Nostalgia & History > Question about the Southern Pacific passenger train service

Hello members,

I was wondering, did Southern Pacific ever own any standard length dome cars?  To my knowledge, I don't think they did.  I was thinking about doing a 1:87 scale SP Daylight train with my model 4449.  I still want to obtain a 1:87 scale version of their water canteen 4219 & EMD SD45, just for the hell of it.

No they did not -- just the 3/4 length full dome, "home made" at their Sacramento Shops...  Under consideration initially were P-S "Milwaukee" full length domes; thence the Budd full length dome...  Potential clearance impediments compelled SP to develop an "in-house" version, thus the 3/4 dome -- utilizing a Budd built dome...  Southern Pacific did lease / trip lease the former CZ "Silver Lariat" for entertaining customers -- with custom removable car signage portending "Southern Pacific" ownership...

Lark Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No they did not -- just the 3/4 length full dome,
> "home made" at their Sacramento Shops...  Under
> consideration initially were P-S "Milwaukee" full
> length domes; thence the Budd full length
> dome...  Potential clearance impediments
> compelled SP to develop an "in-house" version,
> thus the 3/4 dome -- utilizing a Budd built
> dome...

Thats what I thought.  I knew about the 3/4 dome cars.  IMO, they were not the best looking.

  Southern Pacific did lease / trip lease
> the former CZ "Silver Lariat" for entertaining
> customers -- with custom removable car signage
> portending "Southern Pacific" ownership...

One point to consider is whether  the Coast Daylight pulled by GS-4 4-8-4 steam locos ever had the 3/4 dome cars . Look at when steam ended on trains 98/99 and compare that when the 3/4 domes were put into service on SP trains  #98/99.

Then , as I say to my fellow local modeler friends, "but it's your train to run as you like". Have fun with your trains as you like to run them . 

Lark Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No they did not -- just the 3/4 length full dome,
> "home made" at their Sacramento Shops...  Under
> consideration initially were P-S "Milwaukee" full
> length domes; thence the Budd full length
> dome...  Potential clearance impediments
> compelled SP to develop an "in-house" version,
> thus the 3/4 dome -- utilizing a Budd built
> dome...  

​Also, the Sacramento Shops put in a bid that was less expensive than the commercial builders, and as important, they were able to produce the cars quicker than the lead time needed for Budd and Pullman-Standard.  Delivery time was critical in order to remain competitive for the 1954 (or was it 1955?) summer travel season.

Appearance aside, they were great fun to ride in.

UP951West Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One point to consider is whether  the Coast
> Daylight pulled by GS-4 4-8-4 steam locos ever had
> the 3/4 dome cars . Look at when steam ended on
> trains 98/99 and compare that when the 3/4 domes
> were put into service on SP trains  #98/99.
>
> Then , as I say to my fellow local modeler
> friends, "but it's your train to run as you like".
> Have fun with your trains as you like to run them
> . 
Yes, steam ended on 98/99 before the domes were transferred from 51/52....so those domes did run behind steam on a regular basis......on 51/52.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

wpamtk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Appearance aside, they were great fun to ride in.

Maybe in the SP days.

I remember being intrigued by a Model Railroader article published in October 1972 about how to scratchbuilt HO scale replicas of these cars.   A few years after reading the article, I rode in the dome when it was in the consist of Amtrak's Coast Starlight.  I thought it was cool to:
1) Ride in car which was the subject of a Model Railroader article
2) Ride in an original SP car on SP's Coast LIne
3) Enjoy the large space below the dome towards the front of the car
However, the views out the dome were never that great, in part because the glass was smoky,  The shorter domes (ex-CB & Q and NP) on other Amtrak trains provided much better views.

RuleG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> wpamtk Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Appearance aside, they were great fun to ride
> in.
>
> Maybe in the SP days.
>
> I remember being intrigued by a Model Railroader
> article published in October 1972 about how to
> scratchbuilt HO scale replicas of these cars. 
>  A few years after reading the article, I rode in
> the dome when it was in the consist of Amtrak's
> Coast Starlight.  I thought it was cool to:
> 1) Ride in car which was the subject of a Model
> Railroader article
> 2) Ride in an original SP car on SP's Coast LIne
> 3) Enjoy the large space below the dome towards
> the front of the car
> However, the views out the dome were never that
> great, in part because the glass was smoky,  The
> shorter domes (ex-CB & Q and NP) on other Amtrak
> trains provided much better views.

Yes, for all around visibility, the various short domes had it all over the 3/4 and full domes....no doubt about it.  Of all the long domes, the "Stairway To The Stars" cars were my favorite, and, to me, the most classy as well.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

On at least one occasion SP 3600 was in the consist of the Coast Daylight in 1954. There is photographic evidence of this.

asab1501 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On at least one occasion SP 3600 was in the
> consist of the Coast Daylight in 1954. There is
> photographic evidence of this

It would be great to see that one.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

See the "other domes" section http://trainweb.org/web_lurker/SPf/ for standard domes SP might have owned, in some sense, in later years.

The SP domes were unique in the sense that they lacked a lower level pass through....the only way through the car was up the stairs.  They were often referred to as 3/4 length, but for all but the prototype, that really refers to the raised seating section.  The glass roof pretty much extended the length of the car, creating a nice, high roof solarium effect for the conventional level bar section located at one end.  Nice cars, but as others note, no match for forward visibility.

Dave