Modeling the Sacramento Daylight (Nos.53 & 54)

This is the 6th article in my Passenger Train Consist series.  These blog posts are intended to show a smaller prototype passenger train that can fit on most model railroads in their entirety or with minimal reduction of a few redundant car types.  I also want to show trains that have special interest because of switching en route between terminals.  The Sacramento Daylight fits both of these goals.

SP 2485 wearing San Joaquin insignia on her skirts stops the 1941 SJD at Fresno, Photo Eddie Sims Collection.

Previous articles include: SP's Shasta, SP's Owl (Part 1), SP's Tehachapi Mail (Nos.55/56), & SP's 1949 Starlight.

History of the Sacramento Daylight

SP 3176, the only 60-CB-1 repainted into Daylight for the Sacramento Daylight.  Soho 60-CB-1 probably
(Photo J.Hill 2011, modeler unknown)

The Sacramento Daylight (Nos. 53 & 54) were planned as as a direct connection for day passengers between Los Angeles and the state capital at Sacramento.  The basic train was an short haul mail train with a combine for local passengers between Sacramento and Tracy (not Fresno).  The new connecting cars started operating with the inaugurated in July of 1941 of the Oakland to Los Angeles San Joaquin Daylight (SJD) (Nos. 51 & 52).

Operations at Lathrop

Lathrop Wye on Google Maps (Dec 2016) with notes by Jason Hill

Lathrop was a small station which was the junction point of the San Joaquin Valley line, connecting via the Mococo Line to Oakland and the line to Sacramento.

The eastward Sacramento Daylight (No.54) would depart Sacramento to arrive about 30 minutes before the eastward San Joaquin Daylight (No.52) at the SP Station of Lathrop to work the mail.  The engine of No.54 would cut away from the connecting cars for No.52 and run around the wye and the through cars, returning from the North behind the through passenger cars.  The through cars would be pulled off the rear of No.54 and pulled around the wye, returning to the South end of the depot to wait for No.52. No.52 arrive stopping at the station to exchange mail and any passengers, allowing No.54's engine to pull out and shove the connecting cars to the rear of No.52, south of the depot.  No. 52 would then depart with the combined train Sacramento-LA cars via Fresno and Bakersfield to Los Angeles.

Slightly corrected map, with notes for No.52 and No.54's arriving and departing routes.

The engine of No.54 would couple again to the remains of the Sacramento Daylight's mail train consist and would continue to west Tracy before returning later in the day to Sacramento as No.53, connecting with No. 51 at Lathrop on the return trip.  (Yes, the Sacramento Daylight was directionally challenged according to the Employe Timetable! No.54 was "Eastward" Sacramento to Lathrop and Tracy.  No.53 was "Westward" Tracy to Lathrop and Sacramento.)  At Lathrop, No. 51 simply drops the Sacramento cars east of the wye in the open field and heads around to the south side of the wye and the depot at Lathrop.

Later in the day, the westward SJD (No.51) would drop off the cars for the Sacramento Daylight (No.53) before continuing to Oakland.

Consist & Changes

The consist of Nos.53 & 54 in 1941 was the whole rear of the SJD, including the tavern and parlor cars.  It was felt that the use of the parlor cars was excessive for the few first class passengers traveling to Sacramento.  The SP 3176, 60-CB-1 class, combine was used for local passengers.

The two Taverns 10310 & 10311 were delayed joining the new Sacramento & San Joaquin Daylight service by two months, entering service in Sept 1941.

Consist Changes in 1942

The Sacramento Daylight went through several changes in consist very quickly after it was inaugurated in July 1941.

SP 3000, one of two rebuilt A-6 4-4-2s painted for service on the Sacramento and Oakland Daylights, Model by WSM/Mizuno.

SP 90-C-class tender used by the A-6s painted in Daylight colors, Model by WSM/Mizuno

Sample Consist

The Sacramento Daylight consisted, late 1946:

SP 3000 or 3001 (4-4-2) A-6 class Atlantic
1. SP 5118 or 5119 70-BP-15 class RPO-Baggage (Sac-Tracy)
2-3. Two or Three SP baggage cars (mostly 60-B-series cars or 70-B-series Harriman cars) -  (Sac-Tracy)
4. SP 3176 Tracy-Sac 60-CB-1 Combine in Daylight paint -  (Sac-Tracy)
** (Cut point for Sac-LA transfer cars at Lathrop)
5. SP 10310 or 10311 77-T-1 Lunch Counter-Tavern car (Started in Sept'41) - (Sac-LA)
6-9. Two to four SP Articulated Chair Cars or SP 2487/2488/2492/2493 79-C-2 Chair car as needed.  - (Sac-LA)
10. SP 2950 or 2951 77-PRO-1 Parlor-Obs (Off by August 1946) - (Sac-LA)

Left side of Unpainted SP 10310 & 10311 Lunch Counter - Taverns 77-T-1, between 1937 and 1950/1947 respectively

In January 1942, the 1939 Articulated Diners were assigned to the SJD and Lunch Counter-Taverns SP 10310 & 10311 were assigned replacing the single unit diners (SP 10200 & 10201) and coffee shops (SP 10400 & 10401) on the SJD.

