Steam & Excursion > Quite A Different Time In Railroading Seen Here, 80 Years Ago!

Not only have people's automobiles changed over time along with their attire, the railroads and rolling stock have also been transformed from all that shown in this scene.

The location is the Western Pacific depot at 3rd and Washington Street in Oakland California.  The date is September 18, 1938.  WP has assigned one of it's former Florida East Coast 4-8-2's, #171,  as the power for this train on this Sunday afternoon. 

The Country is still coming out of the Great Depression and is 3 years away from WW-2.  These are quieter and simpler times in many ways.  In a few years all this will be changed.  Let's drink in the scene for now and enjoy all that we see here.

Martin



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/19 18:32 by LoggerHogger.

---

Don't know if this will work - but it looks like this was taken standing at about 500 3rd, so about 2/3 of a block away from Washignton Approaching Broadway. The building on the corner of 3rd and Washignton is still standing, you can see it about the first car, on the left.

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7970145,-122.2765245,3a,75y,272.51h,74.64t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLwwH8Xzko0z6g68MoSp1qw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

And the building just to the right of it as well Dave.  Nice perspetive of the WP main. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/19 06:12 by czuleget.

Were these built as coal-fired locomotives and converted to-oil fired locomotives by the WP?

OCV

The FEC in Florida used oil for locomotive fuel.

Could that be a Packard delivering supplies to the diner?

I don't think the Feather River local carried a dining car...so could this train be the Scenic Limited?  Or was there a through train to Chicago a this time? My earliest OG is a 1942 version.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

Looks like the Scenic Ltd was all there was

http://wx4.org/to/foam/sp/maps/zukasETT/1938-06-12WP_Western24.pdf

and it was an afternoon arrival.

If this was a scheduled train, why the white flags?

Good point -- timing looks good for the eastward
Scenic Ltd, but the flags do look white.

If it was the Senic Express or the Feather River wouldn't there be at least one baggage/express car?
Railway Express business was an important revenue source back then.

agentatascadero Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Could that be a Packard delivering supplies to the
> diner?
>
> AA


Yes, the auto next to the head car appears to be a '37 or '38 Packard.

This was the "First Fall Foto Festival" excursion sponsored by Acme Photo-Finishers in conjunction with the California-Nevada Railroad Historical Society (aka Cal-Nevada).  A couple of other photos of the trip are in this old thread:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,3754613 

The trip ran on September 18, 1938 (Sunday), and had quite an elaborate itinerary, running from Oakland to Stockton behind 171, then out the Terminous branch behind WP 2-8-0 #24, and ending up in Sacramento touring CCT trackage behind another WP 2-8-0, #44.

Chico43 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> agentatascadero Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Could that be a Packard delivering supplies to
> the
> > diner?
> >
> > AA
>
>
> Yes, the auto next to the head car appears to be a
> '37 or '38 Packard.

I thought so, our first post war car was a '37 Packard "economy model"........hard to believe Packard ever indulged in anything "economy"......but this, and our car, was ordinary indeed, especially when compared to their first line models, like, say, a boat tail roadster.

AA
 

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

agentatascadero Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Chico43 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > agentatascadero Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Could that be a Packard delivering supplies
> to
> > the
> > > diner?
> > >
> > > AA
> >
> >
> > Yes, the auto next to the head car appears to be
> a
> > '37 or '38 Packard.
>
> I thought so, our first post war car was a '37
> Packard "economy model"........hard to believe
> Packard ever indulged in anything
> "economy"......but this, and our car, was ordinary
> indeed, especially when compared to their first
> line models, like, say, a boat tail roadster.
>
> AA
>  

I came home from the hospital nursery in a '37 Buick Special which was their economy model at the time.

By the way, the photo Loggerhogger posted was taken by Dudley Thickens, the same fellow who took the photos I posted in that old thread.