidate for restoration.

In 1984, when Rayonier was being scrapped and #38 was on display at Crane Creek Camp, she was offered free to Tom Murray, the founder of Mt. Rainier Scenic RR.  Even Tom, who always said he wanted a logging mallet at MRSR, passed on #38 as she was simly too large to move and too much engine for what Tom had in mind at MRSR.

Even today, there are very few steam operations that would have the ability and interest in tackling bringing #38 back into service.

Martin

Well...in an era of a C&O 2-6-6-2 and a UP 4-8-8-4, isn’t there a place for #38?   Just thinking and wishing.

I do believe that if you saw the #38 in it's present condition that you would understand the cost of
possible restoration.

Ouit

Martin --

Thank you for your continuing [daily] postings of fine steam engine photos.  I for one appreciate seeing every image.

Bob Willer
Flatlands of Overland Park, Kansas

A close second to putting on a show like this would be a SP passenger train with a trio of Southern Pacific Alco PAs accelerating out from a station stop.

That is a great shot!  Wish I could hear it.

TonyJ Wrote:
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> A close second to putting on a show like this
> would be a SP passenger train with a trio of
> Southern Pacific Alco PAs accelerating out from a
> station stop.

...or a Diesel locomotive with turbo lag. 

colehour Wrote:
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> TonyJ Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > A close second to putting on a show like this
> > would be a SP passenger train with a trio of
> > Southern Pacific Alco PAs accelerating out from
> a
> > station stop.
>
> ...or a Diesel locomotive with turbo lag. 
Thats what caused the Alco problems

BAB Wrote:
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> colehour Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > TonyJ Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > A close second to putting on a show like this
> > > would be a SP passenger train with a trio of
> > > Southern Pacific Alco PAs accelerating out
> from
> > a
> > > station stop.
> >
> > ...or a Diesel locomotive with turbo lag. 
> Thats what caused the Alco problems

Thanks for the additional info re the Alcoa. Years ago I heard someone say that some of the diesels on the SP made more smoke than some steam locomotives. They must have been referring to the Alcoa.

Champs were the U28Bs, smoke plus required fire.

Out

Yet another of the E.K. Muller negatives missing from the Western Railway Museum Archives.  Muller had a 9-negative booklet covering this train eastbound from Oakdale to Jamestown, which luckily I scanned a few years ago before it walked off.  Most of the negs had a processing issue that left streaks or bubble marks in the upper right corner, including this one, see the full frame scan below.  I asked about possible remedies for that issue in this old thread, but I guess the point is somewhat moot now:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3836736

The negative Loggerhogger posted is Muller's negative 4005 taken March 26, 1955, the next in sequence after the Oakdale shot in that old thread (negative 4004) and before negative 4006 taken at Warnerville tank that I posted in this thread:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,4583621,4584258#4584258

The specific location appears to be where Warnerville Road swings in beside the tracks a mile or two west of Warnerville proper:
 
https://goo.gl/maps/diYeQphPrrR2

Northern California shortlines are within the scope of the WRM Archives collection, so damage notwithstanding, the museum did not and would not have sold or otherwise disposed of this negative.

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