SP Lounge, Club, and Taverns 1937-1960 - Combined Timeline Graphic Including Repaints and Rebuilds

Last time I covered the SP's HW Diner fleet.  This time, it's my follow-up blog post for the SP's Lounge Car fleet's paint schemes from 1935-1960.  Because the Golden Gate Depot reservations are closing in 2 days, end of August, 2025, I figure I need to get the graphic finished up and posted.  I'm doing this mostly to help inform the modeling community of the prototype information before the reservations close and the chance to get an SP 75-CS "Full Lounge" in HO-scale sails.  At least until another run happens, but given the number of projects announced by GGD, I don't expect that to be for a couple of years at the minimum!

I cropped this color render image from the GGD's website for their planned Daylight painted SP 2929, representing the 1947 repainting of what I believe was the next HW Lounge to be getting painted at Sacramento Shops after the spectacular Kingsburg wreck in Feb'47 when the San Joaquin Daylight hit a gasoline truck at 45 MPH.  After consulting with several other SP passenger car experts, we believe this scheme lasted a year or so, until this car's next shopping, when it was repainted back into standard SP Dark Olive Green by January 1949 when it was next photographed with some running weathering.

Remember that for GGD cars we're looking at the cars within the series from SP 2929-2934 and 2937-2940, which have the high windows and were the '1937 standard' 75-CS-rebuilds. The 2946 and 2975-series cars were different following the styling of the Daylight cars in 1939/1940, along with the 'oddballs' SP 2935/2936 for the HW Cascade in 1937 which were configured differently, and 2936 and 2946 receiving the large panorama windows, much like the new LW Daylight cars.

SP Lounge/Club/Tavern Painting Timeline Graphic 1935-1960

Timeline from 1935-1960 for SP Lounge Cars

As on my last painting graphic, the following colors are used to represent the various paint schemes:

* Red = Daylight

* Gray = Two-Tone Gray aka TTG (1940s used for Lark, Golden State, SF Overland assigned cars. After 1954, used as standard HW General Service Scheme until 1958.)

* Blue = Out-of-Service, in SP Shops being rebuilt, or otherwise out of revenue service.

* Green = My denotating for "Alternate Service" (not regular SP Lounge service) - this may be Diner service or special assignments, often reflected in the changing of reporting marks to the other assignment.  Often the cars were returned to some form of Lounge service again.

* Brown = SPMW service, with reporting marks changed as well. Note: SPMW 7000-series are wrecker outfits assigned to Division Points.

* Cross-Hatching = SP 72-C-1s returned to News Agent-Chair Car service in early 1944.

* Red over Lt Gray = Sunset-style scheme, after 1953 also used for Golden State cars.  After 1958 used for Simulated Stainless Steel (Tomato-Stripe) General Service Scheme.

* Red (wide) over Lt Gray = Original Red/Silver Golden State scheme from 1947. 

* Yellow = Assignment to SF Overland or City of SF.

I should add that SP 2980 did wear Daylight scheme for a year or so in 1958-59, again covering for the San Joaquin Daylight. - I'll catch these missing dates for the 2975-2980 car's later life on the next edit of this graphic.

Pike Size Train Consist - El Dorado

The two of the three remaining Baggage-Club cars were generally assigned to the Oakland-Sacramento premier locals, such as the Senator, Statesman, etc.  One photo of these 75-CS Lounge cars is on Page 126 of the SPH&TS Passenger Cars Vol.5 covering the Lounges.  The lead photo of the chapter covering the 75-CS-series and rebuilds shows No.247, the El Dorado around 1954 at Pinole from Don Munger.  The 7 car train consist has three Club/Lounge service cars in it!  The caption suggests that the two 75-CS cars are operating as Chair Cars in the train.

The consist of the photo is as follows:

Rear of SP steam engine, probably P-class (4-6-2) or Mt-class (4-8-2)

Unreadable 60-P-series 60ft RPO (very weathered and faded DOG paint) - I'm guessing this is the type of car based on the position and apparent size of the doors, no windows are easily visible, but I believe it's one of the standard 4200/4400 series RPOs, like what Athearn has announced in 2024 60-P-1/2/3/4 <- linked blog post.

Unreadable 70-B-series Baggage in DOG

Unreadable 75-CS unrebuilt SP 3078/3079 Baggage-Club car in DOG

Unreadable 75-CS (high window, vestibule rear) in DOG

Unreadable 60ft AC'd Chair in DOG

SP 2938 (probably) 75-CS (high window, vestibule forward) in DOG

SP 1975 60ft AC'd Chair in DOG

SP 1975 at Niles Canyon Rwy Museum in 2009. - Jason Hill photo.

This train would certainly be an interesting one to model, and at seven cars it isn't too large for most layouts.  At least it would keep the politicians happy with your rail service on your layout!

Jason Hill

Related Articles:

SP Diners 1937-1960 - Combined Timeline Graphic Including Repaints and Rebuilds - My Graphic Timeline for SP Diners

Pre-review of the Prototypes for GGD's 2025 Common Standard Harriman Passenger Cars in HO Scale - Discussing GGD's announced 80ft Harriman "V2.0" cars.

Golden Gate Depot Harriman 2.0 Update for July 2025 - Update discussing GGD's new paint scheme renders.