Nostalgia & History > That Amtrak Ex-SP FP-7 113. Nice roster shot!

Another high quality B&W Dick Smith photo inspired by ShastaDaylights comments. 
Older palm trees in the background, not sure on location?
Amtrak 112 while we are at it!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/16 01:10 by mp51w.

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mp51w Wrote:
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> Another high quality B&W Dick Smith photo inspired
> by ShastaDaylights comments. 
> Older palm trees in the background, not sure on
> location?
> Amtrak 112 while we are at it!

It looks like the NB Coast Starlight again just crossing the LA river, but from a lower vantage point than yesterday's Dick Smith post.

Are you sure that these were Southern Pacific units?  They both look to be originally Chesapeake & Ohio units.
John

112 ex-SP 6448, 113 ex-SP 6449. No C&O F or FP unit went to Amtrak. All the Amtrak Fs came from BN, all the FPs from SP. I think.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/16 04:13 by ctillnc.

Yes, they're ex-SP, and those are icicle breakers on the roof. They have nothing to do with cleaning dome car windows !

1) Santa Barbara westbound
2) East Bank Junction, L.A. westbound just departed L.A.U.P.T.

These shots were taken just before all of the ex-SP FP7's were returned to the SP, then being replaced by Amtrak' new SDP40F's.

Soon, they would be seen in L.A. Basin "Hauler" service.

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Thanks for the photos!

I've already commented on the Amtrak 113 being the first SP passenger F-unit to be repainted into Amtrak's first color scheme, and the 112 is one I remember well also! On May 1, 1976 (Amtrak's fifth birthday), the 112 was making its final trip over the SP as Amtrak had the unit working its way east to be traded-in to EMD on the first order of F40PH diesels. The 112 was running in between a pair of the usual red-nosed Amtrak SDP40F units that had extra icicle breaker bars up top (for domes and also the unit's air horns) and which were in captive service between Denver and Oakland. I was riding from Oakland to Sparks and had planned on narrating up in the former SP dome to tell passengers about the route. (I was doing this long before the California State Railroad Museum narrators started riding from Sacramento to Reno, and my narrative included the Cal-P Line along the Bay and across the Sacramento Valley) However, the air conditioning in the dome died as the train left the 16th street station in Oakland. By Sacramento, when I was the last person to leave the car, the temperature outside was 99 and inside the dome it was just over 155 degrees! I have always wished I had borrowed an egg from the dining car and fried it on the purple and orange paisley upholstery on the upstairs dome seats!

Well, with no one to tell about the route, I retreated to an open vestibule where I hung out from Elvas Junction (just east of downtown Sacramento) all the way over the Hill to Reno and Sparks. While I could not hear the F-unit over the sound of the twin SDP's (it was working and not deadheading), I enjoyed getting to ride behind the former SP 6448 ( a favorite since childhood) on its (sadly) final journey on the Overland Route! Also, while Amtrak's SP F-units could still be seen in occasional freight service in northern and southern California, Amtrak kept some of them busy with the seasonal "Reno Fun Train" as well as the "San Joaquin" until the end came for all but two units in the Spring of 1976...

Thanks for the photos and the memories!

ShastaDaylight

ShastaDaylight Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the photos!
>
> I've already commented on the Amtrak 113 being the
> first SP passenger F-unit to be repainted into
> Amtrak's first color scheme, and the 112 is one I
> remember well also! On May 1, 1976 (Amtrak's fifth
> birthday), the 112 was making its final trip over
> the SP as Amtrak had the unit working its way east
> to be traded-in to EMD on the first order of F40PH
> diesels. The 112 was running in between a pair of
> the usual red-nosed Amtrak SDP40F units that had
> extra icicle breaker bars up top (for domes and
> also the unit's air horns) and which were in
> captive service between Denver and Oakland. I was
> riding from Oakland to Sparks and had planned on
> narrating up in the former SP dome to tell
> passengers about the route. (I was doing this long
> before the California State Railroad Museum
> narrators started riding from Sacramento to Reno,
> and my narrative included the Cal-P Line along the
> Bay and across the Sacramento Valley) However, the
> air conditioning in the dome died as the train
> left the 16th street station in Oakland. By
> Sacramento, when I was the last person to leave
> the car, the temperature outside was 99 and inside
> the dome it was just over 155 degrees! I have
> always wished I had borrowed an egg from the
> dining car and fried it on the purple and orange
> paisley upholstery on the upstairs dome seats!
>
> Well, with no one to tell about the route, I
> retreated to an open vestibule where I hung out
> from Elvas Junction (just east of downtown
> Sacramento) all the way over the Hill to Reno and
> Sparks. While I could not hear the F-unit over the
> sound of the twin SDP's (it was working and not
> deadheading), I enjoyed getting to ride behind the
> former SP 6448 ( a favorite since childhood) on
> its (sadly) final journey on the Overland
> Route! Also, while Amtrak's SP F-units could
> still be seen in occasional freight service in
> northern and southern California, Amtrak kept some
> of them busy with the seasonal "Reno Fun Train" as
> well as the "San Joaquin" until the end came for
> all but two units in the Spring of 1976...
>
> Thanks for the photos and the memories!
>
> ShastaDaylight

Excellent addition to the post!   Thanks!

So happy to learn about the icicle breakers on the roof. I have seen them for years and never knew what they were.