Steam & Excursion > An Early One Of These Steam Locomotives Caught At A Rare Spot!

The Southern Pacific Railroad became famous for their 12 Classes of Cab-Forward articulated steam locomotives.  Photos of the early classes of these locomotives in action are not all that common.

In June, 1937 SP #4038 was caught in helper service at Bray, California in Northern California.  Built by Baldwin in 1912 as part of SP's MC-6 Class of 2-8-8-2 locomotives, she is only 25 years old in this photo.  She would last in service until 1948 before being set aside and finally scrapped.

Bray, California is near the spot where the Long-Bell Lumber Company connected it's logging railroad with the SP.  It was there that the SP would pick up the loaded log cars from Long-Bell and take them to the mill in Weed, California.

Martin



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/21 03:39 by LoggerHogger.

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Isn't that an MC-6? Looks like a two wheel lead truck.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/21 03:35 by CPR_4000.

It looks like Martin's identification & wheel arrangement is
the same as your suggestion.

I"m confused ....
Where is there a  an editing problem, that needs to be corrected?

( The flange wear at the front couple of axles must have been a
serious problem on these early variants?)

​W.

 

Not supposed to be shoving on a caboose, on SP.

wcamp1472 Wrote:
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> It looks like Martin's identification & wheel arrangement is the same as your suggestion.

When Martin first posted this at O dark thirty the caption said AC-6. You need to get up earlier! Or stay up later. :-)