Nostalgia & History > Souther Pacific Horse transport car

Where can I find a description of SP's horse transport cars? I have a number that I believe
was used to move 'Seabiscuit' in 1941 either to or from Santa Anita race track in February
1941. Any help out there? TIA

Charlie

Charlie, the SPH&TS book series on Southern Pacific Passenger Cars, Volume 3: Head End Equipment is your go-to reference. Extensive photos and drawings on horse cars, and their later conversions.

SP's 60-, 70-, and 80-foot class BH Baggage-Horse cars were generally characterized by three door openings per side. Inside could be movable fence stalls, domestic water tanks, and (on later cars) double-swing-doors at one end for larger animals. The movable stalls and end doors made the cars obviously useful for other kinds of express service. The last batch of heavyweight horse cars with six-wheel trucks and clerestory-style roofs were built in 1937, overlapping the streamline era. Many of these cars were rebuilt or converted to Baggage Express, and three were rebuilt into Baggage Postal cars (Railway Post Office) and ran on the San Joaquin Daylight and Owl, among other service. SP's LA Shops did that job in 1954.

The upper photo is SP 6269, built by St. Louis Car in January of 1937 as SP 7235, Class 80-BH-1. It still has the original three doors on this side, but has lost the original two very small side windows at either end.

The lower photo is SP 6263, renumbered from former Central Pacific (and later Southern Pacific) 7226, Class 70-BH-3. It was built in November of 1927 by Bethlehem, rebuilt into a Baggage Express and renumbered in 1953. It has lost two of its original side doors, and the two small windows on each side at the ends of the car have also been plated over. (You can make out the location of the former window sills.)

Both of these cars have received replacement ply-metal doors; the original doors were wooden, with multiple narrow panes of glass for the windows. I took the photos at Bayshore Yard in 1968/69.

If you're seeking the stats on a particular car number, I'm happy to let my fingers do the walking on my bookshelf, to find a reference... and perfectly happy if anybody beats me to it!

~ BZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/12 02:28 by Notch16.

---

---

According to SP passenger trains Vol 2 by Shine and Ryan, the last known use of these cars was to carry a hot aircraft wing to Lockead in Burbank on Train 98 in 1966.

S.P. 7241 horse baggage car is at the Arizona Railroad Museum in Chandler, AZ (near Phoenix)
info copied from http://www.azrymuseum.org/roster/roster.html

Three door horse car with full opening end doors, built by St. Louis Car Company in 1937. The livery at time of delivery was a dark olive green with gold lettering. This was the last order of heavyweight cars placed by the Southern Pacific. In 1951 the car was converted to a postal storage car for use on the Golden State. At that time the number was changed to 4300 and the paint scheme changed to the red over silver of the Golden State. In 1953 the car was repainted to an all aluminum color with a red letter board and the Golden State insignia on the side. In 1958 the car was again repainted, this time to the silver with orange letterboard of the Sunset route. The early 1960’s saw the color changed to the solid grey used on all of the head end passenger equipment. In 1966 the car was retired from revenue service and converted to a heavy tool car at the Sacramento shops, coming out with the number SPMW 5984. At this time the roller bearing wheel sets were removed for use on the heavyweight business cars. In the early 1970’s the car moved to Phoenix for use by the car repair forces. It was stationed for a time at the Tempe depot before moving to the Phoenix yard. The car was sold for dismantle in September 1994 to Smith and Charles Salvage. Jim Smith donated the car to the Arizona Railway Museum in 1995. The car was moved by the Southern Pacific to the museum on Aug. 23,1996.

Historical Photos (see website http://www.azrymuseum.org/roster/roster.html - about halfway down the page)
SPMW 5984, at Tempe Station, 1/17/81. Photo by: Bob Trennert SP #7241 in Phoenix yard

- Doug Debs

OERM in Perris CA also has a Santa Fe horse car 1999.

http://www.oerm.org/collection/santa-fe/1999

I haven't been there lately but there was one at the Santa Fe depot in Barstow...

