Steam & Excursion > If Norman Rockwell Painted Fresno

It might look something like this!

wwww.trainmovies.com

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Are we going to guess what year this is?

Late '50s or '60s?
Also, probably 51 which I rode many times between Bakersfield and Fresno.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/21 15:20 by MojaveBill.

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> Late '50s or '60s?
> Also, probably 51 which I rode many times between
> Bakersfield and Fresno.

The train indicator boards display an "extra" number.  I'd say this was one of the many SP excursions which ran in the late '50s.  Standard guage steam was gone by 1960.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

Pretty Sure its 4443's last run on an excursion to Fresno.  We have footage of that run in our "SP Steam Fantrips".  Probably the same trip shot by a different fan.
Greg Scholl

gregscholl Wrote:

> Pretty Sure its 4443's last run on an excursion to Fresno. 

That was the "Fresno Flyer" excursion of Mar. 24, 1957 put on by the California-Nevada  Railroad Historical Society.

The other excursion to Fresno from the Bay Area in that era was the one Oct. 12, 1958 behind 4460. 

Apparently, the very last time 4443 operated was on April 15, 1957 at the Oakland Mole for the filming of "Pal Joey."
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/21 21:26 by johnsweetser.

johnsweetser Wrote:
> gregscholl Wrote:

> > Pretty Sure its 4443's last run on an excursion to Fresno. 
>
> That was the "Fresno Flyer" excursion of Mar. 24, 1957 put on by the California-Nevada  Railroad Historical Society.

I concur.  The flyer is in this old thread:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3782161,3782561#3782561

> The other excursion to Fresno from the Bay Area in
> that era was the one Oct. 12, 1958 behind 4460. 

The flyer for that trip,"Tour One" of the "Farewell to Steam" excursion sponsored by Cal-Nevada and the Pacific Coast Chapter R&LHS, is in this old thread:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3852577,3852929#3852929

Below is a John Plytnick photo courtesy the Western Railway Museum Archives showing 4460 in Fresno, CA on that October 12, 1958 excursion.  I tend to think if Norman Rockwell painted Fresno, it would look more like this:
 

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Main spotting differences between the Fresno excursion of Mar. 24, 1957 and the Fresno excursion of Oct. 12, 1958 in case locomotive numbers can't be seen in photos:

1957 excursion pulled by a GS-4 which had two headlights while 1958 excursion pulled by a GS-6 which had just one headlight.  Front of the skyline casing on the GS-4 in 1957 was painted the normal black; front of the skyline casing on the GS-6 in 1958 was painted silver.

Sixth car of train in 1957 was painted in two-tone gray; sixth car painted Daylight in 1958 train.

Observation car in 1957 was painted in Daylight; observation car in 1958 was silver and red.

johnsweetser Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> gregscholl Wrote:
>
> > Pretty Sure its 4443's last run on an excursion
> to Fresno. 
>
> That was the "Fresno Flyer" excursion of Mar. 24,
> 1957 put on by the California-Nevada  Railroad
> Historical Society.
>
> The other excursion to Fresno from the Bay Area in
> that era was the one Oct. 12, 1958 behind 4460. 
>
> Apparently, the very last time 4443 operated was
> on April 15, 1957 at the Oakland Mole for the
> filming of "Pal Joey."
>  

Yes, that is correct.  We got the film from a guy who;s grandfather worked for SP.  He took the kid down to see the 4443 at Oakland during the filming, and had a still photo we used.  Also there was a still photo of a boy scout playing taps after the last excursion(Fresno Flyer).  We used that and had some taps music to go with it.  4443 looked sharp and as far as I know was the last of the GS engines to run besides 4460 which of course was the last.
Greg

gregscholl Wrote:

>  Also there was a still photo of a boy scout playing taps after the last excursion(Fresno Flyer).

The still photo of a boy scout supposedly playing taps can be seen in a post by LoggerHogger 9 years ago: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,2691345,2691345#msg-2691345

The engine in that photo is #4460, not #4443 used in the Fresno Flyer excursion.  LoggerHogger wrote the photo was taken at the end of the Oct.18-19, 1958 "Farewell to Steam" excursion from Oakland to Reno (and return).
 



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/21 15:48 by johnsweetser.