New Arrivals, 2025 for locations of items added to Wx4 2012-2024, go HERE

Front Page Holdovers from 2024: 11-21-24 x- Influenece of Railroads on the Weather 12-5-24 x- Male-passengers-only (Booze Cruise?) CH&D trains x- Renew your TSA Railfan Pass now, if you know xxxxxxwhat's good for you 12-12-24 x- History of Coal Mining in the Mt. Diablo Region, xx- 1859-1885: 1931 U.C. Berkeley M.A. Thesis PDF 12-14-24 x- "Get over it!" distressing (to some) SP steam photos 12-19-24 x- 1973 SP LA Division seniority rosters for clerical, xx shop and operating crafts x- Last of SP's High Steppers, P-1 #2411 12-29-24 x- Two dozen more SP employee timetables: Coast, x Western, P&SR, NWP, SP/USRA, Peninsular Ry. 1-12-25 )revised) x- SP Goes All Buck Rogers: streamlined 4-4-0+others 3-1-25 x- FJ Doyle's "The Doylair Smokeless Locomotive"; 3-2-25 x- Bad 1964 color photos of UP Anaheim Branch x- Good 1965 color photo: ATSF PA #51 at Anaheim x- photo: The End is Near for San Jose Yard, 2004 x- Campbell Interurban Press, 1904 newspaper logo x- The Rapper: Iron Stokers Nevermore 1926 poem x- A Pioneer Snow Cone Machine? What IS this? 3-10-25 x- SP's last ETT, Western Region #1, 4-14-96 3-11-25 x- 1932 brochure that belied stormy seas x- ca1930 Eight Days in and around Eureka 3-12-25 x- SP McKeen Car Trials & Tribulations 3-14-25 x- more Eastern & Midwestern Public Timetables l -1899-1910 D&RG/RGW/CRI&P ETT's & more

C see column right, below below below added to Mt. Diablo coal RR's below on rosters & timebooks page this page, center from Tim Zukas right column, below companion piece to Holman's Improbable Locomotive towards this page bottom on ATSF Misc. Photos page" right column, near bottom JR Signor Kristopher Arems left column, near bottom auto tour guide w/maps page bottom from cards84664 Tim Zukas

Additional new and slightly used items towards page bottom. We have not forgotten Southern Pacific, BTW.

	The Ernie Kiesel Collection of Southern Pacific Photographs at History San Jose - Wx4 is proud to host this genealogical treasure of 300+ photos that once lined locomotive engineer change room walls in San Francisco circa 1900-1980. Engineers and their locos are the main subjects, but other crafts and officers are also represented, as are wrecks and other historical moments. Includes a biographical index to known people.
	Jawbone Dispatching Comes to Tucumcari - In 1984, Staff spent 28 hours on a freight train attempting to make it over the road on SP's Carrizozo Subdivision, while the line still was dispatched using train orders. Then a miracle happened:SP replaced TO's with Direct Traffic Control. Now even the dog trains began made it over the territory within Hours of Service.- several pages; also, related Train Order Primer (with Final Exam), Direct Traffic Control Explained and a short course on How to Call the SP Dispatcher (danger lurks!)
	Southern Pacific Railroaders' Pages - We are fond of saying that, "The best part of railroading is the people," and these pages are devoted to them: biographies and stories; photos and videos; time books and rosters. Our pages and the Kiesel Collection nicely compliment each other.
	52 Years in the Shops - Speaking of SP rails, during his notably lengthy employ as a machinist at Bayshore beginning in 1929, Fred Boland wrote a fair number of stories about his work - and took a lot of photos, some as early as 1927. Along with these are more than 100 steam loco appliance & etc. blueprints that he rescued from the dumpster after dieselization. Fred's son, Walter, has kindly contributed copies his father's collected works to Wx4.
	Historical Maps & Timetables Approaching 7,000(?) Maps, employee and public timetables from most areas of North America, maybe 400 railroads. In 2024 we Combined SP Maps & TT's: convenient, one stop shopping mirroring all of Wx4's SP offerings AND for ease of access, we have folded our Rule Book, SP employee rosters amd Miscellaneous Documents pages into the Maps & Timetables section, including Allen Stanley's new page devoted to ca.WWI ICC Valuation summaries for Western shortlines,and ICC locomotive inspection annual reports, 1912-1965
	Taking Stock of William Jennings Holman and His Improbable Locomotive - Much of what you know about one of the more famous stock schemes of the 19th Century, The Holman Locomotive, and its perpetrator is wrong; is the product of what Wx4 labels as "Internet Cut & Paste History". Our 30,000 word magnus opus sets things straight, by delving into his life as a long time confidence man and inventor who demonstrated remarkable resiliency after repeated failures with a rainbow of improbable schemes. Also, check our our homage to him.
	NEW 3-1-25: Blowing Smoke, Francis J. Doyle and His Doylair Smokeless Locomotive - FJ Doyle showed more practicality than WJ Holman (above) in his inventions, but much less criminal talent. This he left to the fabulous Wood brothers, boy wonders who built a "bucket shop" empire of 150+ offices in two years time before injecting themselves into Doyle Air Burner Company, causing it to go bankrupt. Undaunted, Doyle fitted up his Smokeless Locomotive in 1910: a total flop. He did produce successful parlor stoves under the Air Burner and Doylair brands. Wx4 Staff would truthfully pay big money for one of these. Bonus: This tale is less than 1/3 the length of the Holman story!
	Wreck of the New Almaden Mixed - In 1902, this South Pacific Coast narrow gauge train fell victim to a cornfield meet with a standard gauge SP engine in the fog at Moulton, on the three rail SPC main near Campbell. This lengthy piece thoroughly covers the affair and includes previously unpublished photos. Coincidentally, Moulton was the namesake of the man who had pressured SPC into adding a third rail several years earlier. His biography is also included.
	California & Oregon Coast RR, incl. Hobbs, Wall & Co. and other Del Norte County RR's - The lengthy title befits this large page, which first appeared in Wx4's earliest days, and and has since benefitted from several contributors. Here you'll find lots of photos and maps of these obscure little railways, as well as rosters that correct errors found in print sources.
	Paducah's Boneyard and the Fate of IC's Last E-units - Classic Trains magazine's Spring, 2023 issue features "Firing on the Illinois Central in 1969", an article describing Mike Einhorn's brief, but scrapes-laden career as a student fireman. Mike's experiences went a long way in sideways explanation of conditions and attitudes that caused IC to have so many wrecks, something we discovered 15 years ago while producing our Paducah page. We figured then that IC wrecks turned fully 16% (10) of its E-Units into scrap metal. Otherwise, lots of photos of a wide variety of IC/foreign units.
	Southern Pacific Train # 308 w/ Engine #1714 at Willows, CA, 1910-11 Years back we were gifted with a photo showing SP train #308 and crew standing at an unknown location. Of course we wanted to know where and when, so after we placed a plea on Wx4, the late Ed Workman determined the approximate date of the photo, while the late Tony Johnson was able to figured out that the train was the Hamilton [City] Freight and Passenger pausing at Willows. From there, we were able to determine the exact spot on a Sanborn map where the engine was sitting. We sorely miss Ed and Tony.
	Earl Hanson and His SP Ditcher Gang, Circa 1916-1936 Earl and his gang worked all over the Portland and Shasta Divisions, including a considerable amount of time spent prepping the Cascade Cutoff right of way - Photo & biographical coverage
	Wx4 Looks at the Particulars of Baggage Smashing At one time baggagemen, a.k.a. "baggage smashers" considered the desruction of baggage to be an art form: Wx4 investigates.