Postwar Changes in 1946 and 1947

Left side of unpainted Soho SP 10200 & 10201 Diners

In 1946, the articulated diners returned to the Noon Daylight and the SP 10200 & 10201 returned to the San Joaquin Daylight along with the Coffee Shops 10400 & 10401.  The SP 10310 and 10311 stayed with the SJD and Sac Daylight assignment in 1946.

After only a few months, the Parlor Observations (SP 2950 & 2951) running to Sacramento were discontinued by August 1946, due to poor ridership for such a premier service.  The straight parlors (SP 3000 & 3001) were operated between the Baggage-Chair and the first chair car in the Oakland section of the train.

However this all changed in 1947 when the combined San Joaquin Daylight hit a gasoline truck at Kingsburg, California at 45 MPH south of Lathrop.  The resulting spray of gasoline and fire heavily damaged the involved San Joaquin Daylight consist.  A train of protection of the heavyweight protection and extra equipment was put together the following days to resume service while the damaged cars were repaired.

The straight Parlor cars (SP 3000 & 3001) which had been part of the consist running to Oakland were removed from the San Joaquin Daylights at that time. The undamaged Parlor and Parlor Observation from August 1946 went into extra pool and protection service for the Coast Daylight's Parlor and Observation cars.

Rebuilt SP 10311 reappeared in 1948 as full Taverns, minus two of the center windows to the right of the door.

The SP 10311 was rebuilt in 1947 from the Kingsburg wreck as a full Tavern, similar to the two 77-T-2s and the 79-T-1s built in 1938 and 1939.  The rebuilt SP 10311 returned to service in 1948,  The SP 10310 was also rebuilt to a full Tavern in 1950.  Both cars were used in the Daylight Protection Pool to cover for the 77-T-2 and 79-T-1 Taverns on the Coast Daylight, Starlight, and SJD in 1949.  During the 1946-1949 era the Tavern was coupled between the leading two sets of articulated chair cars on the Oakland-LA San Joaquin Daylight section.

The SP 10200/10201 (diner) and 10400/10401 (coffee shop) continued on the San Joaquin Daylight on and off until replaced by the triple-unit 10250-10252 and 10253-10255 1939 sets came off the Noon Daylight in Oct 1949.  The 10400/10401 continued on the Sacramento Daylight connection as the first through car until the 3-unit diner replaced it and ended food service on the Sacramento Daylight section of the run.

Typical August 1946-October 1949 consist of the San Joaquin roughly uses the following arrangement between Lathrop and LA:

(Oakland-LA consist, via Lathrop) - No.52/51 return
1. 30ft RPO-Baggage (RPO apartment forward) (5069/5070/5124 protection)
2. Baggage-Chair (3300/3301)
3. / Chair (Artic) \ *1937, 1939 built articulated chair cars
4. \ Chair (Artic) /
5. Tavern (10310/10311) *Coffee Shop/Tavern until rebuilt after 1947 wreck in 1950 and 1948 respectively.
6. / Chair (Artic) \
7. \ Chair (Artic) /
8. Diner (10200/10201, or sometimes HW protection diner in Daylight paint used at various times when LW diners working other assignments.)
(Sacramento-LA consist, via Lathrop) - No.54/53 return
9. Coffee Shop (10400/10401)
10. / Chair (Artic) \
11. \ Chair (Artic) /
12. / Chair (Artic) \ * Seasonally operated as needed, or single chair if only one needed.
13. \ Chair (Artic) / * Seasonally operated as needed

The post-wreck Sacramento Daylights connecting cars dropped to only one set of Articulated Chair cars on the regular LA-Sac assignment.  During peak traffic seasons an additional single chair car (77-C-3 or 79-C-2) would be added, or sometimes a second Articulated Chair if it was available.

Sacramento Daylight (Nos.53/54) Post-Wreck Consist (1947-1956)

Engine Choices:

SP 3000 & 3001 - A-6 class (1941-1949/50)

SP 3000, one of two rebuilt A-6 4-4-2s painted for service on the Sacramento and Oakland Daylights, Model by WSM/Mizuno.

SP 90-C-class tender used by the A-6s painted in Daylight colors, Model by WSM/Mizuno

The first two A-6 conversions (3000, 3001) were assigned to the new Sacramento Daylight in 1946 and were being replaced on Sacramento Daylight assignments around 1950 when the two A-6s were retired.  After the A-6s were replaced, P-8 & P-10 class 4-6-2s and even the occasional MT-1/3/4/5 class 4-8-2 were found from time to time.

