Nostalgia & History > mundo: A few SP inspection vehicles

Mundo in the subject line means the following photos were taken by Trainorders user mundo.

1) Several railroads had AAR-standard two-unit rail defect detector cars consisting of a tow unit and a detector unit.  Some were painted basic yellow, but others were fairly attractively attired:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3624759
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3371611
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,896324,897026#897026

However, few were done up quite as nicely as two sets owned by SP, decorated in Daylight-inspired scarlet and orange.  Ed photographed the set consisting of power unit SPO-4901 and detector unit SPO-1001 on a couple of occasions.  This first one dates from September 1952.

2) Another view of the opposite corner of the set at Indio, CA on February 19, 1956.  This set, at least, lasted into the 1970's, but by then they had been redone in solid "maintenance of way orange."

http://espee.railfan.net/nonindex/spmw/detectors/0-4901_sp-detector-trailer-bob_dengler.jpg
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,2823418

More photos of these cars in black-and-white can be found in this old thread:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3260632,3261411#3261411

3) Ed caught a different type of SP inspection vehicle at Colton, CA in November 1958.  As best as I can tell, it's a 1957 Pontiac Safari Wagon fitted with hi-rail wheels.  Wonder if scarlet/orange was an option on this model. ;^)

Thanks as always to Ed for sharing his photos with us!

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The first one was a familiar sight in Mojave back in the 'Fifties.
The 2-tone gray troop sleeper traveled with the middle one.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/20 13:38 by MojaveBill.