12-4-24: ........SP Bulletins & SPINS books from CSRM Although CSRM Library some time ago posted its large collection of SP SPINS books, as well as the complete series of SP Bulletins, at Internet Archive, it seems that word still has not gotten around. By way of remediation of this collective oversight, Staff offers these: 1) Wx4 list of links to available SPINS books 2) copy of CSRM's guide (w/links) to SP Bulletins A very minor Staff lament is that CSRM has posted their files as streaming only. A bigger lament is that the CSRM/CA State Library joint project to place the former's timetable collection online has been scrapped. Also at Internet Archive, a nearly complete collection of courtesy of the considerable efforts of its former Editor-at-Large, Paul Rayton, who is the sole surviving original staffer

NEW 11-21-24:: ....Influence of Railroads on the xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Normally, these pages are devoid ofcommentary regarding the current climatological debate, or anything else meaningful for that matter. But Staff makes an exception here, for we have happened upon this intriguing possible correlation between weather phenomena and the density of railroad infrastructure. We cannot vouch for the veracity of Dr. August's words since he has no presence on Wikipedia, but we do wonder. Given the massive decline of railroad route mileage following transportation deregulation in America, by extension of his theory one might suppose that the loss has been sufficient to affect not only local weather, but climate itself. Staff is a bit skeptical nevertheless, since there are no railroads within 2000 miles of Wx4 headquarters, yet we experience very little weather beyond "nice". Dr. August's theory comes to us from the Schnellpost by way of the Febuary 19, 1849 issue of the California Star. INFLUENCE OF RAILROADS ON THE WEATHER The well known natural philosopher, Dr. August, makes the following communication in a Berlin journal, on the "influence of railroads on the weather": When an extended portion of the earth's surface is brought by a net of railroad tracks into connection of electrical conductors, the accumulation of electricity in the lower part of the atmosphere is prevented; as the iron works effect a constant electrical equilibrium between remote regions. By this means, a violent storm is rendered unlikely, and if one should arise, it will undergo a continual, if not a considerable diminution. Doubtful as the theory of storms may be, so much is certain, that their origin is in the effort of nature to produce an equilibrium of opposite electricities, and that they break out with the more violence the greater the intensity of the opposition, which is produced beforehand by chemical processes that accompany evaporation. If one of these opposites, the electricity of the lower atmosphere, for instance, is conducted away to other regions, the variation with which the equilibrium is established, is diminished. By being thus conducted away, the influence is lessened which the electricity of the lower atmosphere has on the clouds, and by which it attracts its opposite, thus accumulating storm clouds on the electrical point. For this reason, in a level country, where there are nets of railroads, a storm cannot acquire that force of opposite electricity and produce that heaping up of clouds which is possible where these conductors are wanting. For some years past, the writer believes that he has observed a change in the storms of this place, and asks the attention of students of natural philosophy to the proof of his hypothesis. It is a fact, that since Berlin has become the focus of several railroads, there have been no violent storms, and all that have arisen have had a rapid and gentle termination.

Staff members are suckers for dodgy inventors and their failed products. Perhaps you fell asleep wading through our 30,000 word opus devoted to The Holman Locomotive, but now we have churned out a new low cal tale that is less than 1/3 as long! In it, you learn of Doyle's exploits designing stoves, and ultimately his 1910 locomotive. He should have stuck to stoves. You'll also learn of the high flying ways of boy wonder criminals, the Wood brothers, and their massive "bucket shop" empire in the Old Northwest. HEY MIDWESTERNERS!:Staff honestly would pay a pretty penny for a circa 1901-1923 Doylair or Doyle Air Burner parlor stove.

NEW Maps from Tim Zukas 1936-10-01 Public Service of New Jersey transit map 1939ca Hagstrom NY City map; incl. rail, ferry, subway 1945ca Boston Elevated Railway map 1946-08-05 NY City & Vicinity Terminal Aeronautical Chart includes major railways

new 3-10-25: Southern Pacific's last employee timetable, Western Region #1, 4-14-1996 - courtesy Kristopher Arens

