Southern Pacific Railroad

The date is a little unclear. I believe this movie was originally produced in 1946 featuring steam power, then remade in color featuring diesels in 1949 or later. Something like that. If someone knows the true story, let me know.

Three cheers for the red and orange! In the years before Donald J. Russell got his mitts on the Espee (and began systematically dismantling their fabulous passenger train network), this WAS the friendly SP.

Freight F units wore the classy “Black Widow” paint scheme, whilst Passenger train diesels wore the flashy “Daylight” dress pulling matched consists throughout the southwest.

Our film is a snapshot of life along the SP Lines including snow fighting operations in the Sierra Nevada. From lower-quadrant semaphores to early CTC installations to rebuilding rolling stock, Southern Pacific did it all their own way. Let’s check out this colorful carnival of transportation. (Apologies for the fuzzy YouTube print.)

It hasta be Shasta. SP Train #9, the Shasta Daylight was a Portland to Oakland streamliner. Mount Shasta looms in the background as an Alco PA locomotive leads the way south (west in SP parlance).

Freight paid most of the bills, though, including SP X6190 leading a set of EMD F7 locomotives through the Sierras.