Steam & Excursion > SP 4-10-2 awaiting donation

My Dad shot the 5021 at Taylor Yard, Los Angeles on 12/3/55.  He used his 5x7 Graflex.   After a time at the ATSF San Bernardino shops,  it is now in the Rail Giants collection at the LA County Fairgrounds in Pomona.  btw,  I still have the big camera.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/22 14:50 by masterphots.

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What a great locomotive! When I was assigned to the SD45 overhaul program (part of a lubricating Oil Company test) in the early spring of 1967, I used to drive by that locomotive in the San Bernadino Shop Complex. Some days there were volunteers working on it, and I occasionally stop to chat. They were attempting to fire it up, and seemed to be making good progress. Sure would have like to see that big three cylinder run!

Wonderful photo.
Bob

Cool pic, I wonder why they never got a chance to get her fired up!

Awesome. As a teen, I remember admiring similar Stan Kistler shots of these SP cousins of the UP Overland type.

ProAmtrak Wrote:
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> Cool pic, I wonder why they never got a chance to
> get her fired up!

As I recall, Rail Giants did fire it up and moved it around their area. As I also recall, they got into troble with SP over those moves. Please correct me if I am in error.

-Fred-



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/22 00:34 by flyingfred.

I had a 4x5 Speed Graophic which weighed a ton. Now I have an IPhone which I love!

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

The almost full story of the 5021 is here: SP 5021 at Taylor (trainorders.com)

SP Trainline magazine had it all.

flyingfred Wrote:
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> ProAmtrak Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Cool pic, I wonder why they never got a chance
> to
> > get her fired up!
>
> As I recall, Rail Giants dis fire it up and moved
> it around their area. As I also recall, they got
> into trouble with SP over those moves. Please
> correct me if I am in error.
>
> -Fred-

Stan Kistler shined some light on steaming up 5021. SP donated 5021 in 1956.  About 1959 the Southern California Chapter of R&LHS decided to steam 5021 up for the fair. Frank Venolia, a experienced machinist and live steam railroader, Tom Braunger, an SP hogger, and a retired boiler inspector convinced the board, 5021 was in good shape to fire up. Brad Atwood and Stan Kistler met with Brad Atwood, SP public relations in LA and told him what they wanted to do for the 1961 fair. Nothing was mentioned about possible excursions. Mr Atwood, with a skeptical attitude, said "sure, go ahead". That was taken as an official ok from the SP.. Why the PE spur to the fairgrounds was taken out of service, everything is pure speculation. Numerous plans were explored to get 5021running on some trains in the late 1960s, but with lack of funds and sponsorship, it went no where. SP was not interested in 5021. This just part of an email by Mr. Kistler.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/22 00:07 by needles_sub.

Do I see 2 smokestacks on this engine?  What was a top speed for it?

coach Wrote:
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> Do I see 2 smokestacks on this engine?

No.

 What was
> a top speed for it?

Maybe 45 or 50 MPH?

Sounds about right, somewhere around 20 with a load must have had an interesting exhaust note.

Out 

What looks like a small stack in front of the stack, is the cover for the throttle header.  Info from Robert Church's Southern Pacific Ten-Coupled Locomotives.  Signature Press 2013.

callum_out Wrote:
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> Sounds about right, somewhere around 20 with a
> load must have had an interesting exhaust note.
>
> Out 

Yes, the exhaust cadence must have been "interesting", just like the UP 9000 class 4-12-2 locomotives. I have experienced that three cylinder exhaust cadence in what was East Germany, as their big 44 class three cylinder 2-10-0 locomotives, Starting a train is REALLY interesting, but at 40 MPH at full throttle on a mountain grade, they sound like a 747 taking off!

Here is the 5021 about 1962.  I was in the Navy and stationed in Long Beach and made occasional weekend trips to San Berdu to help prepare her for service.  I seem to remember being delegated to help out with the tender brasses, or some such.  At the time the folks working on her clearly expected that she would be steamed up.  But obviously it never happened.  A handsom beast.

JBWX

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As cab host of 5021 at Pomona LA Fair, I love this loco. There is an old aerial pic of it at San Bern yards.

Anyone interested in the SP 5021 or the 4-10-2s in general would be well served to seek out James Boynton's book 4-10-2: Three Barrels of Steam.

Great look at these fascinating engines.

Z

I rode in the cab of the #5021 on several occasions during the mid-Fifties when I was a teenager living near Labish siding which was located north of Salem, Oregon.   I was astounded when I discovered, in 1972, that #5021 had been preserved at the Santa Fe shops in San Bernardino.

I would often ride my bike up to the siding to watch the southbound Cascade (#11) fly by around 5:30 p.m.   There was a northbound time freight out of Eugene in the afternoon that was timetable scheduled to meet #11 and the northbound Klamath (#20) at Labish siding.  It always had steam locos assigned for power, mostly the 5000s.

At that time the Portland Division was still trainorder territory with ABS and scheduled trains.  Classic “old school” operations with no CTC.  Switches were all manually operated, which meant that a train going into a siding would have to stop ahead of the switch to let the head brakeman off to throw the switch and vice-versa for the rear brakeman when they departed.

It didn’t take long before I was invited by the crew to ride in the cab down to the other end of the siding and stay onboard until both the Cascade and Klamath had passed, usually at least an hour or so.  (The northbound Klamath was scheduled to meet the Cascade at the old Fairgrounds siding.)

I got to know the crews quite well and we had some great conversations about railroad operations while sitting in the cab of the locomotive.  One topic that I recall in particular was the future of steam locomotives.   The crews did not seem to be aware of the speed at which the Espee was replacing its steam locomotives with Diesels.  The crews kept saying to me whenever I would ask, “Oh, they will never get rid of the steam engines, there’s just too many of them.”  Or, “there’s too much invested in facilities for them,” etc.  Little did they (...or I) know.  But within two years they were all gone.

My evening visits to Labish siding have become cherished memories.  Even my little farewell ritual of lining back and locking the switch behind the departing caboose after it had cleared the siding in appreciation for the opportunity to pass a little time with the crew and their awe-inspiring steed.  So it’s pretty cool, at eighty, to be able to reach out and still touch one of those memories.

Greg Stadter
Phoenix, AZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/22 02:29 by E25.

Thanks for sharing that wonderful story Greg.

Victor B.

Sad to hear, that is one nice looking locmotive, would've been cool to see her in excursion service!