	here's what Staff has added to Wx4 during the latter ~50% of its existence: Log of New Arrivals to Wx4, 2012 - 2024 note: does not include items placed in the Maps & Timetables pages ∆ or ∆ = major new page addition
		Southern Pacific
	2-2012 2-2012 2-2012 2-2012 4-2012 4-2012 4-2012 5-2012 5-2012∆ 5-2012 5-2012 5-2012 5-2012 6-2012 6-2012 6-2012 11-2012 11-2012 11-2012 11-2012 12-2012 7-2013 7-2013 7-2013 7-2013 7-2013 8-2013 10-2013 10-2013 10-2013∆ 11-2013 09-2014 11-2014 11-2014 ∆11-2014 11-2014 12-2014 ∆5-2015 ∆5-2015 05-2015 05-2015 05-2015 05-2015 05-2015 05-2015 ∆08-2015 08-2015 ∆11-2015 12-2015 01-2016 06-2016 08-2016 08-2016 ∆08-2016 08-2016 ∆09-2016 12-2016 01-2017 01-2017 01-2017 01-2017 01-2017 01-2017 01-2017 01-2017 11-20-17 11-20-17 11-21-17 12-19-17 12-26-17 01-05-18 04-29-18 04-29-18 05-27-18 05-30-18 06-02-18 07-20-18 07-30-18 07-30-18 08-20-18 01-01-19 01-17-19 05-21-19 06-01-19 06-06-19 07-02-19 07-02-19 07-02-19 07-22-19 07-22-19 07-22-19 07-22-19 07-29-19 07-31-19 2-19-20 5-20-20 5-20-20 7-29-20 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 7-4-21 7-8-21 7-9-21 10-8-21 10-8-21 10-25-21 10-25-21 10-25-21 9-29-2022 additions 10-11-22 10-12-22 10-17-22 Halloween 12-18-22 2-25-23 2-25-23 3-14-23 4-7-23 4-7-23 5-1-23 5-1-23 i5-1-23 5-1-23 5-1-23 5-1-23 5-1-23 5-1-23 5-1-23 7-2-23 " " " 4-30-24 " " " " " " " " " 5-14-24 " 5-22-24 " " 6-2-24 6-7-24 6-8-24 6-9-24 6-11-24 6-15-24 6-15-24 7-2-24 7-5-24 7-23-24 7-25-24 " " 8-6-24 " 8-10-24 " 8-16-24 " " " 8-21-24 10-27-24 11-1-24	SP 150, Sunset Plans E.O. a 'Bo? Oh No! Southern Pacific Snow Service SP 4-6-0 #2361 at Bayshore Shops, 1951 Train Order Primer: added missing links Jawbone Dispatching...Tucumcari / Train Order Directory Roseville Yard & RH, 1910 photo San Jose Engineer & Firemen Assignments, 11/14/1979 Proposed Cahill 1965 Revisions ∆ Palo Alto, Sunnyvale Depots Southern Pacific Snow Service How to Get By A Red Automatic Interlocking Signal Using Rule 663bs Final Peninsula Commute Fleet Roster - 1980 Revised and expanded SPINS Books page My Initiation into the Breakfast Club of Bluxome Alley "Whaddaya mean that I don't own the right-of-way?" SP Freight Jobs Explained: A Circular of the Times, II WHAT CAUSES RAILWAY ACCIDENTS A Puzzling Day at Bayshore Peninsula Depot Photos Train Master Photos Another Cahill Depot Photo: East End Revamped Cahill Depot East End Page Lettuce Make the Best of It! SP FP7 6462, a system unique Lettuce Make the Best of It! Take a Ride on Southern Pacific's OALAC! [Oak-SJ,1980] Coast / Western Divisions Engineering Drawings Agnew's [CA] Mystery Industry - Legacy of Lick's Paper Mill? A Switchman's Swansong The Winds of Change Close Bayshore's Loco Backshop The Leaning Tower of Newhall - Revised ∆SP 2-6-0 #1714 at Willows, CA, c1910-11; Revised 11-29 ∆The "Beets" Beat the Fog at Hamilton City ∆The Last Steam-Powered Peninsula Commute "N.W.P. Farewell Excursion!!" ∆Last SP Steam Freight & Following Excursions, 1957-58 ∆SP's Early Remote Control Locomotive Tests ∆SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROADERS' PAGES One Cool Conductor! SP Engineer / Caltrain Trainmaster Bob "911" Bongiorno A Close Call on the Hayward Turn Last Xmas Party at San Jose's Newhall Yard Office, 2003 ∆The Wreck of the New Almaden Mixed Earlier times at San Jose's Cahill depot ∆52 Years in the Shops [Bayshore, 1928-80] SP Coast Engineers' 1980-82 Garden Club Banquet Photos Donner's Unsung Heroes Fred Boland, Bayshore Shops Machinist Jack Keroac on 3rd & Townsend; Bluxome Alley SP Police Academy Class of 1972 SP Coast Switchmen Roster, 1972 ∆SP Employee Rosters Page, 1925-1978 ∆SP Steam Blueprints rescued by Machinist Fred Boland ∆SP Employee Rosters Page, 1925-1978 Five more SP employee rosters "A Swing and a Miss" SP "Motor Car Mysteries", Part 1 SP "Motor Car Mysteries", Part 2 SP "Motor Car Mysteries", Part 3 ∆SP 2-6-0 #1714 at Willows, CA, c1910-11; additions Braking in a Topsy-Turvey World Tickets... Please! SP mountain 4315 takes a nosedive 1939 W. A. Wagner, Coast Division fireman timebook Commute engines used in frt. & pass. service, 9/1963 Miscellaneous SP photos 1939 W. A. Wagner, Coast Division fireman timebook Western Div. Trainman Sam A. Bennett's 1948 time book Evening "Fleet" @ 3rd & Townsend, 1969 Evening "Fleet" @ Visitation, near Bayshore Yard, 1969 1963 San Joaquin Division seniority rosters 1964 Los Angles Division seniority rosters Trackside Eugene - Cascades, Donner & Beyond SP Steam locomotive rosters for 1935 and 1942 A Puzzling Day at Bayshore, revised w/ additional photo Photo: Woodland, CA's SP & Cal-P depots Bayshore Boiler Shop Group Photo, Circa 1936 Hamilton City Mixed Train # 308 at Willows, ca.1910-11 Wx4 RR Rule Books page motor car madness Brooklyn Roundhouse turntable Replacement, 1925 Oregon Short Line 4-6-0 #800 at, Roseburg, Oregon Southern Pacific right-of-way & structure drawings 1900 CP San Jose Branch bridge redo near Wayne "Depot and sheds at Holy Cross Cemetery" Instructions...Gas-Electric Rail Motor Cars Alco RS-32 operator's manual 1949 EMD On the Road Trouble-Shooting Miscellaneous Documents page The Toughest Railroad Job That I Ever Had Motor Car Madness Misc. Docs; Rules & Regs; Time books & seniority rosters Portland OR area seniority rosters: SP & others c1990 Retirement Party at Newhall Yard Office, San Jose photo of Maurice O" Connor SP Bayshore Shops Foreman Engineer Gary Ellison Retirement Party group photo A Turntable and Its Turn-Back Trains Coast Division picture gallery early SP block signals SP #21 at Castroville, circa 1875 Permanente Local San Jose Diridon (ex SP Cahill) Engine Crew Callers last Day at 7th St., San Francisco Part of a dying breed: Conductor Bobby Reeves A Puzzling Day at Bayshore Wx4 Maps & Timetables, Page 1 and Miscellaneous Documents Page Oregon Short Line #800 on train #20, Roseburg, ca. 1910-1913 Wx4 Whatzit? Contest (scroll to bottom of linked page) SP Cahill Depot, San Jose Trackside from Eugene Through the Cascades to Donner and Beyond Southern Pacific Snow Service Post-Flood on Southern Pacific at Bay Point, California, 1911 c.1954 photo: East end of San Jose Cahill depot w/Coast Daylight A Triple Meet at Hornbrook A Triple Meet at Hornbrook Early San Francisco Bay Area Locomotive Rosters Revisited Events in Early Alameda County, CA Railroad History @ Willits, CA 1966-1970 Likely Loop & Lakeview Local, 1974 Lake Railway at Lakeview, 2012 Tule Lake, 1983 SP's Santa Clara Yard...before drones 1984 SP San Jose Car Department video 1980-82 Coast engineers Garden Club banquet photos A Coast Division Photobomber and the Wreck at Rucker Motor Car Madness more photos, plus a crude, but official Tucumcari Yard map San Jose depot, east end Longview, Portland & Northern VO1000 #1001 photo: SP X2742W on Cordelia Hill, 1966 Historic SP Bloody Nose Diesels at W. Oakland, 1959 1970 aerial photo of San Jose Roundhouse and RIP Tracks Fairbanks-Morse Photo Gallery San Jose Roundhouse OOPsies A hot move on the Peninsula You and I are Looking at Different Photos SP 3712 and Group at Watsonville, 1986 It's... The Mckeen Motor Train! Misc. SP Mckeen and other motor car documents 1972-1992 SP Coast District engineer rosters The Reaching Claw 4449 auxiliary tender axle changeout photos an SP timetable and Bob the termite "Flaming red" SP Mckeen Cars 1902-06-1 SP Insrtuctions Governing Movement of Manifest Freight SP San Jose Pages Lark #75 in the fog at San Jose Questions for People With Answers West San Jose temporary depot-coach, 1935 San Jose depot West end construction, 1935 1916 SP Annual Report with large map 1861-1914 SP-CP List of Officers Index to links to (many) SPINS Books on Internet Archive #4449 and SP employee photos - San Francisco, 1984 Western Division photos by Tim Zukas SPofCal n.g. 4-4-0 #1026 on SJ&SN Ry., ca. 1903 Complete SP Bulletin series, 1907-96 Charley Heimerdinger color Del Monte photos Coast Division photos Wx4 drawing of SP/SPC in New Almaden vicinity SP Maps& Timetables page @Willits, CA, c1961-70 (SP) Station or Depot? You make call "San Jose Line Change" Photo: 1985 photo of SP XW skirting Willow Glen Photo: Peninsular Ry. Line Car #14's