Steam & Excursion > This Railfan Likely Knew Just How Important This Steam Photo Was!

You can tell by the broad smile from the young railfan posing on the footboards of Southern Pacific #2836 parked at King Street Station in San Francisco, that he is truly enjoying the moment.  Is it just that he has found an actual steam locomotive to have his portrait captured with on film, or is it something more that brings out that beaming smile of his?

The date is May, 1960.  That is late in the game for any steam, let alone SP steam.  From the pipe we see going to the boiler we can tell that #2836 is set up for use as a stationary boiler.  Yes, she is actually hot and under steam.  That is what makes her so unique.

The last run of SP's mainline steam was in October, 1958 when SP 4-8-4 #4460 took her much photographed excursion train from Oakland to Sparks, NV and back.  Then, on August 25, 1959, SP's narrow gauge 4-6-0 #9 had the honors of puling SP's very last revenue train under steam on the Keeler Branch, thus closing out SP's steam power for what most thought would be for all time.

What we see here, with SP #2836 is the very last use of steam on the SP.  While #2836 is not running, and is only fired up to produce steam for the nearby buildings, it is an actual SP steam locomotive under steam after all.

That certainly was worth a picture and a smile.

Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/19 02:54 by LoggerHogger.

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The person standing on the footboard is John Wallace who went on to work for Railway Express. The building behind the engine is where the Medical office for the division was located.

Thanks for the ID on this railfan.

Martin

What wheel arrangement is the steamer? I deduce 2-8-0. TIM

LoggerHogger Wrote:
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> You can tell by the broad smile from the young
> railfan posing on the footboards of Southern
> Pacific #2836 parked at King Street Station in San
> Francisco, that he is truly enjoying the moment. 
> Is it just that he has found an actual steam
> locomotive to have his portrait captured with on
> film, or is it something more that brings out that
> beaming smile of his?
>
> The date is May, 1960.  That is late in the game
> for any steam, let alone SP steam.  From the pipe
> we see going to the boiler we can tell that #2836
> is set up for use as a stationary boiler.  Yes,
> she is actually hot and under steam.  That is
> what makes her so unique.
>
> The last run of SP's mainline steam was in
> October, 1958 when SP 4-8-4 #4460 took her much
> photographed excursion train from Oakland to
> Sparks, NV and back.  Then, on August 25, 1959,
> SP's narrow gauge 4-6-0 #9 had the honors of
> puling SP's very last revenue train under steam on
> the Keeler Branch, thus closing out SP's steam
> power for what most thought would be for all
> time.
>
> What we see here, with SP #2836 is the very last
> use of steam on the SP.  While #2836 is not
> running, and is only fired up to produce steam for
> the nearby buildings, it is an actual SP steam
> locomotive under steam after all.
>
> That certainly was worth a picture and a smile.
>
> Martin

Only fitting that a Harriman 2-8-0 should be the last in steam on the SP.

Wonder if they had taken the piston rod off it before it became a stationary boiler?

tomstp Wrote:
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> Wonder if they had taken the piston rod off it
> before it became a stationary boiler?

I have other photos of her and they show the piston rods still intact on her.

Martin

How long did she last in this use?

Is King Street Station the same as Third and Townsend Station, or is it perhaps the freight station across the street?

The King St. station was for freight. The building at the end of the track is the old Townsend St. passenger station that was moved to King St. when 3rd & Townsend opened.

Martin, I believe that the photographer was Gordon Glattenburg.

Ed Gibson

I missed seeing it at the depot, but I did photograph it after it returned to Bayshore Roundhouse. It also happened to be the same day 2-8-0 SP2706 was pulled from the deadline and destin for display in Watsonville.

hogheaded Wrote:
> Martin, I believe that the photographer was Gordon
> Glattenburg.
>
> Ed Gibson

I doubt this photo was by Gordon Glattenberg.  I have obtained a number of Gordon's negatives directly from Gordon for this same time period and Gordon's negatives are totally different size than these negatives.  Also, these came from someone other than Gordon with a number of other negatives, all of a size different than those Gordon took.

Martin

I photographed #2836 twice just prior to Martin's photograph, and she did not have piston rods in either photo.  Both were at Bayshore yard, once on 3/9/1960  when she was being used as stationary boiler for the roundhouse/shops and looked like a rusty hulk.  The second was on 4/1/1960 and she was sitting in the same spot but disconnected from the shop steam line and very surprisingly she sported a very shiny fresh coat of paint and lettering except the tender was not quite complete and it read 'THERN PACIFIC' on the right side.  TomE.   

SP 2836 at Bayshore, piston rods intact: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,3867663,3868281#3868281

SP 2836 at Bayshore, piston rods removed, March 1960: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4498344
and May 1961: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4498344

It's neat ot see the freight shed up close and the building behind the engine. What was that building by the way? Looks so rickety, I love it.