A side note: the 3002 & 3003, also rebuilt to A-6 classification, were not used as far as I know on the Sacramento Daylight.

SP 2470's & 2480's P-8 & P-10 class (1950-1955/56)

SP 2486 Deskirted and painted black was a regular on Nos.53 & 54 until 1956.  Photo & Model by John Ruehle

The three SP streamlined P-10s for San Joaquin Daylight service in 1941, were handed down to other assignments in 1946 when the SP assigned five Mt-class engines (4350, 4352, 4353, 4361 & 4363) to the San Joaquin Daylight with Daylight colors painted on their cabs and tenders.  The 2484, 2485, 2486 eventually were seen regularly on the Sacramento Daylight, painted black after 1950.

Other P-8 and P-10 class engines were also used on the Sacramento Daylight during the 1950s.

70ft Baggage RPO with 15ft Apartment

PSC model of 70-BP-15-4 with wrong number - Photo from Ryan Dora Collection

The Sacramento Daylight usually had a 70ft RPO-Baggage, SP 5118 or 5119 were photographed quite often in this service between Fresno and Sacramento.  These two cars were 70-BP-15-6 class RPO-Baggages with a 15ft Mail Apartment space.  This apartment size was the smallest that the US Post Office rented.  The 5118 and 5119 were also rather unique among the SP's RPO-Baggages in that they had two baggage doors on each side, instead of the regular one per side of most other 70ft RPO-Baggages.  This was the case with many short-haul RPO assignments connecting between other RPO routes.

Brass models of 70-BP-15-5/6 can be bought made by PSC or The Coach Yard.  I plan to do a blog on kitbashing a 70-BP-15-6 series car from a 60ft MDC/Athearn Harriman Baggage car and some extra pieces from one of the MDC/Athearn 60ft RPO kits to lengthen the model to 70ft and also put in the RPO door and a pair of closely spaced windows on each side.  I have already done this with a kitbash to make a model of T&NO 196, a class 70-BP-4.

Soho 70-BP-30, which is the same car that Golden Gate Models plans to release in 2017.

The Golden Gate Models 70ft RPO-Baggage (70-BP-30) could be used in a sever pinch, but a Southern Car & Foundry #1001 model of a 69-BP-30-2/3 would make excellent stand-in models if the other brass models are out of reach.

SP 5199, from SC&F #1001 kit

I would avoid the MDC/Athearn 60ft Harriman RPO in this case, as the prototype for it would really "over qualified" for this sort of local train service.  SP's 60ft cars were in high demand during the early 1950s on the transcontinental service mail trains.

Upcoming 3d print for 70-BP-15-5/6/7 class kitbash from OwlMtModels.

I've been working on writing up a way to kitbash a proper 70-BP-15-5/6/7 using new kitbashed parts, which will become available from OwlMtModels.  Unfortunately, I've not had the time to proof the first prints on my pilot kitbash model yet (August 25, 2020).

Baggage Cars

SP 6236, an old MDC/Athearn 60ft baggage car 60-B-9/10 class after repainting to proper Dark Olive Green

Another 60-B-9/10 class car, SP 6233, also an MDC/Athearn model with detail and painting upgrades.

Usually the Sacramento Daylight had two or three SP baggage cars, mostly 60-B-series cars or 70-B-series Harriman cars, in the consist.  My blog post Upgrading the MDC/Athearn 60ft Harriman Baggage Cars from October 2016 cover some of the basics of these models.

SP 6444 painted in the post-1946 scheme, made from a Soho model

Golden Gate Models is scheduling a release of plastic 70-B-series baggage cars in 2017.  Southern Car & Foundry also makes this class of car in resin as kit #1002.  I have built a similar resin RPO from SC&F here SP 5199 (Part 1) which covers construction of the kits.

Local Passenger Combine

SP 3176, 60-CB-1 by Soho, custom painted. (Photo J.Hill, modeler unknown)

SP 3176 Fresno-Sac 60-CB-1 Combine in Daylight paint, this was the regular car in the Sacramento Daylight from 1941 until the mid-1950s.  Soho imported these cars in brass, which are still possible to find if you know what you're looking at.

A reasonable stand-in could be made from an MDC/Athearn 60ft Harriman Combine as SP 3177 in Dark Olive Green, some of these models have been made factory painted in Daylight colors as SP 3176.  However the windows are the "wide" version, found on early Harriman coaches, not the "paired" windows found on later Harriman coaches and the 60-CB-1 combines.