predecessor 1932 SP San Jose Yard map re-designed SP in San Jose & Vicinity index page further intelligence re questions about SP's c.1986 xxxMonterey Road derailment Miscellaneous SP photos SP Dumbarton Bridge Construction photos [SP] "Badges? We ain't got no badges..." x1941 Bayshore Turntable Complete Set of Erection Drawings New Page: SP Gas-Electric Motor Car page in xxxxxxMotor Car Madness SP McKeen Car documents in Motor Car Madness Peninsula Commute color photos, ~1958-1974 SP Diagrams of Motor Cars revised PDF w/added page 14 more SP Shasta Division Maps Photo: one dozen SP cabooses at Taylor Yard, 1974 One Messy McKeen Move - derailment @ Middle Creek 1989-05-30 "correct" location of Oregon Div. fire cars xxxSP 1994 Snow Service Guide / equipt. roster SP 2475 - last steam frt./Holiday With Steam, 1957/8 SP Snow Shed Drawings 10 more SP Shasta Division Maps (now 46 in total) "E.O. a 'Bo? Oh NO!" Steam Locos & Diesel Units Assigned to SP Co. December 31, 1957 Caltrain 1992 electrification feasibility study SP 1916 Cost breakdown for producing employee TT's SP C. S. Passenger Car Diagrams book, circa 1930 N-C-O system and Alturas-Davis Creek construction map SP Passenger Car Clearance Diagrams 1938-42 - 7 car types SP Modelers's Corner Hackamore and Grass Lake pages SP "Memorandum on Majors Train Accidents" >>>1960 Pacific Lines Condensed Profiles Fireman James Hendershott's 1939 Portland Div. Timebook NWP Stations Lists for 1930, 1953, 1957, 1959-61 1956 Long Range Planning Program study 1916-1931 SP maps of major West Coast industrial areas Wx4 Staff Reunites with Caltrain #901 An SP Fall at Floriston	incredible detail for the modeler a nostalgic, but uncomfortable, last trip to Ashland page revised, expanded photo Now you can actually get to Part II! Directory now has links to Train Order forms and operating rules pages ∆ A look at SP San Jose traffic routes & proposed 1965 Cahill track revisions; incl. maps ∆ Postcards from Greg Welker two more photos (at page bottom) informal interlocking, lubricated by whiskey locos and cars Story re ex-SP engineers who who worked for Caltrain: many names; eventual punchline Uncle Frank turns a profit selling SPC Almaden Branch right-of-way back to its 'owners' Pool vs. Local vs. Road Switcher Roseville Herder Jobs Abolished I.C.R.R. "Executive Office" anti-union claptrap from 1905; PDF in SP Employees section featuring totally unreliable info from a switchman Finally, some new ones: San Antonio Road, Castro, Mountain View two photos c1973 at the west end of Cahill Street Depot, San Jose a general scene that constantly repeated itself with new ALCO, F-M & GM diesel photos, including several Wx4 HumongOfotos® GP40X's and Farm-Fresh Produce Delivery - War Story Alerted that the page was a mess, we fixed it & associated broken photo links. Fixed link to larger photo of GP40X #7200 at Bay Street, West Oakland. Look out the window while I'm blathering in your ear! More GP40Xs! ∆ Many, many drawings - mostly maps of SF, SJ, Oak., elsewhere; printable PDFs 1973 photos of Rube Goldberg-like industry promt revival of Wx4 Whatzit Contest Additional material to story written in 2005 about my "switch" to braking Reminiscences of 52 year SP Machinest Fred Boland and his son, Walter Added: "The Buddha's" harrowing experience told by Yardmaster Bill Chrisman w / photos ∆On train #308 Hamilton Passenger and Freight (mixed) - an investigation of a photo ∆ SP beet train in the fog at Hamilton City, 1991; Holly Sugar Alco S6; companion to SP 1714 ∆ So, you think that the last Peninsula Commute ran with steam in 1957? Wrong! 1941 Farewell to Marin Electric Lines ∆ 4-6-2 #2475 runs - TO's, map, photos - yet more corrected facts ∆ 29 page PDF of Company documents from 1961, 1965, 1973 ∆The people are the best part of railroading! revised employee pages w/new items (below) SP / Caltrain Conductor D.L. "Don" Brown stays calm amid chaos Fifty years of service! RIP, Bob Booze & railroading don't mix, especially when both the engineer & fireman pass out photos of SP / UP / Caltrain people attending the affair ∆ 1902 SP/SPC head-on collision at Moulton ("where" you say?); in depth & well-illustrated Photos of 4-10-2 on "Daylight"; 4-4-2 on "Lark"; bonus 4-4-2 at roundhouse - page bottom ∆ Machinist Fred Boland's life; many of his photos and stories, some dating to the 1920's Tip top seniority & pensioners of BLE Div. 161, courtesy of long time Sec/Treas Greg Welker SR Bush photos of his early-1980's motor car ride with the Colfax section crew Additional RR stories Addition to My Initiation into the Breakfast Club of Bluxome Alley Photo & roster in SP Railroaders' Pages Images of roster that once hung at Mission Bay Yard, from Chis Hart, sanfranciscotrains.org ∆Many new PDF rosters, mostly Coast Div., but some L.A., S. Joaquin, West., plus shortlines ∆About 120 drawings rescued by Fred from the Bayshore Shops dumpster in 1958 ∆fixed bad links to this page Portland District/Division 1947,59, 68, 77 courtesy Bob Melbo, & Sacramento Division 1985 "musings about Caltrain's 1982 paint scheme, Governor Medfly & B.F. Biaggini"; SP #3187 photos SP reportedly retired all of its gas-electrics by 1945. So WHAT was Motor 03, active in 1946? SP McKeen Motor Car goes sailing on a scow in open water - WHY? The Elusive San Bruno "Loop" Motors - 1916-18 - obscure McKeen Cars operation never photo'd ∆Another photo of 1714 surfaces, at SF at about the same time + TT's & Mckeen Car ops info Old war story about meeting Governor Medfly - revised for increased jocularity (and literacy) Another old war story re-edited for better comprehension The "roundhouse corollary" of the third law of thermodynamics San Jose - San Francisco fireman timebook for July-Nov.; no rosters SP PUC testimony: Train Masters stayed close to home; the GP9's on thru pass.& Permanente local they don't fit anywhere else time entries for a San Jose / Bayshore fireman - no roster PDF that includes trainmen rosters for Western Division's Western & Stockton Districts color photos from a friend of Wx4 color photos from a friend of Wx4; also includes photos of Train #139 at San Carlos, early 1970's train, engine & yard service, courtesy of Charlie Wherry engineers, firemen & hostlers, courtesy of Charlie Wherry ( fireman #165, page 5) photos from a friend of Wx4's April 1969 road trip; see also his "Evening Fleet" listings above Rosters by individual locomotive created for "Safety Valve Application" charts. Revised text with new photo of the infamous puzzle switch with #99 whizzing by. 1980 photo showing the town's 1877-78 and 1911 depots in one frame: see page bottom identifications needed Additional graphics & intelligence many SP books and an essay: Wx4's take on The History of American Operating Rule Books a collection of material related to gas-electric motor cars, mostly SP, mostly Mckeen photos of the Portland, Oregon event Photo plus essayasking why it was on the Portland Passenger, train #20, so far away from home combined links to all of engineering drawings, and such, into one place PDF of company produced plans and photos of the wood-to-steel conversion pencil and ink elevations and floor plans for this Ocean View Line structure, circa 1890? SP operator's manual giving particulars of 1930 Pullman / Electromotive cars #SP3 - #SP6; PDF an institution in Central CA for more than a decade; includes diags. for mythical RSD-33: PDF generic EMD manual for those pesky early 1st Generation units Catch-basin for docs that do not fall into our other document pages categories; much SP tamping ballst with a jackhammer: Try it! You'll hate it! 3 page additions re: Mckeen Cars Many additions throughout 2019, early 2020 from 1937 commercial timebook - operating & clerical crafts photos of party for Ed Smith & Phil ___?, by Burl Danley, son of The Buddha; help with ID's, please standing next to 4-6-2 #2487; Maurice was a contemporary of Fred Boland (52 Years in the Shops) Gary was the last ex-SP engineer on Caltrain when he retired in 2018 ~ Palo Alto, CA at the Turn of the Twentieth Century 1870's - 1990's not for the visually or reading impared employe parlor card photo from Wx4 