Nostalgia & History > UP 106 at Ogden, 1967

While doing the research for my "Ogden Rails" book, I never saw a color photo of UP's DC&H Commissary and Laundry building. Built in 1906 and torn down after 1951, or so I thought. That 1951 date comes from the fact that the new Ogden laundry was completed in 1951. I later received an undated photo by Vic Oberhansley showing an SP business car sitting on the office track just south of the old laundry building. But it was undated. I now have a series of dated photos by Dave England, with Jan 1967 as the date on the Kodak slide mount. So now we know that the old laundry building was in place at least until 1967, an additional 16 years.

The photos also show UP business car 106 on the office track at Ogden. UP 106 was built in 1914 as Business Car 99 (1st); to Business Car 106 (2nd) in June 1952; stored in 1970 (retired in February 1972, reinstated in May 1973); refurbished in 1978 and named "Shoshone"; to California State Railroad Museum in 1985; to UP in 1992 in exchange for Business Car 103 (7th); to Business Car UPP 106 "Shoshone" in 1992. Still in service.

Don Strack



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/13 09:11 by donstrack.

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Here are the two photos by Vic Oberhansley, showing an SP business car. No dates.

Don Strack

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SP 131 Western, before the Redwood 103 was renumbered and renamed SP 131 Sacramento

Is that car still around if so does anybody know where it is? I remember a private car western being in the Harrison Street Park in Oakland many years ago

I got a great tour of that car in Oakland years ago by a very dedicated older man who took loving care of it. Beautiful wood paneling inside which he kept polished.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

I believe 106 served as the Idaho Division Superintendent's car in the 1970s and normally was to be found in Pocatello. I remember meetings aboard it when I was proposing the Chip Rack Special operations. 105 was shared by the Northwestern District General Manager and the Oregon Division Superintendent and was normally to be found in Portland.

Best regards,

Rob L.

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> I got a great tour of that car in Oakland years
> ago by a very dedicated older man who took loving
> care of it. Beautiful wood paneling inside which
> he kept polished.
The ex REDWOOD is now named LOS ANGELES and is kept in Southern CA by Phil Sheridan. It has a painted steel interior, left over from its days as the Pullman fleet car BALBOA.

billboles Wrote:
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> Is that car still around if so does anybody know
> where it is? I remember a private car western
> being in the Harrison Street Park in Oakland many
> years ago

The Western, previously at Harrison Park, is currently at the Brightside facility on the Niles Canyon Railroad.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/13 15:32 by up421.

WP-M2051 Wrote:
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> MojaveBill Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I got a great tour of that car in Oakland years
> > ago by a very dedicated older man who took
> loving
> > care of it. Beautiful wood paneling inside
> which
> > he kept polished.
> The ex REDWOOD is now named LOS ANGELES and is
> kept in Southern CA by Phil Sheridan. It has a
> painted steel interior, left over from its days as
> the Pullman fleet car BALBOA.

Which WAS the "Sacramento" before getting renamed to "Los Angeles"

UP-421 is this the same car pictured at Ogden
WKB

Car says 131 Western

The SP car in the photo is not the same "Western" that's now in Niles Canyon.

The date of the photo has to be post-1958, when that color scheme was adopted. The car has the early lowered position of the Scarlet stripe, meant to match the letterboards of Budd "Sunset" equipment. By 1969 the car had been rebuilt with Thermopane-style windows, the stripe was directly under the roof joint, and the car had been renamed "Sacramento."

~ BZ

Notch16 Wrote:
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> The SP car in the photo is not the same "Western"
> that's now in Niles Canyon.
>
> The date of the photo has to be post-1958, when
> that color scheme was adopted. The car has the
> early lowered position of the Scarlet stripe,
> meant to match the letterboards of Budd "Sunset"
> equipment. By 1969 the car had been rebuilt with
> Thermopane-style windows, the stripe was directly
> under the roof joint, and the car had been renamed
> "Sacramento."
>
> ~ BZ

