Distinctly Southern Pacific?


Working with electroluv on his Rio Grande layout from Salt Lake City to Denver got me thinking. The Denver & Rio Grande Western has many unique things that are well ... Rio Grande things. Things like Castle Gate Rock and the hanging bridge over the Arkansas. We came up quite a list.

Then I started thinking about other railroads. What are similar unique things that define the Southern Pacific?

I thought of the Tehachapi Loop, the Santa Barbara station, the Pecos River High Bridge, the Lucin cut off (boring but distinct), and then my brain goes blank.

What other places are characteristic and uniquely Southern Pacific?
 
The Hotel Del Monte Monterey. Railroad owned destination resort of the country at the beginning of the 20th century. Burnt to the ground in 1924.

NC-S-3-1.jpg


Does that count?
 
Tehachapi Loop pretty much was, if you can discount the fact that ATSF used it too.

Pengra/Willamette Pass.

The Shasta Line under Mt. Shasta.
 
I've seen a number of pictures of the yard near San Francisco, and I even saw the site up close, including what was left of an abandoned roundhouse, when I lived out that way. Those pictures stick with me. Unfortunately, it is not a Horseshoe Curve, hanging bridge or Raton Pass.

Otherwise, I'll remember SP by Donner Pass, cab forwards, Daylights, and later filthy locomotives and a rather dull paint scheme, at least as compared to the black widows and Daylights.
 
I always enjoyed the multiple cities (ie: Santa Clara) where they had tracks down the center of many streets. Unlike many Eastern cities they were very busy lines, like the city was built around the track.
 
What about West Colton yard, the coast route and how can we forget the Modoc line, Siskiyou line, Beaumont Hill and my favorite: the Oregon branchlines....in terms of equipment the same places as a backgrond for the oilcans, sugarbeets, early intermodal en 100+ boxcar trains behind half a dozen SD9's and helpers everywhere....sigh....

Regards,
René
 
SpaceMouse said:
The Hotel Del Monte Monterey. Railroad owned destination resort of the country at the beginning of the 20th century. Burnt to the ground in 1924.
Wow, definitely on the list for pre 1924 era.
 
DanRaitz said:
Lets not forget Donner Pass
I can visualize some pictures of Donner Pass, but without the train stuck in the snow I don't know that I would recognize it from any other rail cut into the mountain. Is there something, like maybe a rock formation, that would say THIS IS DONNER PASS?


the ferries across San Fransico Bay.
An intersesting item I had forgotten. Probably on the list even though the WP and others (AT&SF?) did this as well. They (figuratively speaking) definitely had to be the first ones to do it.
 



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