collection: At what date would you place it? a year 2000 version of several semi-aerial photos of the east end by Charles Lamphere photos of two crew callers from Greg Welker; positive ID's wanted Circa 1982 news article about Commute Conductor Bobby and his duties - from George Faithorn now included: Rock Island's "Deadly Puzzle Switch" more than 400 combined additions, dozens upon dozens of SP added large semi-aerial view of Roseburg town, depot & yard, c.1930 IT'S BACK after 6 or 8 years!! new photo on the West End page a Wx4 friend's photo essay of his April, 1969 trip: originally appeared in 2018, but indadvertantly was not listed in the SP Index until now two additional photos atmospheric river hits Bay Point (now Port Chicago) - includes photo of the 1st Port Chicago depot on its last day, c1910; fallout from a Wx4 Whatzit? Contest includes the mail/express tracks that disappeared in the late 1960's Solving the clues presented in a ca.1912 event at Hornbrook, CA additions too esoteric for general audiences; includes extensive notes blow by blow list NWP & CWRy; include photos of later Permante Local power, SP nos. 2719, 2720 & 2742 chance encounters on Southern Pacific's Modoc Line "SP is gone." was all I knew at the time Modoc Line train order station lots of photos San Jose Car Department/Track Department employees at RIP track, Newhall, Cahill depot by BLE Division 161 Sec./Treas. Greg Welker; companion page to Ernie Kiesel Collection Engineer W. J. Baumeister "bombs" at bad moment; companion page to Ernie Kiesel Collection several new Mckeen Car items plus a general sprucing up of multi-page autobio Jawbone Dispatching Comes to Tucumcari 1992 photo of Caltrain rearrangement of track during construction photo at Wilamina & Grande Ronde RR on Wx4's LP&N page loco went on to a decade-long assignment pulling The Permanente Local in 1970 see if you can spot the extra mischief going on here in new San Jose Roundhouse Gallery, page 3 T-M's & H12's derailed Train-Master; SW1500 in pit RS-32 on fire at Mountain View, 1974 different perspectives on a gorgeous photo of a Plug passing San Jose Yard track #1 Rob Sinclair photo of SCBT&P rejected loco, mid left page proposed by Mckeen - not the later CGW train includes rosters courtesy of Greg Welker scary! featuring late San Jose Hostler Helper Charlie Hoyle, 1984 valuable history ravaged by Bob & the possible date that their specs turned "green"[?]; at "Madness" mid-page at page middle left several additions 2-15-68 - photo mid-page pressing questions about SP requiring illumination later additional info on Dome 2024 front page later additional info on Dome 2024 front page see page bottom extracted from lengthy Google document - see near top of Roster's page CSRM-posted SPINS books - more than 40! courtesy of Dr. Doom, Engineer Greg Welker circa 1972 - some great shots! photo from glass plate negative, plus ruminations about San Joaquin & Sierra Nevada Ry. link to copy of CSRM's guide to this incredibly important collection snuck online by them with no fanfare courtesy Jeff Moore many more additions map based upon several SP drawings; towards bottom of San Jose Pages all of Wx4' SP maps & timetables now collected on one spot new B&W, color photos of c.1961 excursion an authoritative Company answer to the question, disputed by ChatGPT supplement to Signor SPHTS Trainline article at later CP Delmas added to A Bio of a Humble Little Line Car higher resolution replacement no longer causes vertigo Engineer Lee Barnet is no longer with us 1930's Commute 4-6-2's from Shasta Div. Archives commentary re SP promotional buttons used to modify former Bakersfield CS 100' table 200+ pages of SP docs; diagrams dated 1923-1924, 1931 by Tom Gilderslieve, from the Jeff Moore Collection; Coast Division photos, page bottom link at Motor Car Madness page 2, lower right incl. N-C-O, McCloud River RR, Long Bell Lmbr. SP Miscellaneous Photos page bottom see page bottom of Motor Car Madness, Page 1 PDF: see SP Snow Service page new photos, excursion brochure pdf ten 1899-1907 blueprints & inverted copies growing, growing... revised 12 yr. old (largely forgotten) sequal to my Summer, 2024 SPHTS Trainline article, "Mr Toad's Wild Ride" SPCo doc broken down by division, reveal that SP still rostered 123 steam locos SP started thinking about this 80 years prior expensive, but Staff thinks that collected whiskey tabs were figured into the amount 204 pages, 59MB PDF at Shasta Divisiion Maps page Ken Kidder could have used these to get his Harriman roofs correct. - Shasta Division Archives drawings & other info useful to modelers part of Shasta Division Maps 1958 historical list that may be missing a few 46 page PDF from 6.5"x18.5" originals more timebooks, seniority rosters HERE Misc. Documents Page, top left - from Jeff Asay 213p, 7 maps LARGE hi-res maps August, 2024 visit to CMOF - a month prior to electrification see page bottom: SP on Doner, page 2
		Other Railroads
	4-2012 5-2012 5-2012 12-2012 12-2012 12-2012∆ 12-2012 12-2012 12-2012∆ 2-2013 3-2013 3-2013 10-2013 08-2016 09-2016 01-2017 09-2017 05-27-18 01-17-19 05-10-19 05-21-19 06-01-19 07-31-19 08-02-19 9-23-19 9-24-19 1-1-20 2019-20 1-10-20 5-20-20 5-22-20 7-24-20 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 6-24-21 7-1-21 7-9-21 10-25-21 11-1-21 12-16-21 9-29-2022 additions 11-10-22 12-31-22 2-17-23 2-23-23 5-1-23 4-30-24 " 5-19-24 5-28-24 5-31-24 6-15-24 8-9-24 11-1-24	Santa Fe 2-10-10-2 demonstration train photo Paducah Shops, 1906 Sanborn 3 WP West San Jose Branch & F-unit photos AT&SF Pre-War 0-6-0's: China Basin, San Francisco SW1500 1502 at San Francisco, July 26, 1980, photo Los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos, New Section! AT&SF Pre-War 0-6-0's: China Basin, San Francisco WPSW1500 1502 at San Francisco, July 26, 1980, photo Los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos, New Section! Union Pacific Victor, ID depot history & photo update Fernwood Idaho Depot, Milwaukee Road/SMR RR, in 2012 Stewartstown Railroad Company More Union Pacific at Victor, Idaho MILW Tacoma Tideflats & Milwaukee Gulch Amador Central Interlude Amador Central Interlude Dardanelle & Russelville RR WP #94 4-6-0 at West San Jose for 1956 NMRA meet Santa Fe SoCal seniority rosters; new photos Wx4 RR Rule Books page ∆∆∆ California & Oregon Coast RR page re-do ∆∆∆ Baltimore & Ohio Brill motor car #6033 additions to UP Yellowstone Park section Ann Arbor McKeen Cars at Clare (MI) Union Depot additions to CR&P Manly, Iowa page ∆∆∆ California & Oregon Coast RR page additions ∆∆∆ 1947 AAR 450 questions quiz Manly, Iowa Rock Island yards, 1913 Misc. Docs; Rules & Regs; Time books & seniority rosters Chicago Great Western documents, blank forms Portland OR area seniority rosters: most railroads Maps & Timetables Page 7 - Collection of David Moore Maps & Timetables Page 8 - Collection of "seabass A Leviathan Roadblock on Spokane, Portland & Seattle A Hell of a Way to Run a Timetable ∆∆∆ Calif. & Oregon Coast / Hobbs, Wall & Co. Railroads ∆∆∆ As idyllic as they come aerial photo of Richmond Yard, c1965 Ocean Shore Railroad's proposed mallets Hawaii Book of Information for Visitors C&O in Michigan Pacific Lumber Company roster additions, now with photos Sorting out the veracity of a 19th Century Mt. Diablo coal RR's map fixed links to the last two listings, above Clyde Underwood photo tour of Mt. Diablo coal railroads / mines Milwaukee Road at Othello Washington, 1974 Pioneering bus company timetables CA & OR Coast - Hobbs-Wall & Co. RR's Sonora-Baja California F Units page 1974 Driver Changeout of California Western #45 1965 EMD Model 567D3A Engine Maintenance Manual Jerry Michels Missouri Pacific Timetables Collection Glossary of Terms Relating to Passenger Cars, Trains & Stations Historical Maps & Timetables page 11 Longview, Portland & Northern, Southern Div. ca.1915 Santa Fe Around the Bay photos Rock and Roll, Hootchie Koo 1929 "Data on Logging RR's in N. CA & S. OR" Diesel, The Modern Power A Leviathan Rooadblock on SP&Sxxx A short BN working career at Forsythe, Montana Pajaro Valley Consolidated RR, 1927-03-04 map [gorgeous] 1967 Durango station photo	Warren Buffet wishes BNSF could draw a crowd like this. courtesy University of Kentucky 1∆1st page: Sonora-Baja Calif. F-Units, FT's in the 1990's & FP-7 switchers; YouTube videos ∆1st page: Sonora-Baja Calif. F-Units, FT's in the 1990's & FP-7 switchers; YouTube videos addn. to Yellowstone Special pgs: depot history by Dan Buchan: PDF / present day photos The Wonderful World of Black & White New photo & info on STB decision to abandon 2nd Dan Buchan depot history / Karen Reinhart on connecting busses - articles in PDF form Nostalgic look back at my first solo railfanning... at age 4. F's, slugs, electrics & mallets. 