I'm going to turn the clock back about 22 years from the consist we looked at in Part 1. We're also moving about 20 miles south to the station at Little Lake as the Owenyo Local pulls into town. We can't see the whole consist, but I want to take a closer look at the cars that are visible in the consist.
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| SP 2751 leading the Owenyo Local at Little Lake. 1950 Serpico collection - owensvalleyhistory.com (cropped and enlarged) |
Engine: SP 2751
The engine is somewhat unique as it has large-engine style smoke deflector and is fitted with one of the fairly rare 120-SC tenders, which helps with a couple thousand gallons more water than other more standard post-war tenders used behind other 2-8-0s on the SP.
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| SP 2850 running light. |
I'm not too particular to model the 2751 per se, as I do have a C-class already serviceable, and several Bachmann-Spectrum 2-8-0 Conversions on the way. The main problem is the 120-SC tender. I plan to construct a scratch-built tender of this type for SP 3203, which will be one of my regular engines, so maybe for a Bachmann 2-8-0 I can think about making a second tender.
Consist Analysis:
SP Steel GS Gondolas
The first five cars appear to be standard SP G-50-15/16/18/22 class GS gondolas. The G-50-22s would be nearly brand new in 1950, and the cars in the photo certainly seem pretty clean and unbattered by the rough service they were assigned to. These cars are probably going to be loaded at Owenyo with minerals and ores from the overhead SPNG transfer trestle at Owenyo. At least one, maybe more could be spotted at the ore ramp off the Little Lake siding, just out of view to the left in this photo.
Car 1.
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| SP 151403 (2022 Roster photo) |
Car 2.
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| SP 151403 (2022 Roster photo) |
Car 3.
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| SP 151645 (2022 Roster photo) |
Car 4.
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| SP 94581 (2022 Roster photo) |
Car 5.
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| SP 151268 (2022 Roster photo) |
SPMW Bunk Car
Car 6.
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| SPMW 2139 - Roseville 1947 - Tim O'Connor Collection/Eddie Sims Collection |
SPMW Bunk Car, probably B-50-6/9 or B-40-series with 6ft freight door removed and new windows and door openings cut in side. This rebuild is pretty typical of SPMW's outfit car, there are several versions. The consist photo shows the door near the left end of the car, which could mean a Kitchen/Diner configuration car.
Two 48-52'6" Gondolas
There's next to no information in the photo about what these cars can be... It appears that they do not have 'fish-belly' sides, so it's some form of pre-WWII built gondolas. I'm guessing SP G-50-13/14 class cars
Car 7.
-A2.jpg) |
| SP 94248 (2011 LMRC Roster, J.Hill photo) |
SP 94248, G-50-14 - 50ft mill gondola. I'm not sure what the load in the gondola is from the consist photo viewing angle. It could be something that is low enough to not be visible over the car-sides. This is an old kitbash I made out of an extra Proto2000 52ft gondola. Speedwitch has also produced resin models of these cars.
Car 8.
SP 94053, G-50-14 with steam engine - post-1937 Pintrist photo, no credits. Given the 1950 photo date at Little Lake, there actually aren't that many other SP classes that this could be. Even the new G-70-series cars haven't been built yet. I suppose these could be from another RR, but I'm not familiar with what else it could be.
It's possible these two cars were carrying some sort of long material to supply the California Aquiduct with. There's also a photo at Owenyo of long power poles being transferred to or from the Narrow Gauge with the crane.
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| Owenyo Gantry Crane transferring wooden power polls Eastern California Museum owensvalleyhistory,com - owenyo gantry01_sml |
It's possible these two cars were carrying some sort of long material to supply the California Aquiduct with. There's also a photo at Owenyo of long power poles being transferred to or from the Narrow Gauge with the crane.
Two Tank Cars
Car 9.
UTLX 72176, GA Type-17 8k gallon tank car, Tangent Scale Models. (2022 Roster photo)
Car 10.
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| UTLX 77496, AC&F Type-21 8k gallon tank car, Proto2000. (2022 Roster photo) |
UTLX 77496, ACF Type-21 8k gallon tank car, Proto2000/Walthers. The second car seems shorter and fatter, possibly because of the ACF Type-21 which was shorter in length than most other types of this size. The car is still short in height compared to the boxcar behind it, suggesting it's not a 10k gallon car.
