Southern Pacific Lines

Coast Line Division 

“The Route of the Octopus”

 
 
General Engine Operations SP Passenger Motive Power Lark Lark GS powered until 1955. The Daylight Train The Daylight was train #98/99, later renamed the Coast Daylight in 1952. Steam motive power changed at SLO. The northbound would pull in and a 2-10-2 helper with a new replacement engine, a 4-8-4, would be waiting on the adjacent track. The helper would cut off at Santa Margarita and wyed and run back to SLO. The Coast Daylight was powered by GS-4’s.  SP Freight Motive Power The usual steam motive power used for local freights in the 40's and early 50's for short local trains would be a 2-6-0 or 2-8-0, with 2-8-0s being more common. If the load was more than one of these could handle they would use a 2-8-2. Coast Mail Until 1956, the Coast Mail trains Nos. 71 & 72 were powered by GS class 4-8-4’s. It normally had a Daylight, 4400 locomotive. These were in S.P. freight colors, although they had higher gearing for speed and they had steam heat boilers. The cab on #72, ran at speeds of up to 93 M.P.H. on a 4400 class locomotive. (Daylight style engine). “Piggy Back” In the early 50’s (1953), the first piggyback traffic on the Coast route seems to have been included in the “Overnight”. The Coast Merchandise #373-374 began handling piggyback flatcars (modified 53’ long flat cars) to accommodate truck trailers. Engine of choice was the GS- 4-8-4. Heavyweight Head-end Cars Operations Picking up head-end cars enroute: Additional cars were usually added behind the locomotive because it was more efficient. The crew could turn the angle cocks at the separation point and seal the brake system in the standing consist. The locomotive could uncouple from the consist, leave it with brakes set, and move independently to pick up the additional cars. Once in tow, they could be backed against the consist, brakes re-connected, and air pressure regained fairly quickly. The locomotive, moving light, was shorter and faster when moving to pick up the additional cars. Leaving the consist standing also allowed the occupants to keep working without undue jostling. Putting the new cars between the existing head-end cars and the trailing coach would require switching with all those cars in tow, a much longer and more disruptive operation. Pete Also having the added cars behind the engineer minimizes the number of cars that are subject to a brake test (trainmen have to observe set and release of air brakes. on added cars.) Glenn Joesten Tender Operations Rules for Tenders (Steam engines) Engine and tender size were based on COST and the JOB they were assigned to do. A long haul tender had to carry enough fuel and water to make it between water spouts and coal towers. A yard tender carried just enough fuel and water so that the crew could get their work done with minimum interruption. Along the right of way, water towers were usually more frequent then coal towers. An 0-4-0 should have a small tender, relatively low or with a sloped back so the crew has good visibility. The Pacifics, depending on the prototype might have small Vanderbilt tenders, but not large or long haul tenders. Large Vanderbilt and long haul tenders were found on road engines with 8 or more drivers. Air Signals on SP Tenders / locos The small device located on the engineer's side or front of the tender is not an air signal whistle, but an air brake "retainer valve". Most passenger and freight cars, along with cabooses and tenders were equipped with a retainer valve, located near the hand brake wheel. The retainer valve is a manually operated valve that provides a constant minimum brake application even though the air brake has been released from the engineer's brake valve in the cab. Normally, when brakes are released, all of the air in the brake cylinders is discharged into the atmosphere. By setting retainer valves, when the brakes are released, some of the air pressure is "retained", thus the name. Typically, a certain number of cars on the rear of the train would have their "retainers set" at the direction of the conductor by the brakemen before descending a grade. The retainer valve has nothing to do with the air signal system, per se. However, the air signal (or hand signal) may have been used by the conductor to communicate to the engine crew to stop the train to set the retainers, and to start the train after the retainers had been set. The air signal whistle was mounted inside the cab, not on the outside of the tender. The retainer valve was painted black, along with the rest of the tender. It was mounted on a "tee" in the air line, which was sometimes located right at the retainer valve (with two air lines running up to the tee), and in other installations located under the tender or car (with one air line running from the tee up the side or end of the tender or car to the retainer valve). The air signal line is mounted "inside" the air brake line at the ends of cars, tenders, and locomotives so equipped. It is of smaller 1" diameter rather than the larger 1 1/4" diameter air brake line. The glad hands were proportionately smaller, to avoid miscopying the lines. The glad hands were sometimes natural bronze, or painted aluminum. The air signal whistle was unpainted brass. The glad hands were usually either unpainted bronze or painted aluminum. The air signal line is only on passenger trains. Never any on a freight train. Air signaling was done by increases in brake pipe pressure as read on the air gauges of the helpers. On photos of SP steam power, air signal whistle were mounted in the cab on larger locomotives, especially those with enclosed cabs such as the GS's, ACs, etc. This is the air signal whistle that the conductor would "blow" according to the communication signal rules outlined in the Rules and Regulations. Examining the photos, sometimes there are two air lines to the whistle, and sometimes only one. You can see a second smaller line or wire running parallel to the air line.  