1969 photos and a discussion of why AC would buy a 44-Tonner photo of Baldwin #9 (near page bottom) Updates and additions color photo of loco along with ex Beebe/Clegg private car "Gold Coast" T&E& switchmen rosters courtesy Charlie Wherry; new CA area photos, including pre-WW1 new; includes essay: Wx4's take on The History of American Operating Rule Books redone with much added about Del Norte County, CA's 5 shortline/logging railroads-ROSTERS! inspired by a gorgeous Brill Co. lantern slide; part of motor car madness (mid page) 1954 UP Yellowstone Park brochure + delightful photo of Teddy McKean & Inez Noble part of our C&O in Michigan series Union Depot, ca. 1910; Alf Landon campaign call, 1936: pair of 2-8-2's, 1938 more & revised info plus photos from Western shortline guru / author Jeff Moore , 84 pages - gold mine of RR data of the era &earlier; on new Miscellaneous Documents page Yet another addition to crowd favorite Manly, Iowa page! Many additions throughout 2019, early 2020 Courtesy of Wx4 friend Ryan Heath - typical docs for large railroads; adaptable to model RR use from 1937 commercial timebook - operating & clerical crafts AT&SF + other RR industry location maps (CLIC & etc.) + Class 1/shortline ETTs; Plains, TX, LA an eclectic assortment of timetables, rule books and misc. spanning back to the 19th Century ~Have you ever heard of Flavel, Oregon? We thought not. A whale of a tale + GN/NP steamships. Dave Sprau tells how Tonopah & Tidewater managed to schedule a shifty exit from the business hugely expanded update courtesy of the help from several fellows wonderful photo of Fisher, NY on a New York Central secondary main line likely a PR photo an odd essay about an odd discovery at SMU Library's website Planning on vacationing in Hawaii...in 1917? 112 pages of vital info, includ. RR and steamer TT's more Lake Michigan car ferry brochures and Reed City, Michigan photos Jeff Moore's TPL roster originally appeared iin 2003. Now he has provided an update with photos. Evan Josa tests our vintage map's veracity with Google Earth overlay; + Theodoro Gusano III"s fraud photos and maps; supplement to the Black Diamond mine and Morton map page fulfilling an 18 year old promise of "Coming Soon!" new page (10) in Maps & Timetables section several new items on this massive page two new photos of FP7 #2101 with trains at Fort Bragg 204 page PDF in Misc. Documents Page Maps & Timetables page 11 Courtesy Bill Husbnd - located near top left on the Misc. Documents page John Charles Collection new photos and intelligence re CBRL years HC Tibbitts & Cheney Advertising Co photos: AT&SF Misc. Photos page, at bottom sad aftermath of WP hostler in heat: mid page 124 page PDF - see index of RR's on linked page 1944 GM booklet about the wonders of diesels lost link to this page restored; great stuff! 1979 photos drawn by SP, which was (mildly) considering purchase - Shasta Division Archives in Miscellaneous Photos
		Miscellaneous Claptrap
	2-2012 4-2012 4-2012 4-2012 5-2012 5-2012 5-2012 6-2012 11-2012 11-2012 11-2012 11-2012 12-2012 11-2014 01-2017 01-2017 09-2017 11-22-17 12-20-18 07-12-19 07-22-19 6-22-20 11-2-21 .6-22-21 6-22-21 6-22-21 9-29-22 9-29-22 9-29-22 11-1-22 4-7-23 6-30-23 7-2-23 7-2-23 4-30-24 " " " " " 5-14-24 6-4-24 11-1-24	The Wx4 Standard Railroad Joke Railroading Without Merit(s) BART Simulator Training Overview Compelling Historical Evidence That I Was Not an Ideal Union Officer Lance Ludlow, Caltrain Engineeer, Parts 1-7 Wx4 Maps & Timetables page ∆ I Hope That the Ad Men Didn't Choak on Their Cigars He ate a hole into the train, but he's still hungry? Totally pirated photo in Harmonic Converegnce Proof that Wx4 Lives in 2012! an epiphany in Leadership Training Class Silly Johnny Is Dead is now two pages! Santa Fe, an Agent of Climatic Change Speed Signals, an Engineer's Graphic Lament WHAT CAUSES RAILWAY ACCIDENTS (Rail)Roadside America - addition it's da BOMB! That's one big Pontiac! Would you like fries with that [train] order? The Romance of the Rails (Rail)Roadside America - addition (at page bottom) This page Miscellaneous Documents page Helixtram - tomorrow's transportation yesterday Professional RR Terms Disambiguated by a "Seasoned Pro" WIlliam J. Holman & His Improbable Locomotive∆∆∆ ∆∆∆ Professional RR Terms Disambiguated by a Seasoned "Pro" [Rail] Roadside America 1957 letter of protest to C&O re proposed Michigan train off Super Quick RP25 Action Trucks 'auto clog' sanding HELIXTRAM 500! Grab Bag newly trimmed out in atomic pink and blue naugahyde "Smokey, the dog formed by a committe" Photo: Coast Starlight frogging Mt. Shasta, CA 4th of July fun run Disambiguation of the Pro RRer term "fantail" Historical Maps & Timetables: 3 new pages "Baggage Smasher", definition Wx4 Looks at the Particulars of Baggage Smashing Smokey, the Dog Formed by a Committee xxxxxx Norfollk Southern dredges up dreadful posters Puzzle or [SP] Allegory? You Make the Call Motor Camping in olden times Goofy RR Safety Posters Basking Shark on the Adirondak Railway	It's better than our sucky The Willys Joke Another Warstory Course study at BART U. A look at the traditional railroad disciplinary system A mediocre hero, or less... ∆ Listings for dozens of maps and timetables not otherwise contained in Wx4 pages ∆ New effrontery entry in Silly Johnny Is Dead! More Silly Johnny Is Dead! Pirated from vernco.com. Bonus: The (brief) origins of Wx4, as if anyone cares. Evidence in Harmonic Convergence how personal revelation eased the drama and heartburn of the Costco Food Court Federal laws governing page size force split; BONUS: we finally spel-cheked both pages! Another odd advertisement graces Silly Johnny Is Dead! Why rant at the moon, when you can produce a brochure instead? I.C.R.R. "Executive Office" anti-union claptrap from 1905; PDF in SP Employees section The Liberty Bell Diner, the UP M-10000 in stucco "I just don't see the art in RR design anymore…" - an old codger's lament Why would a Ponticac dealer use UP's M-10004 as a promotional backdrop? Had SP been a kinder & gentler railroad, we might have seen this sort of thing. Romance on the rails ain't what it used to be. iJames' Java Train, Junction City, OR: A study in minimalist decoration it formerly was part of some other page, or another A catch-basin for docs that don't fit elsewhere - loco manuals, ads, etc., etc. Now, a full PDF of this transformative document! we illuminate your confusion; moved from front page 30,000 word story of the 19th Century con artist/screwball inventor's amazing antics Well, WE think it's darn funny. 1950's postcard of the Super Chief Diner, Carson City, utilizing V&T's motor car body tongue-in-cheek letter from law fim re C&O Grand Rapids-Petosky train-off proposal a startling, humbling admission... my professional perspective re: diesel loco sanders as once seen on TrainOrders.com if you are a Helixtram enthusiast, you'll love Helixtram 500! ia design tour de force! extended lambasting by Staff of a priceless misstep in railroad public relations The Fun Run started late, but Amtrak was even later! - see page bottom on page 2 of our Professional RR Terms Disambiguated by a "Seasoned Pro" see the Maps & Timetables Index Page addition to RRer Terms Disambiguated: an in-depth investigative report; new page On last year's front page, but images later xxxdisappeared. NS RR conspiracy? switching puzzle to fill your idle time: Grab Bag, mid-page railfanning in the requisite old suit Grab Bag, mid-page a lament about current automotive styling

