Nostalgia & History > Art Randall & SP cab-forward 4274

Location help will most likely be needed here! As one might expect in my 7+ years with the Gibson Collection I found a small army of slide & negative-trading photographers. But very few of them did I get a chance to meet in person. With Art gone I have very little info to work with here. There are indeed times when just knowing a photographer in person can be an aid in writing up photo captions.

Here are 7 total slides from two different days, taken by a Gibson friend named Art Randall. None of the 7 were Kodak processed Kodachrome. They were some off-brand I’ve dubbed “brand X”. To make matters worse, they were originally scanned with my first scanner, that horrid Hewlett-Packard G5040. Even so, I took my near-10 years of Photoshop hoodoo voodoo and did the best I could with them. All that said, I am reasonably sure the SP steam subject matter interest will compensate for the lack in quality that we’re used to seeing from the father/son Gibsons...

1. Donner Lake, presumably as seen from the SP main line.

2. Shooting from back in the train this slide was marked as Donner Pass.

3. SP cab-forward 4274 is now taking water at Emigrant Gap, CA.
Images 1-3 taken November 30, 1957.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/22 05:55 by santafe199.

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We move ahead to 4 slides from December of 1957...

4. SP cab-forward 4274 at Reno, NV. Or so the slide said.

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And the next three slides were labelled “Newcastle”*, but I have serious doubts. By sun angle alone they look like 3 different locations to me....

5. 6. & 7. SP 4274 at various locations(?) Any & all help would be most appreciated...
Photos 4-7 taken December 1, 1957, ALL photos taken by Art Randall
Now in the James T. Wilson collection.

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Jim Wilson (jtwlunch)

*see Evan's very helpful reply below for the true location of images #5 & #6:



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/22 06:05 by santafe199.

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These are all photos taken of the California - Nevada Railroad Historical Society's "Sierra Daylight" excursion, a.k.a. "The Last Run of a Cab Forward Over Donner Pass."  The flyer is below, courtesy the Western Railway Museum Archives. 

I don't know exactly where photo 2 is, but if those are all from the eastbound run on 11/30/57, then they are out of sequence (Emigrant Gap is on the west side of the pass, Donner Lake on the east side). For the photos taken on 12/01/1957:

• Photo 4 really is westbound at Reno, NV.
• Photo 5 is westbound at Truckee, CA
• Photo 6 is westbound at Colfax, CA
• Photo 7 is westbound at honest-to-goodness Newcastle, CA

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Could have been taken yesterday.

Classic color images Lance, thanks for the look and Happy Thanksgiving.
—Mac

#2 is rounding the point at Gorge-
EB on 2 Track at about MP 159 between Alta and Midas.
SR

#1 would be the view of Donner Lake (already identified) near Eder CA.

These are very nice and appreciated

-Lee

I would place #6 at Colfax.  Looks like the Colfax station in the background right side as train is headed westbound.