Nostalgia & History > A SP Bicentennial on a mission

In the spirit of this day, photo one shows SP's U25-B 6800 in her Bicentennial dress arriving Bassett, CA. in
January, 1976 on a special mission. The second photo shows the reason: SP5021, a 4-10-2 three-cylinder steam
locomotive tucked in behind the last diesel and ahead of the caboose.  

The occasion was to move the steam engine back to display at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona after
spending many years at Santa Fe's San Bernadino roundhouse. The event that made this movement possible was the
recent visit to the fairground by the American Freedom Train and, of course the real star as far as railfans were concerned,
the SP4449. After the AFT display had finished in Pomona and the train moved on to its next display, the powers-that-be
agreed to move 5021 back to the fairgrounds before the switch and track that had been placed for 4449 and company's
display were removed. 5021 spent several days in Los Angeles at Taylor yard before the move we see here. 

My notes show the day to be January 6, 1976 when SP6800 and some other power were called in Los Angeles to
take 5021 back to Bassett where the connection with SP's Bassett branch was made which allowed a local crew to
forward the steamer back to the fairgrounds via Baldwin Park and the rails of the former Pacific Electric San Bernadino branch

Both 5021 and 6800 survive today; 5021 still in the fairgrounds and 6800 now renumbered SP3100 and a resident of the 
Southern California Railroad Museum at Perris.

Charlie 

 

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Cool story, Charlie.  Both #6800 and #5021 spent some time in Oregon when I lived there, albeit in separate eras.

Greg Stadter
Phoenix, AZ

It's still hard for me to imagine those steam engines, with their long wheelbases, pounding thru the curves of the Oregon lines, over Pengra Pass.

E25 Wrote:
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> Cool story, Charlie.  Both #6800 and #5021 spent
> some time in Oregon when I lived there, albeit in
> separate eras.


The 6800 made it to Oregon? I didn't know any of SP's U25B ever made it up that far. Was it for a special occasion while wearing the R/W/B?

When SP was short on power, everything went everywhere

Yep.  I saw it myself more than once.  It may have come up with the Freedom Train into the Willamette Valley, too.

Timothy

That tree makes it look like there's an Alco in the consist.
Thanks for sharing.

KA7008 Wrote:
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> That tree makes it look like there's an Alco in
> the consist.
> Thanks for sharing.

As it turns out, there was an Alco; right ahead of the caboose, built in 1926. 8^)

Charlie

 

Great photos of an interesting event.

Posted from iPhone

coach Wrote:
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> It's still hard for me to imagine those steam
> engines, with their long wheelbases, pounding thru
> the curves of the Oregon lines, over Pengra Pass.

Apparently it was too hard, also, for SP management to continue using the 5000's over Pengra Pass after an
initial period immediately following the opening of the Natron Cutoff when it was found, as you have noted,
their long wheelbase played havoc with the track. They were removed from Oregon until the late 1940's when some
of the class passed through the en route to the straighter tracked Willamette Valley where they were assigned between
Portland and Eugene. They were never reassigned regularly to the Hill after that initial experience.

Charlie  

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/20 17:37 by cewherry.

heatermason Wrote:
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> Yep.  I saw it myself more than once.  It may
> have come up with the Freedom Train into the
> Willamette Valley, too.
>
> Timothy
No