Nostalgia & History > "More Bay Area Memories"

SP locomotive # 4413 leads Train No. 23 (identified as the 'Gold Coast'), South of Berkeley, Calif on 5-6-'50...

Photo courtesy of John Illman..

Note: My old Official Guide says that Train # 23 was the "San Francisco Challenger"..
Comments on this possibility ??

The date of my Guide is June--1946..

---

SP Westbound freight # 2-229, one mile North of Richmond, CA on 4-30-'49..

Photo courtesy of John Illman..

Loco number not identified..

---

I really think this shot is FANTASTIC!!

SP Train # 10--the "Shasta Daylight"--
Northbound, leaving MARTINEZ, CA for Portland, Oregon.. Heading up toward the SP--Benicia Bridge .

Locomotive in the lead is 6015..

Date: 9-23-'50..

Photo courtesy of John Illman..

---

SP Train # 55 (DAILY), taken at "STEGE", Richmond, CA on 4-9-'50..

Locomotive # 4346..

Photo courtesy of John Illman..

---

SP Train # 250, the "Daylight" connecting from Oakland, meets Train # 73, the "Oakland Lark" at Newark, CA on 11-4-'50.

Locomotive on Train 250 is SP 2409..

Photo courtesy of John Illman..

---

ATSF Alco-PA loco # 57 heads toward Richmond,CA with Train # 4, the "California Limited"-- passing thru El Cerrito, CA on the ATSF's "Oakland Branch" on 3-11-'50..

"Albany Hill" is in the background..

This view is practically in front of the house where fellow railfan "STASH" resides..

Photo courtesy of John Illman..

---

WP Train # 1, the "Royal Gorge", entering SP's "Oakland Pier" on 7-5-'48.
Locomotive is WP 172, an ex-FEC 4-8-2 type..

Photo courtesy of John Illman..

---

Great John Illman shots. My favorite is the Oakland sections of the "Lark" and "Daylight" meeting at Newark. This is the first photo I've seen of this event. - Tony J.

Was it normal for the Lark observation car to go to Oakland in lieu of SF?

Regards,

Rob L.

Yes, it was always done that way. It was easy to just take the last car or two off the end of the Lark and run them up to Oakland.

Remember the shot in CP&SP of the Lark obs at Oakland Pier? There's also a shot in another book of the steam Daylight 98 coming around Millbrae curve passing the non-obs last car of the Lark. (No, a photo-- I don't mean the dustjacket of Night Trains of the Coast Route.)

Never seen a pic of a Cal-P freight running as the second section of a passenger schedule...

The SF Challenger was #87 until sometime in 1946? Then maybe it switched to #23 after the Cascade dropped that number. But the Challenger was replaced by the Gold Coast in 1947.

How was the observation car configured? Lounge only? Some revenue space?

Ok-- John Illman had the photo labeled the "Gold Coast".. I was looking in the June=1946 Official Guide.. So I guess that "Gold Coast" it is!!

KRK

John, the obs was listed in the timetables as a Buffet-lounge sleeper. There was a full lounge car mid-train, so this car had rooms.

Interesting - never knew that the SP operated this type of Obs car.

wwdrkid Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> John, the obs was listed in the timetables as a
> Buffet-lounge sleeper. There was a full lounge car
> mid-train, so this car had rooms.

Well, SP had something like this in the heavyweight Pullman era. The 1937 TT shows train nos. 1 and 2, night trains between SF and LA, having a 'Sun Parlor Lounge Car'. This was a bedroom sleeper that had a small lounge area ai one end. The night I rode it another sleeper was trailing it and passengers were going through, the car having the usual door and vestibule. But there were windows on both sides of the door, so when travelling as the end car you would have a view out. Pullman only built a small number of these, I understand.

Someone was refurbishing this very car - the Mission Santa Ynez - in Portland a few years ago. Status today unknown.

john1082 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Interesting - never knew that the SP operated this
> type of Obs car.
>
> wwdrkid Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > John, the obs was listed in the timetables
> as a
> > Buffet-lounge sleeper. There was a full
> lounge car
> > mid-train, so this car had rooms.
>

In 1946, the car was a one drawing room, one compartment, two bedroom, buffet lounge.

It and a 6-6-4 sleeper came off the Lark for Oakland.

I loved ALL these shots.  As info the sleeper/observation car went to Oakland because it provided Pullman food service for Oakland passengers. It had a small buffet (Pullman name for galley) and served hot food ccoked over charcoal.  The famous triple-lounge-kitchen car went into San Francisco  in the main section of the train.

The first photo of seldom photographed train #23, the Gold Coast  I found especially interesting.