This is not an air signal whistle, which was always installed in the cab so that it could be heard by the engine crew. The device that you see on the tender is a "conductor's valve" for making an emergency application of the brakes from the gangway. It had a rather high-pitched note. Specific Engine Operations Lighting Trains Oscillating Light The term should be "oscillating signal light," (lower case), not "Mars Light," because SP used this feature as supplied by companies other than Mars, most notably Pyle-National. This device was a supplement to the headlight (in the lower position). At the engineer's option, it would be activated day or night--but it did not HAVE TO RUN ALL THE TIME. In later years, especially in areas where there were many highway grade crossings, the oscillating feature ran all the time. There has been discussion among members of the SP list to determine if and or when SP mandated constant operation. These oscillating lights would display a red signal when the train brakes went into emergency. The engineer could "lock" the white oscillating light into one position if for instance the lower "real" headlight burned out and there were no spare bulbs aboard. The stationary light was in the nose door. When they were both there, on any railroad the oscillating/Mars light was always on top. It was a big BIG bulky and heavy unit. Although not impossible to reinforce and then hang them on the door, you'ld probably take up all the room and make it almost impossible to get past it and through the door. Where as the nose position had plenty of room and a lot of structure to hang them on and in. Classification Lights Each end of the engine seems to have two side lights on the topside. Side lights on top of each end are clear classification lights. Classification lights are generally off (not lit) unless required to display the type or "class" of train, clear/white for an unscheduled extra (freight or passenger) train; green if running as 2nd, 3rd...section of a scheduled train (freight or passenger). Most roads out west did not have their classification lights rigged with red internal drop down lenses for use as marker lamps. "Classification lights are generally off (not lit) unless required to display the type or "class" of train, clear/white for an unscheduled extra (freight or passenger) train;" You’ll never see Espee power with classification lights lit red, not even when the unit was running as a trailing pusher/helper unit. In that case, units pushing usually had their rear headlight (fixed beam) on dim setting as a sign that a locomotive was on the rear of a train. Green class lights are displayed on all but the last section of a train. If a train 375 was running in three sections, 1-375 and 2-375 would display green class lights. Third 375 would display no class lights. (i.e. "green if running as 2nd, 3rd...section of a scheduled train (freight or passenger)." Steve Haas Marker Lights On the SP, markers define the end of a train ("Train...a locomotive, or locomotives coupled, with or without cars, displaying markers"). SP markers display red to the rear and green in the other visible positions. SP DTCTR There are no such things as green markers. Markers don't have them green unless your numberboards read something like 1-376, indicating the first section of a train. They could be white if your boards read X5244. They should be off if your boards read 3604 or 377. Mike Tisdale Rear marker get changed to green when the train was in the clear in a siding. This is correct for the period right after Aug. 1, 1907. Rule 19 says "except when the train is clear of the main track, when green lights must be displayed to the front, side and rear." Couldn't find a similar statement in a copy of the 1969 rules, though. Spen Kellogg Train Indicators & Sections Scheduled freights often ran in multiple sections (as many as 4). Each section except the last carrying green lights. Green flags and white flags had disappeared by 1953 when I worked there, except for engines moving on the main line not equipped with classification lights (switchers for example). Barry Anderson The use of train indicators (and class lights?) did not cease until 7/1/1967. On the other hand, switchers did not carry indicators or class lights, at least up to the end of the steam era. After the 1967 date, what had been indicators became simply number boards, and most if not all engines displayed them. Class lights were used until they were no longer required by the FRA which was 1985. SP DTCTR Class lights continued to be used after train indicators were discontinued. John Sweetser Engine Servicing SP in the early '50s transition-era locos used the fueling facility in the yard. Fuel Oil One shift, typically the graveyard, or midnight to 8 shift, took the engine to the roundhouse for refueling. Steam and diesel locos however did not use the same fuel oil. Steam locos burned a very heavy oil loaded into the top of the tender bunker from a large swivel pipe assembly. Depending on the particular