a 1932 brochure that belied stormy sailing for an SP competitor in the California trade NEW 3-11-25: Between 1920 and 1929 SP lost 41% of its intra-California passenger revenues. A significant contributor to the decline was the emergence of the Los Angeles Steamship Company early in the decade on the San Francisco-Los Angeles-San Diego circuit. Its fast, deluxe steamships - Harvard and Yale - bested railroad schedules and summer passenger counts, while at the same time equalling coach fares and undercutting Pullman fares. The Depression hit both entities hard, but what really put L.A. Steamship on the rocks was the foundering of the Harvard at Point Arguello in 1931. Depression starved finances prevented its replacement along with a worn out old tub plying the largely dried-up California - Honolulu trade, so it had little choice but to sell out its Hawaii operation to competing Matson later that year. Its California coastal trade continued to limp along with the Yale suppling thrice-weekly coastal service where once it had been daily, causing the company to lose its competitive significance in the market and ultimately to cease operations in 1934. Its three main marine competitors all did likewise by the end of the decade. xxxxxxxxxxxxxClick on image for PDF courtesy of Tim Zukas

..new 12-19-24: ..........Last of the High Steppers

(click on image)

Interurban railways were the latest in hi-tech transportation in the early 20th Century. The principals of the Campbell Weekly Visitor were so inspired by the arrival of San Jose - Los Gatos Interurban Railway Company (Later: SP's Peninsular Ry.) at their fair city in March, 1904 that they changed their newspaper's name to Campbell Interurban Press six months later to accentuate Campbell's newly elevated status. Sharp eyes will spot that South Pacific Coast's still narrow gauge Almaden Branch managed to creep into the masthead.

