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| A line of SP passenger engines await their next call to service out of San Jose on the Commute pool. - Eddie Sims Collection |
This post is going to be a bit of a departure from my previous posts, as I'm not going to have very many model photos. Instead, it will be more prototype reference photos of the various types, classes, and service assignments the engines were used on.
Passenger Service Engines
A-Series Classes
The first batches of 4-4-2s built for the SP came in 1902 and were replaced in most heavy passenger service assignments by the newer and larger P-class 4-6-2 in 1904-1918.
Four A-class engines (3000-3003) were rebuilt with new trailing trucks with boosters and FWH's. Two engines (3000 & 3001) were painted specially for the new Sacramento Daylight between Sacramento and Tracy via Lathrop in the flatlands of the San Joaquin Valley.
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| SP 3000 painted for the Sacramento Daylight - Eddie Sims Collection |
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| SP 3001 painted for service on the Sacramento Daylight - Eddie Sims Collection |
P-Series Classes
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| SP 2400 - the class engine - After Delta Trailing Truck rebuild with plated over Speedy Bypass Valves - Eddie Sims Collection |
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| SP 2401 pulling No.55 (the Tehachapi) through Modesto in 1928. - Nolan Black Photo - Brian Black Collection |
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| SP 2419 - Eddie Sims Collection |
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| SP 2410 pulls No.118 (Commute) through Palo Alto CA - Nolan Black Photo (Brian Black Collection) |
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| SP 2420 - Model rebuilt by Eddie Sims, photo by Eddie Sims |
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| SP 2424 with No.151 - unknown photo. |
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| SP 2434 with Stephenson valve gear - Eddie Sims Collection |
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| Second 75, Lark, behind SP 2454 - Eddie Sims Collection |
MT-1/3/4/5-Classes
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| SP 4321 meets the enemy (SP 6181) at Mortmar near Indio & Yuma - May, 1952 - Nolan Black - Brian Black Collection |
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| SP 4324 ready to leave 3rd & Townsend with Suntan Special. - Eddie Sims Collection |
The GS and MT's used for the "Suntans" out of 3rd & Townsend would run only as far as SJ or Watsonville Jct, where smaller T, C, or TW class engines would take the "Suntans" to Santa Cruz. The same would happen in reverse as the "Suntans" returned to San Francisco over the weekends.
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| SP 4326 No.27, Overland - Eddie Sims Collection |
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| SP 4342, No.124 Commute - 3rd & Townsend - May 1950 - Nolan Black photo - Brian Black Collection |
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| SP 4350 No.126 Commute - Eddie Sims Collection |
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| SP 4350 leads No.55 through Modesto in Nov'51 - Nolan Black photo - Brian Black Collection |
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| SP 4358 No.429, freight, Eddie Sims Collection |
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| SP 4363 leads No.52. Eddie Sims Collection |
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| SP 4363 First 56 - Modesto Nov-51 - Nolan Black photo - Brian Black Collection |
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| SP 4370, an MT-5, all dolled up with aluminum cylinder covers, smokebox, and white tires, pre-1946 SPL paint - Eddie Sims Collection |
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| SP 4373, Commute No.140 at 3rd & Townsend - Eddie Sims Collection |
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| SP 4376 with Commute No.120 departing 3rd & Townsend St. - Eddie Sims Collection |
MT-2-Classes
The Southern Pacific's MT-2 class came from the EPSW in 1924, right after the MT-1 class was delivered and before the MT-3 class was built at Sacramento. They are distinct with the Elesco FWD in front of the stack and the higher (rougher riding) EPSW cabs. They all came with large square tenders.
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| SP 4390 after June 1946, but before the skyline casing was mounted. - Eddie Sims collection |
Once on the SP the MT-2s were absorbed as much as possible mechanically by the SP.
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| SP 4387 MT-2 with skyline casing shortly before the end. - Eddie Sims Collection |
GS-1
GS-2
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| SP 4410 - Eddie Sims Collection |
The six GS-2s were built with 73" drivers for the original 1937 lightweight Daylight trainsets. However by the war and after, there were enough GS-3 and new GS-4s to downgraded the GS-2s to all-black paint, replacing the expensive 'Daylight' red and orange scheme.
GS-3
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| SP 4424 during her first couple years on the SP helping Second 824. - Eddie Sims Collection |
This prewar GS-3 shows off the original SPL lettering on the tender and the forward mounted train indicators.
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| SP 4422 WWII with blackout visor on the headlight and class lights. - Eddie Sims Collection |
During the War blackouts were ordered on the west coast at night. Every engine operating within 200 miles of the Pacific Coast was fitted with the blackout visors to prevent Japanese aircraft, which were feared to be coming to raid the West Coast during 1942-1943.
GS-4/5
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| SP 4400-series GS-4 leads No.96, the Noon Daylight, along the coast. - Eddie Sims Collection |
The highest point in the GS-series was certainly the 30 GS-4 class engines (4428-4457) built during 1941 and 1942. These engines were the first to include a signal light above the headlight. Another improvement over the GS-3 was the change to an enclosed cab.
"Half-Daylight" Schemes
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| SP 4439 wearing her interim deskirting scheme "Half Daylight" scheme. - Eddie Sims Collection |
Several GS-4s wore what's come to be called by the railfans "half-Daylight", which was a very short lived scheme resulting from the mechanical forces being allowed to remove the skirts and paint the engines black, but not having the time to complete the painting changes and reletter the engines. This resulted in several cases of the shop forces cutting off the skirts and the engines going back into service immediately. In 1954, at least one engine (4452) was put back into service with the red stripe on the boiler retained. Most other examples had at least black paint put down the boiler jackets and on the pilot, leaving the lettered portions of the engine alone. Several of these engines lasted up to a couple of months in this scheme before their next regular shopping allowed the shop's painting crew to complete the repaint and lettering to all-black scheme.
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| Westside Model GS-4 deskirted and painted partly in Daylight scheme. |
One of these years, I'll finish rebuilding my GS-4...
GS-6
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| SP 4461 - Eddie Sims Collection |
The SP's GS-6s, unlike GS-2s and GS-3s which were deskirted, were really the only SP 4-8-4s that were properly known as "War Babies", ordered and delivered during the war. The GS-6s were ordered with GS-4 equipment standards, including the enclosed cabs. However, their mechanical dimensions were brought back to that of the smaller GS-2s with 73" drivers.
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| SP 4464 No11 - Eddie Sims Collection |
In a way, the GS-6 was the final development of the general service (both passenger, express, and freight service) that the SP Mt-1,3,4,5 class engines developed in the 1920s.
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SP 4465 Altamont Pass - Eddie Sims Collection
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The result is that the GS-6s, GS-2, and Mts worked interchangeably on the same assignments over multiple divisions across the SP system as needed. The SP 4464 this day handles the Beaver at Portland, Oregon.
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| SP 4466 1-52 cutting off at Bakersfield - Eddie Sims Collection |
In the post-war years, GS-6 4466 lead the First 52, probably the regular San Joaquin Daylight, into Bakersfield before cutting off and backing down into Track 25, beside the crew office and locker rooms.
GS-7/8
The GS-7/8s came west from the SSW in the 1953 time frame. These were regularly seen in freight service at the end of steam years on the SP. Unfortunately, I don't have any good photos and permission to show for these work horses at this time. I might fix this with an edit when I do have some permissions.
In Closing
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| The fireman's sanding the flues on SP 4460 as she starts a heavy train. - Eddie Sims collection |
Sorry for the delay in wrapping up Part 5 of this series for several years. Hopefully it was worth the wait!
Jason Hill
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Thank you for putting this together.
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