However, one problem with both these cars shown in the photo is that they do not have a dome platform walkway on the side being photographed, suggesting that the cars might be SP, as SP tank cars usually only had the platform on one side of the dome. If so, then this suggests some of the SP's smaller 8k gallon O-50-14 class cars, which have only been available in brass.
Boxcars
Car 11.
GN plywood sided boxcar. The photo's suggesting a paint scheme is very strange for any other boxcar that I know of. - GN Plywood-sided Sunshine 79.9 with Champ 409 decals - Model & photo by John Riddell - Check out the really cool composite door on these cars!
I think the prototype car if it is a GN plywood car, then it is probably carrying cardboard, paper, or lumber to the outer Jawbone Branch stations. If it's an empty, it could be a captured foreign empty, which will be reloaded to somewhere north of the Jawbone as the car is working its way back towards home rails.
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| GN Plywood-sided boxcar with Superior Doors - IMRC 2022 Run announcement - website screen capture |
IMRC is planning to do this car soon, get your reservation in soon. 40ft GN Plywood-Side boxcars with Superior doors and Youngstown doors, as well as "Original Scotchlite" from 1947 are being offered. It looks to me like the car in the photo is a Superior door car.
.jpg) |
| GN 10784 - plywood-sided boxcar - IMRC model. |
I picked this car up in late 2023, so this will fit my bill for this car on my layout.
Car 12.
.jpg) |
| MP 46028 (2011 LMRC Roster, J.Hill photo) |
Short Height 40ft, single-sheath boxcar, possibly some sort of 6 panel Pratt-truss car, which seems to have door guides both left and right of the door. So it is clearly not an SP B-50-15/16 class. I also doubt it's a Mathers single-sheathed boxcar, because of the consistently overhanging roof used on Mathers cars.
I'll probably use my future Sunshine Resin SLSF Single-sheath boxcar for this car.
I'll probably use my future Sunshine Resin SLSF Single-sheath boxcar for this car.
Car 13.
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| IMRC 1937 AAR boxcar kit, lettered as GN 11869. (2022 roster photo) |
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| Southern Rwy 14514, a Yardmaster series kit, which matches the photo better. (2022 roster photo) |
Some form of AAR boxcar I think, possibly Great Northern or possibly Southern Rwy. It has a name above the reporting marks on the left and some form of large herald to the right of the door. I'm kinda leaning towards this being a Southern Rwy car, which we saw another one of in Consist Photo Analysis Part 1, previously.
Car 14.
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| NP 15046, RC kit (2022 roster photo) |
Northern Pacific probably an All-Steel (1937 AAR style) boxcar. Ithink the arched spelled-out name "NORTHERN" is visible next to the rock outcropping. This is a photo of a Red Caboose kit of a 1937 AAR boxcar. Like the GN plywood sided car, I'm guessing this car could be bringing in paper, cardboard, or lumber. It could also be a foreign car, captured for reloading with a northbound load back towards the NP out of Los Angeles, etc.
Th-Tha-That's All Folks...
Unfortunately for commenting on the consist the rest of the train is out of view, around the cut at west end of Little Lake, but it makes for a great composition shot of Little Lake and a train in the middle, just as I want to have someday on my layout!
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| SP 2751 at Little Lake 1950 "serpico_little_lake003_sml" - Owens Valley History.com |
Given that the train is already about 14 cars, I doubt there were many more cars in the consist with a C-class pulling the train. There were times that a helper was used to Haiwee Summit, above the reservoir, but it's impossible to tell in the shot. I expect that there was maybe another car and the standard SP caboose.
The two 50-ish foot long gondolas are certainly interesting in the photo, along with the MW car. Also of note is 2-3 Pacific Northwest boxcars in the train. This certainly proves the fact that freight trains don't always have to be "average" in consist every day, and gives me a bit more latitude to use "more unusual" cars in my future operations.
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| GN 10784 - plywood-sided boxcar - IMRC model. |
I don't know if I'll buy one of the GN plywood-sided cars based on this one photo. (Edit: I did find one for a good deal in late 2023, less than a year after posting this blog!) While it's certainly a cool car with a unique, colorful paint scheme that will stand out and which I now have proof ran on the Jawbone in my era, I have a lot of cars planned already for the Jawbone Branch already, as we can see by the photos of the unassembled kits!
Jason Hill
Related Articles:
Jawbone Branch - Index Page
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