Bob, quoting from James Kinkaid's Vol 3 which is mostly SP passenger cars

"..SP Western Division superintendent A.S. McCann compained loudly to upper management that the steel underframe wood bodied SP 121 Western ( the one at Niles Canyon) creaked so badly at high speed it scared customers he was entertaining. As a result, the Redwood SP 103 was reassigned in September, 1959 as the 131 Western"

WAF Wrote:
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> Notch16 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The SP car in the photo is not the same
> "Western"
> > that's now in Niles Canyon.
> >
> > The date of the photo has to be post-1958, when
> > that color scheme was adopted. The car has the
> > early lowered position of the Scarlet stripe,
> > meant to match the letterboards of Budd
> "Sunset"
> > equipment. By 1969 the car had been rebuilt
> with
> > Thermopane-style windows, the stripe was
> directly
> > under the roof joint, and the car had been
> renamed
> > "Sacramento."
> >
> > ~ BZ
>
> Bob, quoting from James Kinkaid's Vol 3 which is
> mostly SP passenger cars
>
> "..SP Western Division superintendent A.S. McCann
> compained loudly to upper management that the
> steel underframe wood bodied SP 121 Western ( the
> one at Niles Canyon) creaked so badly at high
> speed it scared customers he was entertaining. As
> a result, the Redwood SP 103 was reassigned in
> September, 1959 as the 131 Western"

I have probably spent more nights on this particular car (SP 131 Sacramento- Los Angeles) than anyone now living. (10 nights a month for 8 years)
The NWP-1 Redwood was re assigned to the Western Division in May of 1959 when the RDC SP-10 replaced the train Redwood. CEN surrendered it to Supt. A.S. McCann at Oakland to replace the old wood frame truss rod car western. The 131 had been out shopped from the SP to the NWP in 1954 and named the NWP-1
The photos of the car Western at Ogden were circa 1961-64 when the Business Car pool at Oakland was diminished and some of the older cars eliminated and the Divisions being consolidated lost their division cars. The Western and Coast Divisions used pool cars. The Salt lake received the Old Redwood. The Sacramento and Salt Lake were eliminated and later replaced with the Western (Redwood) and re-maned the Sacramento SP 131. Which it remained until assigned to the Los Angeles SP 131.
Late in 1975 LGS surrendered the car to the Pool as gt-he Car Attendant retired and we never were able to find any one permanent.
Upon the acquisition of a corporate jet air craft the 131 was re assigned to the Tucson Division for used at Tucumcari for the executives to Jet to Tucumcari and business car west.
The 131 was not used often enough and was returned to the Oakland Pool and later renamed Los Angeles SP 131 and assigned to the Los Angeles Superintendent MLB.
These photos taken at Ogden about 6 months apart were about 1962-63 before the Sacramento Division Supt. RRR became proprietor in 1964.
He and the Superintendent of the Sacramento General Shops, Mr.WOB, VPO WDL were old friends and had authority over Car hop 3 at the Sac General Shops and the Car 131 was completely rebuilt with new kitchen, roller bearing trucks, rubber draft gear, modernized air conditioning system (it never worked good) double pane windows and any other whims. This is also the time it gained its pink interior. Was actually the color scheme of the "Lark" equipment.
During this circa this car when possible-was used as the crew rider car on the Chairman,s trips. It was very convenient to have you own personal bedroom with you. The only almost pleasant trips on this car was when I was on it with just the Attendant.

Nothing like getting facts straight from the horse's mouth ( didn't say you were a horse, Bill :-( )

Is the car Los Angeles that was on the LA division the one that eventually went to Mexico? If so, anybody have a photo?

JDE

That's the first "Los Angeles", John. Off the property in 1975

WAF Wrote:
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> That's the first "Los Angeles", John. Off the
> property in 1975


Ok, Wes. Thank you.

Then what was the history of the car Los Angeles that I rode in 1979 and 1980? Is that the one that went to Mexico?

JDE

Steamjocky Wrote:
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> WAF Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That's the first "Los Angeles", John. Off the
> > property in 1975
>
>
> Ok, Wes. Thank you.
>
> Then what was the history of the car Los Angeles
> that I rode in 1979 and 1980? Is that the one
> that went to Mexico?

John, I would say it was the Sacramento as it was based in LA during that time period
>
> JDE