Nostalgia & History > Noon Daylight stops at Santa Barbara

January 1948 finds Train 97, the westbound Noon Daylight stopping at Santa Barbara, CA for a drink and boarding passengers. Seven-year old GS4 4443 is in charge. Next stop San Luis Obispo, where a helper will be added to get the train up Cuesta Grade. Frank Peterson photos; Miller collection

---

---

Gosh, what a treat a ride on this train would have been.

Awesome how much business they had. Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,

Rob L.

Those 66 year old Kodachromes sure are in great shape.

Thanks for posting, Allan.

It is sometimes difficult to remember in this day of jet
airplanes and four lane, or wider, expressways, that the
railroad was for over a century the way to travel or move
freight overland. We can appreciate what the jet and the
auto took when we see a photo like this. Unfortunately,
it won't ever return, as much as we might like and want it
too.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Great shots, and someone who knows the train # too! Even though it's in plain sight I would have probably missed it



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/14 09:24 by valmont.

Note the Morton Bay Fig tree (to the left) in the 1st photo- a Santa Barbara depot icon.
SR

Great photos. Thank you for posting them.

I just noticed for the first time the car on the street in the first photo. Looks like a bit of a Daylight paint job?

Slumbercoach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gosh, what a treat a ride on this train would have
> been.

Later on, a "black" SP 4443 loco, participated on the March-1957 excursion known as the "Fresno Flyer".
Then in April-1957, the engine was used in the filming of "Pal Joey" with Frank Sinatra. Shortly thereafter, the engine was scrapped by the SP. Sad!

KRK

Note: In April 1957 Columbia Pictures filmed several scenes in the Bay Area for its movie "Pal Joey" starring Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak and Frank Sinatra. According to the article in the SP Bulletin about the excitement, engine No. 4443 was brought out of retirement to appear in scenes in the Oakland train shed. After the shed scenes, Sinatra boarded the steamer "Berkeley" to cross the Bay to San Francisco where more scenes were filmed in the Ferry Building. Later the movie people also changed the name of the station at Berkeley to "Gold City".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/14 17:13 by KeyRouteKen.

---

---

stunning pictures especially the color. Looks like it was shot yesterday.

What a fantastic image. Kodachrome at its finest. Is this the same location on West Montecito in Santa Barbra?

---

Yes, exactly.
SR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/14 21:47 by BoilingMan.

The Moreton Bay fig tree was a lot smaller than it is now.

Somewhere along the line the city stepped in to save the fig tree from itself- if left to it's own it would begin collapsing when the branches got too long and heavy. So it hasn't "grown" in years. It was stopped when it got too close to 101 (I don't know when that was- maybe in the 60's).
SR

4443 was involved in a head-on collision with 5015 at the west switch Redlands in 1943.