A Wx4 Staff Pick: It is easy to miss smaller publications about SP, so we wish to point out an exceptionally well done booklet by stalwart Wx4 friend Steve Donaldson. His Southern Pacific Comes to Coos Bay covers Willamette Pacific's construction of the Coos Bay Branch, through its later years as an independent railroad. It is an absolute must have for any SP in Oregon fan. 28 pages, with photos from the late Tom Dill's Collection; $10 plus postage: Oregon Coast Historical Railway 766 First Street Coos Bay, OR 97420 http://orcorail.org/

revised 1-12-25:.........SP nearly goes All-Out Buck Rogers

(click on image for drawing PDF's)

In mid-1933, less than a year and a half after Angus McDonald suddenly replaced Paul Shoup as president of SP, a set of elevations for variations of steam loco proposed 90 mph pocket streamliner appeared, seemingly out of the ether. Although they bear no SP markings, we figure that they were produced for Shoup for a couple of reasons. First, J. R. Signor found them at SP's old Orient warehouse in San Francisco, and second, McDonald had a great interest in the light weight mini reamliners then under early development at Burlington and UP. (SP inter-office communications re streamliners will soon appear on Wx4).

SP was then experiencing dependability woes with its Winton-powered gas electrics (see docs in Motor Car Madness). This likely influenced SP executives' early deliberative process, but soon thereafter queried Brill about streamlining its gas electric cars (Brill essentially replied "no-can-do").

So, what we have here are proposals for a 90 mph, 90"-drivers loco in 4-4-2T, 4-4-4T, 4-4-0 and 4-4-2 variations. One wonders where SP execs expected to run these locos and their paltry 75 ton, three car trains at a time when passenger trains were generally limited to 50 mph, with exceptions like the 65 mph Cal-P.

McDonald, at least, did not quite understand the nature of the infrastructure work required to upgrade a right of way to 90 mph. For example, he following year he queried about the superelevation required to send a 90 mph train over a curve currently limiting conventional steam locos to 25 mph, only to find that the high speed equipment would be required to have a one inch center of gravity above the rail.

The proposal apparently found little of no support, given that it is otherwise absent from the known record. One would suppose that this was not the type of thing upon which somebody would want to hang his hat. Ultimately, while scouting the new Burlington Pioneer Zephyr and UP M-10000 of the next year, SP execs found little to love in the trains' cramped configurations, save the air conditioning.

(click on image for full poem)

new 3-2-25: J. R. Signor continues on as Wx4's chief supplier of railroad merriment with this delightful poem from the 1926 pages of Brotherhood of Firemen and Enginemen Magazine. It undobtedly received Rave(n) reviews.* Interestingly, the poem's autho shares something with today's rappers. Both employ 'sampling' (acceptable theft) as the basis of their works. *OK, Staff apologizes for this pun. It was the best that we could come up with in a pinch.

new 3-2-25
A Pioneer Snow Cone Machine?



(click on image)

Staff has no idea what is going on here, partly because we ca't quite make out what the lettering says on the side of the ~tank car. Any ideas? It would make an interesting model, whatever it is.

E.O. A Bo? OH NO! A pre-sequal to "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" (in Summer, 2024 SPHTS Trainline)

"Mr. Toad's Wild Ride", my account of a frightening first trip as a student fireman over Siskiyou Summit out of Ashland forty years ago, is buried within the Summer, 2024 issue of SPHTS Trainline magazine's back pages. My final trip took place eight years later on SP's second-to-last (as it eventually turned out) eastbound - not as an employee, but as a figurative student hobo within the confines of a dreadfully noisy boxcar. The story of this latter run, "E.O. a 'Bo? Oh NO!" has largely remained forgotten in Wx4's nether regions for the last dozen years, thus Staff judged it timely to mention it here. It also had its "YIKES!" moment. And, best of all, it contains more photos than the Trainline piece. A link to a PDF of the latter is also on the page E.O.

Get over it, bunkey!

new 12-14-24These two sad photos of Southern Pacific steam engines in the last stages of being picked clean by figurative vultures were forwarded by a contributor (who shall remain nameless for his own personal safety) with the following admonition, 'Get over it!'

While his words lack any element of sensitivity, he does have a point: Seventy years hence, it is time to dry our tears over steam's demise and move on. Especially for the old geezers (which includes Wx4 Staff) in our crowd, such ongoing lamentations are exceedingly unhealthy - to the extent that Staff suspects that some of our numbers have bought the great big one not due to advanced old age so much as to the long-accumulated effects of, well, whining over the loss of their precious steamers..

So please stop, just STOP, beating yourself up with steam-related psychological stress. Perhaps it might therapeutic to recall that a fair number of SP steam locos survived the general liquidation, including at least one each of the wheel arrangements seen here. It also might help moderating your angst by embracing the fact that many diesel types have not fared nearly as well, especially Staff's beloved Alco DL-109's and Baldwin Centipedes. These totally disappeared in the Sixties without a trace, for Pete's sake! Ater all, at least you steam lovers still have a few extant beasts to slobber over. But what about Staff 's sorrow over its favored diesels? We opine that your mental and physical health would significantly improve should you stop thinking about yourselves and worry more about what a horrible time Staff is going through. Thanks for your attention.

new 3-2-25: The end is near for San Jose's Newhall Yard: Although SP had ripped out half of its tracks more than a decade prior, the other half (+yard office, -tower) still remained in December 2004, as above. Back then Altamont Express stored its cars during midday layover on the Santa Clara Drill & Siding across the main tracks from the yard, and UP used the former caboose track to park locos in between jobs. The relatively new remote control alert was only a sign of the times for the short while before UP bullzozed the rest of the yard, save one track. The tower once stood just outside photo left.

click on the headlines

The Good...

Apr. 29, 1909: Appendicitis and the French spur the McKeen Car.

Jan. 9, 1909: "All Right", but keep the speed down, please.
SP bailed out of California politics soon thereafter.

The Bad...

Jul. 29, 1909: "...the present calibre of gasoline car would
not be a proper investment." Maybe pulling "several" day
coaches overtaxed McKeen #19's 250 h.p. motor a bit too much?

(above) April Fools, 1909! Yet, here is #45 below, arriving at Placerville in
1914 on a run that it henceforth held almost continuously until it was pulled in
January, 1939 as the last SP McKeen schedule. - photo Wx4 Collection

xxxxxxxxxThe Ugly...

May 8, 1924: Reports of collisions between McKeens and autos/wagons/pedestrians frequented California and Oregon newspapers until the mid-1920's, some of them gruesom such as this one. On a different note, this is the only post-1916 report of a McKeen Car on the Coos Bay Branch that we have found.

Jul.1, 1910
and...

Oct. 15, 1912
and...

Jun. 8, 1910
and...


Oct. 6, 1909
and...


Mar. 7, 1910

SP's first McKeens to be purged were the 55 foot cars, which were generally unsuitable for branchline work for the lack of baggage-mail compartments. The majority of these cars were laid aside in 1920, shortly after SP regained control of its railroad from USRA, but before SP started the wholesale axing of branchline passenger service. This deadline photo evidently was snapped at Sacramento not long afterwards. - California State Railroad Museum, 000166 access

After SP worked out most of the bugs - including conversion to distillate fuel that was less costly and combustible - the 70 foot cars proved to be quite utilitarian, with most holding on to the mid-1930's. Before age caught up with them, they proved to be more reliable than the 1929-30 EMC/Brills. So few suitable assignments for motor cars existed by then that the relative handful of modern cars could largely cover them.

a simulation of
your brain
generating foam