Steam & Excursion > SP 4449 in San Antonio

April 1977
4449 has arrived in San Antonio with the Amtrak Transcontinental Steam Excursion.
Just finished the latest segment (Houston-San Antonio) on its epic journey to the west coast.
SP MP15AC 2757 is pulling the engine off and moving to the next track over.

Gary

 

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Greatly appreciate you sharing the SP 4449 visit to San Antonio, Texas, back in April 1977.  I'd forgotten about its stop there in the Alamo City.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/25 09:56 by cozephyr.

Did not remember the UP water bottle usage !

original Wrote:
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> Did not remember the UP water bottle usage !

That was added to the consist in New Orleans, during our 3 day layover and the plugging of the cracked lower boiler tube. Another lower tube cracked enroute to El Paso, and was plugged there. A third lower boiler tube cracked enroute to LA, and it was plugged while there.

I believe that 4449 previously used Southern water tender WT50 during the Birmingham-New Orleans legs of the trip. It had also used that tender during its public excursions on the Southern and the three-day Amtrak special from Miami to Birmingham in January '77.

DRGWMark Wrote:
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> I believe that 4449 previously used Southern water
> tender WT50 during the Birmingham-New Orleans legs
> of the trip.


I don't recall having that "little" Southern Rwy water tender between Birmingham and New Orleans. It had already been planned for us to add the big UP auxiliary water tender during our layover in New Orleans. While Doyle was busy plugging the cracked lower boiler tube, I checked out the 27 pin MU receptacles on the UP auxiliary water tender, in order to make sure the Diesel MU Control box in the cab of 4449 would properly control any diesel unit MU'ed behind the auxiliary water tender.

It had also used that tender during
> its public excursions on the Southern and the
> three-day Amtrak special from Miami to Birmingham
> in January '77.

DRGWMark Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe that 4449 previously used Southern water
> tender WT50 during the Birmingham-New Orleans legs
> of the trip. It had also used that tender during
> its public excursions on the Southern and the
> three-day Amtrak special from Miami to Birmingham
> in January '77.

In the third image I posted, the 4449, its tender and the UP one were on the excursion between Birmingham-New Orleans.
I chased from northern Mississippi to New Orleans - no Southern tender.
Here is a shot of the train arriving New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal with the ICG engines.
Gary
 

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gcm Wrote:
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> DRGWMark Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I believe that 4449 previously used Southern
> water
> > tender WT50 during the Birmingham-New Orleans
> legs
> > of the trip. It had also used that tender
> during
> > its public excursions on the Southern and the
> > three-day Amtrak special from Miami to
> Birmingham
> > in January '77.
>
> In the third image I posted, the 4449, its tender
> and the UP one were on the excursion
> between Birmingham-New Orleans.
> I chased from northern Mississippi to New Orleans
> - no Southern tender.
> Here is a shot of the train arriving New Orleans
> Union Passenger Terminal with the ICG engines.

Don't think so, as the UP auxiliary water tender is already switched into the consist. We did NOT "arrive" in New Orleans with that UP tender.

> Gary