Nostalgia & History > SP cab forward #4220 - 1956

#4220 @ Roseville, CA on 8/26/56 no other info

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That locomotive is beautiful, thanks for posting.

Save to desktop, haha

When were the Cab Forwards finally withdrawn from service? This must be very close to the end.

Best regards,

Rob L.

Per the website www.steamlocomotive.com, "the last cab forward in revenue service was 4-8-8-2 4211 which hauled freight from Oakland to Davis and then to Roseville with only a caboose on November 30th, 1956."

THE last cab forward run was the famous excursion run over Donner with the 4274 in November 1957.

Steve

Did somebody say 4274? Here it is on that trip.

Ed

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Auburn_Ed Wrote:
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> Did somebody say 4274? Here it is on that trip.
>

No, they said "Cab Forwards in revenue freight service".

Nice paint job, though.

Best regards,

Rob L.

Keep the cab forward photos coming, I never get tired of them. Any well written books out there on them?

CPRR Wrote:
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> Keep the cab forward photos coming, I never get
> tired of them. Any well written books out there
> on them?

Cab Forward by Robert J. Church. The definitive book on these locomotives. Now out of print but can be had from various sources. No doubt for sale tomorrow at the Winterail flea market, likely for top $$, but worth it.

Wow, what a great photo. Gritty....as it really was.

Steve Mitchell
http://www.yardgoatimages.com

In The first shot that old girl looks tired with the road dirt and old paint, but it still is a great looking engine. I think I recall these working on the old SP Owl into the mid 50s. That was the overnight run from LAUPT to Oakland up the Valley and was the counter part to the SJ Daylight during the day.The train was usually head end heavy with mail cars that helped keep it alive until its retirement in 1965. In Brian Solomon's book" Southern Pacific Passenger Trains" he refers to them as cab aheads, but I have always known them as cab forwards. They were made this way so the crew had better air to breathe, especially in tunnels. One of these babies could easily pull the owl when it was up to 20 cars long in its heyday. Great shot and thanks for the burst of memories of these from when I was a child.

Phil Blommendahl
Getzville, NY

The perfect picture for my weathering project!