Nostalgia & History > SP E-7 #6017 East of Radum April 1965

April of 1965, Lyndon Johnson was president on his own and, whether we wanted it or not, we were going to get the "Great Society".
In a matter of months, the American Public would be wondering "Whatever happened to Hubert?" while Lady Bird took aim at highway billboards.

That same month, an excursion was operated from Oakland to Sacramento by way of Altamont pass, returning on the Cal-P. Leading the train was SP #6017, SP's first passenger diesel. Originally part of the City of San Francisco power set, it was numbered SF-1 and jointly owned, but later purchased by the SP. Heavily rebuilt, the unit was nearing the end of its service life when it pulled this excursion, along with two PA's, and is seen along Stanley Blvd. Between Radum (East Pleasanton) and Livermore. I only wish I had realized the significance of this engine and had taken more photos of it in service.

---

The second car is interesting - any information on it?

john1082 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> The second car is interesting - any information on
> it?

It's one of the chair cars SP picked up from the C&NW. All were eventally repainted in the SP's aluminum-with-a-scarlet-stripe scheme.

The ex C&NW car was received in trade from C&O for C&NW RDC (multiple cars involved), then purchased from C&NW by SP.

Interesting the car is still in CNW colors that long after purchase from the CNW (1961). Also, an articulated chair car set still in Daylight colors

Nice shot. Too bad there is only one E-7 preserved. I actually liked them better than the PA's.

As for the year 1965, it brought the following abominations:

Vietnam escalation (based on lies)

Buddy Holley era of rock ends when the Beatles convert to LSD

Ushering in of the psychedelic, free love, anything goes, do your own thing era

Race riots; campus unrest

Four more years of LBJ; socialist legislation stalled for years gets thru Congress

Train offs accelerate; many more on ICC docket incl SP's Shasta Daylight

The "friendly SP" - now not so friendly

Short hair beatniks turn into long hair hippies

SP automat cars on most trains (they suck)

SP actively discourages passengers incl my dad (dad big shipper = SP big mistake)

End of silver coinage

U.S. becomes net importer of oil

U.S. becomes net debtor nation; dollar slide/inflationary era begins

CB&Q cancels steam program under new Lou Menk presidency; Lou guts Q psgr mgt ranks

WP starts aggressive campaign to bail on the CZ, citing massive losses

U.S. begins general moral decline starting with the girl next door

RRs look to mergers for salvation (rather than spend money to fix track)

"Jet set" on PSA LAX to SFO instead of SP LAUPT to 3rd & Townsend.

Bob

Gee, NOW I'm depressed.

rswebber Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The ex C&NW car was received in trade from C&O for
> C&NW RDC (multiple cars involved), then purchased
> from C&NW by SP.


Why was SP in the market doe additional coaches atthis time? Did DJ Russell know about this?

MDO - where are you?

rswebber Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The ex C&NW car was received in trade from C&O for
> C&NW RDC (multiple cars involved), then purchased
> from C&NW by SP.


Why was SP in the market for additional coaches at this time? Did DJ Russell know about this?

MDO - where are you?

Yes, Russell told Peterson, the VP of Passenger traffic that the Pullman sleeper was dead and that the demand for coach seats would increase. This was about 1960. This held true until about 1967.
CNW coaches were available at a good price, series SP 2211 to 2215 and 2219 were in UP colors, 44 seats each and were originally built in 1953 for the CNW for their share of the City of San FRancisco consist. The SP 2216-18 were part of an order for the C&O that they sold to the CNW in 1957 and resold to the SP in 1961 along with the above mentioned cars. These were delivered to the SP in CNW yellow and green along with additional paint which the SP put to good use, painting out the CNW name and adding the SP name. Daylight lounges and parlor cars ( straight and round end) were rebuilt into high density chair cars by the mid sixties. Have a look at the SP Historical and Technical Society Passenger car book Vol. One which covers the coaches.

Photographing a passenger train on this freight only line is extremely rare. Thanks for a great shot. If that train had been on the outside track, next to the parallel highway, old LBJ would have been rocked right out of his chair into the aisle floor! The outside track was really uneven and the SP even had to post signs not to remove ballast from there.

The few miles in the Radum - East Pleasanton - Livermore area were the least scenic on this line, but Niles Canyon to the West and Altamont Pass to the east, more than made up for it.

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, Russell told Peterson, the VP of Passenger
> traffic that the Pullman sleeper was dead and that
> the demand for coach seats would increase. This
> was about 1960. This held true until about 1967.
> CNW coaches were available at a good price, series
> SP 2211 to 2215 and 2219 were in UP colors, 44
> seats each and were originally built in 1953 for
> the CNW for their share of the City of San
> FRancisco consist. The SP 2216-18 were part of an
> order for the C&O that they sold to the CNW in
> 1957 and resold to the SP in 1961 along with the
> above mentioned cars. These were delivered to the
> SP in CNW yellow and green along with additional
> paint which the SP put to good use, painting out
> the CNW name and adding the SP name. Daylight
> lounges and parlor cars ( straight and round end)
> were rebuilt into high density chair cars by the
> mid sixties. Have a look at the SP Historical and
> Technical Society Passenger car book Vol. One
> which covers the coaches.



Will do

You're making me feel guilty - maybe I should join

There's several pages in Richard Wright's "Daylight - Trains 98-99" about converting the E-5 "Queen Mary" into an E-7 6017 at Espee's LA shops. Two B-units were also converted.

Wow! An E-unit in Pleasanton/Livermore. That was a rarity (maybe the only time that happened on that line?). Stanley Blvd was still just 2 lanes. My age was measured in weeks when that was taken. Thanks for posting that!

For the record, this is what 6017 (6011) once looked like...

---

MojaveBill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> There's several pages in Richard Wright's
> "Daylight - Trains 98-99" about converting the E-5
> "Queen Mary" into an E-7 6017 at Espee's LA shops.
> Two B-units were also converted.

The two B units were delivered as E7s.

Last time I was by there, the signs about removing ballast were still there - AND K-rail was installed along the road in places to keep vehicles out, especially by Shadow Cliffs where people were parking and getting stuck.

Chief409