[1948 SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD BOOSTERS TRIPS]

Genres: hom, home movie

Year Published: 1948

Description:

This extraordinary reel of Kodachrome home movies documents fan trips made by railroad booster clubs in Southern California in the late 1940s. At the time, the steam era was on its way out, and steam locomotives were sharing the right-of-way with diesel electrics and turbine powered locomotives. The film begins on December 5, 1948 at Union Station in Los Angeles (:36) as a booster train departs the platform. At :50 an in-bound Union Pacific passenger train passes by. At (1:05) the East Los Angeles train station, Located at 5480 Ferguson Dr. in Commerce, is visible. At (1:08) a glimpse of the steam locomotive pulling the booster train. At (1:24) while waiting on a siding, another UP streamliner diesel passenger train passes by. At (1:50) a Union Pacific steam locomotive #7852 crosses a concrete trestle. At (2:03) a semaphore drops as the train comes by. At (2:07) cabooses are seen in a storage yard. At (2:20) the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot -- a station with a distinctive roof is visible, followed by images of the locomotive tender taking on water. At (3:13) the train arrives at El Cajon. At (3:59) a Consolidation Line type locomotive or "C-Line" type. (This was a series of diesel-electric railway locomotive designs produced by Fairbanks-Morse and its Canadian licensee, the Canadian Locomotive Company.) At (4:35) a building marked "Summit", presumably at the Cajon Summit. At (4:53) UP locomotive 7851 idles at the summit. At (5:11) the group stops at an industrial plant of some kind, possibly a power plant. At (5:19), a diesel electric switch locomotive marked Leonardt is seen as well as a saddle tank steam locomotive (5:33). At (5:54) Santa Fe diesel electric passenger locomotives are seen being washed. At (6:05) Santa Fe Railroad #2405 switch locomotive is seen in action. At (6:28) Santa Fe #170, an EMD FT diesel-electric locomotive. At (7:32) the station at Daggett in San Bernardino County is seen followed at (8:00) by Yermo. (The Yermo depot was built by John and Donald Parkinson.in March 1924 and demolished in 1979-1980 to make way f or new classification yard that opened in 1981.) At (8:06) steam locomotive #2928 is seen. This was an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway class "2900" 4-8-4 type. At (8:32) Southern Pacific 4-6-2 steam locomotive #3121 is shown at the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot. At (8:48) a Union Pacific switch engine moves past camera. At (9:00) the Monrovia Depot, with a modern Santa Fe diesel electric locomotive gliding past the old steam locomotive on the siding. At (9:20) views out the window of the passenger train, followed at (9:34) of a shot of what might be the new 110 Freeway. At (9:41) paperwork souvenirs of the ride including a note reading "Engine 7852 run extra, Los Angeles to Riverside, has right over all..." At 9:51 a route map showing the Southern Pacific Railroad Boosters run to Bakersfield. At (9:55) a shot of the special train's last car, with illuminated boosters signage, the "Railroad Boosters Special." At (10:00), Union Pacific locomotive #605, an Alco PA diesel. (The ALCO PA was a family of A1A-A1A diesel locomotives built to haul passenger trains. The locomotives were built in Schenectady, New York, in the United States, by a partnership of the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and General Electric (GE)). At (10:13) the train leaves Union Station's platform. At (10:50) the famous Southern Pacific 4449 aka the Daylight. This is an example of a "GS-4" class of 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive. At (11:27), Southern Pacific cab forward locomotive #4213, a Class AC-10 engine, is seen. At (12:05) the tender receives water. At (12:40), Southern Pacific #6124 streamlined diesel electric locomotive is seen. At (13:10) a turntable is seen with engine #4350 about to rotate.

Complete Record: This extraordinary reel of Kodachrome home movies documents fan trips made by railroad booster clubs in Southern California in the late 1940s. At the time, the steam era was on its way out, and steam locomotives were sharing the right-of-way with diesel electrics and turbine powered locomotives. The film begins on December 5, 1948 at Union Station in Los Angeles (:36) as a booster train departs the platform. At :50 an in-bound Union Pacific passenger train passes by. At (1:05) the East Los Angeles train station, Located at 5480 Ferguson Dr. in Commerce, is visible. At (1:08) a glimpse of the steam locomotive pulling the booster train. At (1:24) while waiting on a siding, another UP streamliner diesel passenger train passes by. At (1:50) a Union Pacific steam locomotive #7852 crosses a concrete trestle. At (2:03) a semaphore drops as the train comes by. At (2:07) cabooses are seen in a storage yard. At (2:20) the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot -- a station with a distinctive roof is visible, followed by images of the locomotive tender taking on water. At (3:13) the train arrives at El Cajon. At (3:59) a Consolidation Line type locomotive or "C-Line" type. (This was a series of diesel-electric railway locomotive designs produced by Fairbanks-Morse and its Canadian licensee, the Canadian Locomotive Company.) At (4:35) a building marked "Summit", presumably at the Cajon Summit. At (4:53) UP locomotive 7851 idles at the summit. At (5:11) the group stops at an industrial plant of some kind, possibly a power plant. At (5:19), a diesel electric switch locomotive marked Leonardt is seen as well as a saddle tank steam locomotive (5:33). At (5:54) Santa Fe diesel electric passenger locomotives are seen being washed. At (6:05) Santa Fe Railroad #2405 switch locomotive is seen in action. At (6:28) Santa Fe #170, an EMD FT diesel-electric locomotive. At (7:32) the station at Daggett in San Bernardino County is seen followed at (8:00) by Yermo. (The Yermo depot was built by John and Donald Parkinson.in March 1924 and demolished in 1979-1980 to make way f or new classification yard that opened in 1981.) At (8:06) steam locomotive #2928 is seen. This was an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway class "2900" 4-8-4 type. At (8:32) Southern Pacific 4-6-2 steam locomotive #3121 is shown at the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot. At (8:48) a Union Pacific switch engine moves past camera. At (9:00) the Monrovia Depot, with a modern Santa Fe diesel electric locomotive gliding past the old steam locomotive on the siding. At (9:20) views out the window of the passenger train, followed at (9:34) of a shot of what might be the new 110 Freeway. At (9:41) paperwork souvenirs of the ride including a note reading "Engine 7852 run extra, Los Angeles to Riverside, has right over all..." At 9:51 a route map showing the Southern Pacific Railroad Boosters run to Bakersfield. At (9:55) a shot of the special train's last car, with illuminated boosters signage, the "Railroad Boosters Special." At (10:00), Union Pacific locomotive #605, an Alco PA diesel. (The ALCO PA was a family of A1A-A1A diesel locomotives built to haul passenger trains. The locomotives were built in Schenectady, New York, in the United States, by a partnership of the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and General Electric (GE)). At (10:13) the train leaves Union Station's platform. At (10:50) the famous Southern Pacific 4449 aka the Daylight. This is an example of a "GS-4" class of 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive. At (11:27), Southern Pacific cab forward locomotive #4213, a Class AC-10 engine, is seen. At (12:05) the tender receives water. At (12:40), Southern Pacific #6124 streamlined diesel electric locomotive is seen. At (13:10) a turntable is seen with engine #4350 about to rotate.