engine servicing yard design, the two loco types may have been fueled on the same inbound track. That fuel was pumped from ground level, not overhead! Charlie Morrill Ash Pit The S.P., with one notable exception (on one division), used steam power was oil fired. This cuts down drastically on the ash issue, since there weren't none to speak of. Sand House Different Facilities / Procedures The procedure differs entirely on the size of the locomotive facility. In a major yard the sand would generally be unloaded from a hopper into an under-track bay and then moved by conveyor into the drying and storage facility. In smaller facilities, the sand may have even been unloaded by hand, but that would be a MUCH smaller yard. Pick a specific yard/engine house and then check the resources for plans of that facility. What was in place at Oakland or Roseville was a bit different than what was found at Port Costa or Santa Cruz. Pat LaTorres Delivery Depends on era. For many years, it would have arrived in a GS gondola. Once SP had plenty of covered hoppers, they tended to be used (late 1950s). Some ballast hoppers were also used for this, but they are quite distinct from conventional cross hoppers. Tony Thompson Loading Procedure The sand house stored and dried sand delivered in gons. The sand was generally unloaded from a bottom dump hopper into a underground bin. It was then raised by a conveyor belt into the drying compartment. Pat LaTorres Photos show guys with shovels moving the sand into the building. No conveyor. The second move is from the "wet sand" bin into the the shed, usually also shovels. I've never seen a conveyor for this. Tony Thompson Drying Sand It was then raised by a conveyor belt from the bin into the drying compartment where it was dried by oil or gas heaters. From the dryer, the sand was moved by compressed air up to elevated hoppers. Pat LaTorres Some sand houses had two areas, one with the wet sand, often an unroofed bin and then an enclosed room with the equipment to raise the sand to the dry hopper. The enclosed area had a stove and the heat from the stove dried out the sand that was shoveled in from the wet sand bin. Tom VanWormer The sand dried with the help of steam heat. Tony Thompson If the sand is dried with steam heat then a boiler and piping near or inside the dry Sand room was necessary. Find pictures of sand houses to find the heat source. Also the compressed air would need a compressor and utilities to service that. There was often a repair facility or roundhouse in which steam was provided, along with compressed air. It just had to be piped over to the sand house. There aren’t any photos of a sand house with its own coal stove to make the heat for drying sand, on some eastern road. Ernie Fisch Filling Getting sand to the sand dome The sand was delivered into the dome by gravity through a hose dangling above the loco sand boxes. The hostler or helper opened the lid on top of the dome, aimed the hose, and opened the sand hopper valve by pulling on a rope. Charlie Morrill Duel Use Both steam & loco types could use the same sanding facility. Additional sand delivery hoses were added to accommodate the sand box locations on diesel locos. Charlie Morrill Reference There is a decent picture of the San Luis Obispo sand house and tower on page 178 of "Southern Pacific's Coast Line Pictorial". There is a sand house at Port Costa that appears not to use gravity feed but rather pushes the sand through pipes and hoses by air. Volume 2 of the Common Standard plans shows an Espee sand house with two oil fired sand driers. It also shows an indoor trestle (with tracks) in the sand storage area. A traveling bucket with an air hoist apparently to move the sand from the storage area to the driers. Volume 4 shows what is called "Southern Pacific Standard Sand House With Electric Conveyor". Maybe a standard after all. It is dated May 31, 1929. It is interesting that the drawings are MWD drawings and not Common Standard drawings. Ernie Fisch Water Tender Fill-Up Steam engines typically took water once each shift at, or near, their remote location. AC Tenders Fill-Up AC’s had big 22,000 gal. tenders took a lot of water. On the Coast Division where most grades were easy, speeds were moderately fast and tonnage was not usually the maximum, the ACs seldom ran low on water, thus the tender was partially full when you took water. It took about 10 minutes at the average stop to fill the tender. Service Stops Refueling stops are at the same time service stops (lube + inspection). Servicing (lube job, checking valve gear, bearings etc.), especially on long runs, IS scheduled maintenance, just like you need to have your car serviced every X miles. 2,200 miles with 5 intermediate fuel stops means a "servicing" or "maintenance" roughly every 360 miles. And I'm sure that during the more frequent water stops the engineer checked his ride every time too. We are not talking repairs/overhauls (like in Class 1 - 5 repairs) here. Wouter J.K. De Weerdt The crew took their grease guns and serviced the grease fittings. That is not considered as 'scheduled maintenance', or the same as a trip to the roundhouse. Grease is a consumable on steam locos, just like fuel, sand & water. Tim O'
Southern Pacific Lines S.P. Steam Locomotive Operations
Engine Operations Passenger Motive Power Freight Motive Power HW Head-end Cars Operation Tender Operations - Rules for Tenders - Air signals on SP tenders Specific Engine Ops Train Lights Engine Servicing Modeling Engine Speed