Nostalgia & History > It has to be Shasta... and other SP passenger trains

Some SP passenger trains before those damned automat cars...(in other words, when they still know how to run a good train)

SP Shasta Daylight July 14 1949

SP City of San Francisco in Oakland July 8 1955

SP #28 near Emigrant Gap Sept. 13 1955

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RS, Nice shots. The Shasta photo may have been a publicity photo, as the E units lasted only a few weeks, prior to being replaced by the mighty mountain climbing PA's. The COSF shot mystifies me, it appears to me to be #102, leaving the Oakland Mole. If so, what train is that which appears to be loading? If UNloading, my guess would be #27, the Overland. Notice the windbreak window (no-pee window?) next to the porter, very common on SP but I can't recall them as so prominent on other roads. AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

It's most assuredly not a publicity photo - this is part of an original slide collection. It may well have been taken about the same time, but it was taken by the same guy - the slide frame and the exposure is the same - this and the other slides are all very dark.

Any ideas where the third photo is? Oops, Emigrant Gap.

Interesting that you can still buy 'Shasta' soft drinks ("it has-ta be Shasta") in Oregon but not in California. Last time I looked the sign for the Shasta plant was still next to hiway 92 near Hayward.

Not at all sure where that second photo was taken - the slide indicates Oakland and CoSF along with the date.

I still remember those Shasta ads. Never did buy one.

Not necessarily germane to the main topic - but, given California's consumer laws, it might be that Shasta couldn't sell it in California without changing the can decorations - and putting a huge sign on it that says there are known carcinogens in it....

I should also add that when the Rio Grande was shopping for passenger diesels for the upcoming CZ, it looked at E-units - which at the time didn't have dynamic brakes. They asked EMD about it, and EMD said "Passenger diesels don't need 'em". So, the D&RGW went to ALCo to get PAs instead. They made sure EMD knew exactly why they chose to go that route too - at the time, the D&RGW was going to be ordering a lot (for a smaller road) of diesels and also at the time, the railroad was known for their innovation and their laboratory at Burnham. EMD got the message. That didn't necessarily ensure passenger orders, but they got the dual service orders. More importantly for EMD, other railroads were watching the results carefully. There was a good reason most new locomotives got tested heavily on the D&RGW and SP.

rswebber Wrote:
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> It's most assuredly not a publicity photo - this
> is part of an original slide collection. It may
> well have been taken about the same time, but it
> was taken by the same guy - the slide frame and
> the exposure is the same - this and the other
> slides are all very dark.

Robert, Certainly did not mean to offend, so let's just say that yours is a rare in-service shot of #9 headed by E's. Now, I'm curious about the 4400, what SP train would be heading south (RR west) at about the samew time as #9? I think the Medford train was an overnighter, as was the Klamath, and can't think of any other possibilities. AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

No offence at all taken. It is a beautiful shot - I think he'd be pleased for it to be mistaken as such!

agentatascadero Wrote:
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> Now, I'm curious about the
> 4400, what SP train would be heading south (RR
> west) at about the samew time as #9? I think the
> Medford train was an overnighter, as was the
> Klamath, and can't think of any other
> possibilities. AA

The train from Ashland (passing through Medford, and with connections at Eugene from Coos Bay) was due in at 7:25 a.m., while the Shasta Daylight was due out at 7:45 a.m. Might the Ashland train have turned on the wye on the east side of the Steel Bridge and backed into the station for some reason?

That last shot is just east of Colfax after crossing Long Ravine.

rswebber Wrote:
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> Not necessarily germane to the main topic - but,
> given California's consumer laws, it might be that
> Shasta couldn't sell it in California without
> changing the can decorations - and putting a huge
> sign on it that says there are known carcinogens
> in it....


Why is it the farther they get from California, the dumber the things they say.

Shasta is available all over in CA, you just need to know which stores to go to. Small chain and non-chain stores, 99 Cents Only stores, among others

I think that was uncalled for - if you can't tell the humor or satire, you should stay well out of it - and I was responding to the comment that it could be found in Oregon and not California.

That other train loading - - a 1950 timetable shows the Cascade leaving the Mole at 5:33 PM. So perhaps that is what the pic shows?

wwdrkid Wrote:
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> That other train loading - - a 1950 timetable
> shows the Cascade leaving the Mole at 5:33 PM. So
> perhaps that is what the pic shows?

Indeed it does.

Number 102 has just departed the train shed; Number 12 on the right is loading.

All thanks to those who ID'd both my "mystery" trains. I do wonder if SP trains routinely backed into PUS, and I don't know if a wye exists to facilitate such a move, but, if so , it solves that mystery. Regards the Cascade, coaches have been assigned to what began as an all-Pullman train, and notice the Daylight coaches are in "overnight grey" for this service. AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA