Newbie Question

[loco1999]

I got a Southern Pacific Loco and I was
wondering what other roadnames for
locos and rolling stock would go with it?

[Flash Blackman]

Cotton Belt (St Louis Southwestern) for sure. Many others depending on where you are planning your layout. Also depends on what time period. Maybe you could give us some ideas along those lines.

[loco1999]

The SP is a U25B.

I want to model the Southwestern
or Northwestern US.

I getting better track and scenery.
I dont really know the railroads and eras.

I would like to know what would work
so I have a plan as I go forward.

[Greg Elems]

The SP U25B's ran up to 1985 or so. They ran system wide till they were grouped in the LA area towards the end. SP mixed them with any and all engines so any time up to the late 60's or 1970 you could find them keeping company with just about any locomotive SP owned. I've seen the working with SD45's and U33C's as well as GP-9's and GP35's. They also roamed the Cotton Belt (SSW). Southern California seemed to be their main area of operation, since they didn't make it up to Roseville California very often towards the end.

What scale are you modeling in?

Greg

[loco1999]

N Scale.

I guess I am Southwest.
I think Modern, 60's,70's,80's ok?

With SP....
Cotton Belt ? (Yes)
UP ?
Santa Fe ?
Others ?

[Martyn Read]

Originally posted by loco1999:
Cotton Belt ? (Yes)
The Cotton Belt mixed power with SP, so effectively the same railroad at the time you are modelling.


UP ?
Santa Fe ?
Both of those railroads were running in California in the rough era you are talking about, they were all separate railroads though, so mostly you would have sets of each railroads power, it wouldn't all be mixed up.

Up to the start of the 80's you would also have had Western Pacific running into northern California, and during the 1970's Burlington Northern loco's ran through on WP trains, in the early 70's BN had a lot of loco's still painted for it's predecessors, GN, NP, CB&Q and SP&S.

Rio Grande loco's got into California mixed with UP power on coal trains.

Something i'm still checking on, how far west did Rock Island power get in run through service with the SP during the 70's. I know RI passenger power made it to LA on the Golden State by the late 60s, how far did the freight run throughs extend? Anyone know?

[Greg Elems]

During the 70's and 80's UP units ran on the SP quiet a bit. Before the UP merged with the MP and WP, it was very exciting to see UP units mixed in with the SP units. The most common UP units I saw in Northern California were SD40's, C30-7's and some of the U28C's. UP cabooses would show up too.
Santa Fe and SP had tracks in the same area in the Southwest and crossed each other in many places. In the Pacific Northwest, SP, UP and BN shared track or were close to each other. The SP also went just about everywhere WP went. SP and WP didn't share power too often but they could be seen on each others railroads due to detours.

Greg

[loco1999]

Thanks for the good info.

[Greg Elems]

You are welcome. The SP was an interesting railroad to watch and photograph right up to the time the UP took it over.

Greg

[BoxcabE50]

Originally posted by Martyn Read:
[QUOTE]Something i'm still checking on, how far west did Rock Island power get in run through service with the SP during the 70's. I know RI passenger power made it to LA on the Golden State by the late 60s, how far did the freight run throughs extend? Anyone know? Martyn-

Freights all the way to the coast. (LA.) I can't say how often. But they definitely did go west of Tucumcari. I've seen photos and video of RI trains with an SP caboose, deep in SP territory. RI units seemed to now and then be "borrowed' by SP. And a few showed up in Portland, Oregon.

:D

Boxcab E50

[Martyn Read]

Wow! Hadn't expected them to have gone up the coast as well!!! :eek:

Thanks Boxcab!