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

I was curious about the car used for the feature film "Seabiscuit" with Jeff Bridges.

About 9 years ago, calistone wrote in TO:

<the movie did utilize the ATSF horse express car from the Southern California Chapter of R&LHS exhibit at Pomona.>

The R&LHS site has a photo of that car, but no car number.

Good on the filmmakers for hewing to as much authenticity as they could reasonably contract for.

~ BZ

The last time I saw a horse-express car in actual transportation of "hayburners" was in 1969 or 70, when Santa Fe train 23 (which I sometimes used for "commuting" from San Bernardino) brought one into LA Union Station. Not only did it carry horses, there were also stable hands riding in the car to take car of the steeds. Presumably an east bound 2nd District local (or a special move) took it to Santa Anita.

I always wished S.P. had delivered horses in such cars to Los Alamitos race track, to fill in story of that O.C. Branch, but alas , none such reported(all ponies trucked in&out). Dunno about hay or other supplies, even, but think those were trucked, too(no spur there for rail del'y).

Steve Donaldson
Pacific Grove, CA



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/15 14:28 by SteveD.

Thanks guys for your help. Now for the rest of the story.

My Dad was a Pacific Electric motorman, hiring out in November 1936. By the time of his untimely death in 1952 he
had worked in various capacities for that very unique company including conductor, train dispatcher, motor coach operator,
ticket clerk, office supervisor and other jobs. All of this was allowed by the union agreements in force during his time.
I know of no other railway company that this was possible. But I digress.

Yesterday, I was going through some of his papers and came upon a very interesting, for me, series of monthly records that
Dad had maintained beginning in 1939 and continuing through 1941. His record for the month of February 1941 shows that on
February 2, a Sunday, he was the motorman on an extra train handling car SP7321. Squeezed into the column showing the
motor number, 1454 as well as the SP car number is the word "Seabiscuit". Knowing that Dad was definitely not one to play the ponies I am assuming that he was also aware of the public interest in the great horse and knew this was a noteworthy occasion.

Over on the Railroaders Nostalgia forum there is a current lively thread about T&E Timebooks and the importance of keeping
records of events of our lives. I would submit that my Dad would certainly agree.

Charlie

Charlie, you sure the car number is SP 7321?

Or could it be SP 7231? That number corresponds to an 80-Foot class 80-BH-1 Baggage Horse.

Neat to find that listing! You might try emailing these folks to see where the horse was on that date:

http://www.seabiscuitheritage.org/index.html

BZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/12 20:17 by Notch16.

Notch16 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Charlie, you sure the car number is SP 7321?
>
> Or could it be SP 7231? That number corresponds to
> an 80-Foot class 80-BH-1 Baggage Horse.
>
> Neat to find that listing! You might try emailing
> these folks to see where the horse was on that
> date:
>
> http://www.seabiscuitheritage.org/index.html
>
> BZ

I checked again about the number and he definitely entered "SP 7321".
I suppose it is possible that he entered it incorrectly but we can
not know. Thanks Bob for the link. I note on their home page a comment
that Seabiscuit's last race at Santa Anita was in April, 1940 which
refutes the record as I have interpreted it. I emailed them and will
let you know what they say. Thanks again.

Charlie

Good luck on the search! Tracking down leads like this -- especially when it's family -- is always interesting. :-)

BZ

I thought 1941 was too late for Seabiscuit to be racing according to the book and movie

After a little more research it is found that Seabiscuit's last race was at
Santa Anita in April, 1940. It is also known that the horse returned to Santa Anita
in February 1941 for the unveiling of a statue in his honor and that statue remains
to this day. I am still looking for more specific facts surrounding this visit but
I am satisfied that the entry in my Dad's records corresponds with that occasion.
Thanks to all for your responses.

Charlie

Although not SP oriented...
I remember Santa Fe Horse-Express cars spotted at the Horse Platform at Crenshaw Blvd, on the Harbor District in Inglewood.
This platform was the point for Hollywood Park Racetrack.

--Jim Baker