Connecting Chair Cars to the San Joaquin Daylight

Artic-Chair Car, LA-Sac, 64-ACM/ACW-2

SP 2448, 66-ACW-2 (even numbers) - MTH Model

SP 2447, 66-ACM-2 (odd numbers) - MTH Model

Usually the connecting cars to LA would be one pair of articulated chair cars in the SP 2477-2483-series.  Any articulated chair car could be assigned or even a pair of single chair cars if an articulated set was not available.  Personally I prefer the MTH cars to model these Articulated Chair cars, I cover some basic on my blog post Upgrades and Mechanical on MTH Daylight Cars.  BLI has also produced models of the same car.

Shopping Cars

The chair cars running between LA and Sacramento could also be cars from LA heading for shopping at Sacramento as long as there was a car available at Sacramento or coming out of Oakland to replace it on the next trip to LA.  This might include cars painted for the Golden State or Sunset Limited in addition to Daylight cars.

An example of a 77-C-3 chair car that was repainted into Golden State colors in October 1952, Athearn-Genesis model.

Extra Chair Car

SP 2439, 79-C-1 - MTH Model

SP 2487, 2488, 2492, 2493 made up the pool of 1941 assigned San Joaquin Daylight single unit chair cars and SP 2439, 2440, 2485, 2486 were assigned to the Coast Daylights.  However after the Daylight pool was combined in 1946, any of these cars could be seen on either route.

The End of Steam

SP 2486 with 120-C-8 tender, a baggage car, and SP 3176 waiting for No.51 connection at Lathrop. Eddie Sims Collection.

By 1955 and 1956 the head end traffic on the Sacramento Daylight had dropped off to the point the consist was down to only a 4-6-2 Pacific, a baggage car, and the 60ft combine as we see here above at Lathrop waiting for the connecting chair cars off of No.51, the San Joaquin Daylight.  Thanks to Eddie Sims for the use of this photo from his collection, photographer unknown.

John Ruehle's SP 2486 is modeling this mid-1950s appearance of the P-10.  Photo & model by John Ruehle.

Again, a WSM/KTM model of a skylined P-10 Pacific that's been deskirted, as it would appear in the mid-1950s.  Thanks to John Ruehle for sending me this photo of his excellent work for this post.

Baggage-Express Car

A kitbash from MDC/Athearn Harriman parts from about 1996, redecaled and upgraded mechanically

The baggage car in this photo is a bit too far away to read the number on, but it's one of the SP's rebuilt 69ft or 70ft ex-RPOs, which was downgraded to baggage-express service, such as my SP 6102 in the photo above.

Combine

SP 3176, the same Soho model as I discuss above. (photograph 2011, JRH collection)

Again, it's our friend SP 3176 taking care of the local passengers.  SP 3176 was retired in 1959.

Chair Cars

SP 2486 with 120-C-8 tender, a baggage car, and SP 3176 waiting for No.51 connection at Lathrop. Eddie Sims Collection.

In the above photo, the connecting cars from the San Joaquin Daylight from LA have not arrived yet, so we can't know what those cars would be this day.  I can say that they would probably be an articulated pair of chair cars as mentioned in the 1947 consist above.

SP 2475 today with No.54 at Lathrop preparing to tack the chair cars onto the LA-bound No.52. - Eddie Sims collection

In the photo above the rear two connecting cars are a articulated set of chair cars.  Note the markers on the rear wall of the vestibule of what will be the trailing chair car on the eastward San Joaquin Daylight.

Diesel Era

The Sacramento Daylight continued into the diesel era with a 'Torpedo boat" GP9 or FP7 doing the honors, the single baggage car continuing for several more years and eventually the consist dropping to a single silver and red chair car at the end.

In Closing

That covers what I have at this time for Modeling the Sacramento Daylight.

SP 2450 with Tomar Adlake Markers installed on the rear wall of the articulated chair car for rear-end operations of San Joaquin Daylight or Sacramento Daylight.

I plan to do another post focusing on the San Joaquin Daylight, which may have to be in several parts due to it's scope.  I would highly recommend anyone interested in learning more about the Sacramento Daylight by Paul Chandler to order the back issue of SP Trainline No.112 (Summer 2012) and Forty Minutes at Lathrop Trainline No. 72, (Summer 2002) by Mike Jarel, photos by Robert Hale which tells all about how the switching operations were done at Lathrop and more wonderful photos of the train in various places.  Pick up a back issue for more on the San Joaquin Daylight - SP Trainline No. 117 (Fall 2013) in which Don Munger covers the topic in much more detail than I could hope to cover in my blog.

Jason Hill

Related Blog Posts & Links:

SP Trainline, No.117, Fall 2013 - San Joaquin Daylight - by Don Munger

SP Trainline, No.72, Summer 2002 - Forty Minutes at Lathrop - by Mike Jarel, photos by Robert Hale

Modeling SP Road Engines (Part 5) - Passenger Steam