Nostalgia & History > SP's First EMD Six Axle

Southern Pacific's first EMD six axle locomotive built in 1952 as a demo unit. Here is the elder statesman of the SP Roster working in Roseville yard in 1995 still earning it's keep. Rosevillewas a super place to watch trains and a haven for older EMD's who had second careers as yard engines.

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Now at IRM, unrestored, but operating.
Would of been nice if a Western group got it.
Regards, Jim Evans

FiveChime Wrote:
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> Now at IRM, unrestored, but operating.
> Would of been nice if a Western group got it.
> Regards, Jim Evans


What "Western group"? Lots of folks involved with the California State RR Museum wanted it, but then it would just have rusted away. I personally requested the UP to haul the unit to Cheyenne, WY, where it was repaired (it had a leaking radiator core) and completed the 24 month air brake inspection. The long term goal was to have it donated to the IRM, where the very first EMD GP7 is.

Thanks for this.

Have to agree there's limited success at 'Museums' such as CSRM. There's rumors of how that happened but it did and so many 'large artifacts' are better off at Museums that have the where-with-all to take care of them.

The SP / NWP RDC is another example, lots of heroics to bring it back to California but it's still ready for restoration.

It would be nice.

Those Charles Smiley videos were just the best!

TCnR Wrote:
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> Have to agree there's limited success at 'Museums'
> such as CSRM. There's rumors of how that happened
> but it did and so many 'large artifacts' are
> better off at Museums that have the where-with-all
> to take care of them.
>
> The SP / NWP RDC is another example, lots of
> heroics to bring it back to California but it's
> still ready for restoration.
>
> It would be nice.

The RDC may be beyond saving with all that salt water corrosion from sitting in the water at Galveston after the hurricane.

Loved the SP SD9s, saw them along with GP9s all the time coming through Cordelia or Suisun, CA when I was growing up.  I have some photos of them, but not many, as they were old and everywhere at the time.  And then one day they were gone.  Wish I had taken more photos.

Nathan