Nostalgia & History > A Sequence of Slides of Santa Fe Train 8 (Needs Help)

Santa Fe Train 8 was a local from Richmond, CA to Barstow, CA with a bus connection from San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley.  It was an overnight train as was its counterpart, Train 7.  This is the best I can make out from my June 1966 Official Guide. [EDIT] Evan Werkema PM me the following:  "Train 7 and 8 were mail trains.  The first slide would be the last train before the mail contract came off, and the others show the train's dying gasps.  Trains 7 and 8 made their last runs in early November 1967:"  Evan added this link:  https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3741581

Rick Burn acquired four slides of Train 8 ready to depart Richmond on four different dates in October 1967.  Interesting to say the least.  Photographer unknown.

1. October 15, 1967 with AT&SF F3A 36C which was rebuilt to CF7 2518. This is before the mail contract was pulled.

2. October 17, 1967 with AT&SF F3A 22C which was rebuilt to CF7 2626.

3. October 20, 1967 with AT&SF PA-1 58L which was traded to EMD in March 1969.  This and the next photo show the train without the mail contract.  The train gave the Santa Fe a place to run its PA1s.

4. October 21, 1967 with AT&SF PA-1 62L which became Delaware & Hudson 18 in December 1967 and was rebuilt to a PA-4 in 1974.

Enjoy,
Marty Bernard



 



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/18 16:11 by MartyBernard.

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Gee, can you tell when the mail contract ended?

These are all at Richmond, California.  I am not knowlegeable on the date but the move from Oakland to Richmond occurred in the late Fufties or earrly 1960s.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

Ah, #36C . It lead ATSF #15 that my grandma and I rode from Chicago back to Ft. Worth during Christmas break in 1969-70 .
Thanks for posting these slides .  --Kelly

The move from Oakland to Richmond occurred during 1958.

pic 3: what's w/that open briefcase and stuff next to the white water spigot?

It better belong to the photographer, I would assume.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

Marty, train #8 west of Barstow was actually two trains.  One went from Richmond to Barstow, the other went
from Los Angeles to Chicago.  The two were combined at Barstow, but passengers were not solicited between
LA and Chicago, only Barstow/Richmond.  Yes, #7 ran the same way and of course, these two were the primary
mail trains on the Santa Fe.  The first shot in Richmond may have been one of the last trains before the
mail contract was cancelled.  Later, in Gallup, NM, #8 would be split into two trains again, continuing over Raton Pass with
the split becoming #4 via Clovis and Amarillo to Kansas City.  I'm sure there were very good reasons for all
this combining and splitting but I've never heard what they were.  

The late Andy Sperandeo had some pictures of #7/8 taken between Barstow and Gallup that clearly showed
the two trains combined.  I'm thinking, well guessing, that what was #8 west of Barstow became #4 east of
Gallup.  However, that's as I said, just a guess.  I hope this explanation makes some sense.  Thanks for posting these.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Nick, thanks for those comments.  They make a lot of sense relative to the pictures.  Let's see if they stir up any more comments.  Marty

Out of Chicago - Chicago, Fort Madison and KC - 3 60' RPO's out of Chicago, maybe one dropped at KC.
Chicago and KC  was on the Q started up first, the following trains would then have an Intermediate city to clarify trains.  The Q train actually lasted a while longer, maybe 69 to serve rural connectionsl.  Grand Canyon #23 was the morning mail train.

Pretty sure the end of the mail contract was Oct 67.  One of the clerks came over to the faciltiy I worked at.  I would wonder over the Missouri rack and listen to
his stories.  My friends couldn't figure out the interest but some neat stories.

Bob Jordan

When No. 3 amd No. 7 ran as a combined train west of Gallup you would have the heavy weight express-coach from No. 7 mid-train and a height weight coach from No. 3 on the rear end. If there were a large number of cars from the two trains, a second section of No. 7 ran or if No. 3 or No. 7 were significantly delayed they would run as seperate traim west of Barstow.

North 8 would not become No. 3 at Gallup. North 8's chair car was cut out at Barstow and returned west on North 7. Consist of North 7 and No. 7 in Frailey"s Quater Century of Santa Fe Consist show most of North 8's cars going east on Number 7 beyond Gallup.

MyfordBrowning Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When No. 3 amd No. 7 ran as a combined train west
> of Gallup you would have the heavy weight
> express-coach from No. 7 mid-train and a height
> weight coach from No. 3 on the rear end. If there
> were a large number of cars from the two trains, a
> second section of No. 7 ran or if No. 3 or No. 7
> were significantly delayed they would run as
> seperate traim west of Barstow.

When #3 and #7 ran as a combined train west of Gallup (as #7) the cars from #3 were on the rear because the next to last car was a setout car for San Bernardino. A San Bernardino switcher removed the car from the rear of the train.

When #4 and #8 ran as a combined train leaving LA (as #8) the cars for #4 were at the front of the train. The next to last car was the express-rider and the last car was an express boxcar that was set out at San Bernardino.

Jim Lancaster