Southern Pacific No. 1744 is a preserved American class "M-6" 2-6-0 "Mogul" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Southern Pacific Railroad in November 1901. Originally equipped with Vauclain compound cylinders, it was rebuilt with conventional cylinders in 1912. It operated for many years out of Oakland, California on the Southern Pacific's Western Division and in California's Central Valley where the locomotive and its classmates were fondly called “Valley Mallets” by their crews. The locomotive was made famous in later years by pulling some of the last steam excursions on the SP alongside other steam locomotives, including 4-8-44460. In 1959, No. 1744 was donated to the Sons of Utah Pioneers in Corinne, Utah where it remained on static display, until 1980. That year, it was restored by New London Railroad and Village Incorporated to operate on the Heber Valley Railroad in Heber City for the rest of the decade.
No. 1744 was the 20th member of the M-6 class built by Baldwin and delivered to the SP in November 1901. The locomotive and its classmates started out as Vauclain compoundhigh-pressure locomotives, as in the turn of the 20th century, this design became very popular with various class 1 railroads, including the SP. However, the popularity was short-lived. Significant maintenance difficulties appeared, particularly with uneven forces wear on the crosshead guides. The two cylinders were supposed to be proportioned so as to do equal work (with the low pressure being three times larger than the high); but since the steam passed between the low and high-pressure cylinder is always expanded, even before cutoff, the force produced in the low-pressure cylinder varies differently from that in the high-pressure cylinder. The complex valve assembly and the starter valve also led to increased maintenance costs, as they caused the locomotive's coal and water economy to be so good that they were also pricy to operate. As a result of this, the SP chose to rebuild all their compound Moguls between 1907 and 1914, with No. 1744 rebuilt in 1912, with conventional cylinders. Shortly afterwards, they were modified with superheated flues.[citation needed]
These locomotives were mainly assigned for freight service, with No. 1744 operating out of Oakland on the SP Western Division and in California's Central Valley. Despite no longer being compound locomotives, the Moguls were still fondly nicknamed by their crews "Valley Mallets". On October 7, 1954, the 1744's old 6,000 gallon tender was replaced with a 10,000 gallon class 100-C-1 tender for an increase of water capacity. As 4-6-0s and 2-8-0s became more reliable in completing certain assignments, along with locomotives with longer wheel arrangements being introduced, the 2-6-0s were all relegated work in branch lines and rail yards across the SP system.[3] The railroad started retiring their little moguls as early as 1928, when the first M-7s were already sold for scrap. The 2-6-0s would retire more frequently as the SP began to fully dieselize. No. 1744 was among the last steam locomotives on the railroad to be removed from revenue service, as it pulled its last revenue freight train for the SP in Sacramento on September 24, 1956.[citation needed]
Between 1951 and 1958, by the approval of the railroad's president Donald J. Russel, the SP used their steam locomotives for a series of "Farewell to Steam" excursions.[4] They selected multiple steam locomotives that were still on their active roster for the fan trips, including No. 1744, 1896-built T-1 class 4-6-0 "ten wheeler" No. 2248, P-8 4-6-2 "Pacific" No. 2475, GS-44-8-4 No. 4443, GS-6 4-8-4 No. 4460, SP-2 4-10-2 "Southern Pacific" type No. 5011 and AC-114-8-8-2Cab forward No. 4274. On May 4, 1958, No. 4460 was assigned to pull the Oakland-Sacramento Senator plus an extra string of Harriman type passenger cars for an excursion over the 34-mile Sutter-Basin branch North of Sacramento. As the train approached Davis, it was handed over to No. 1744, which pulled the train on the rest of the journey to the end of the little-used Knights Landing branch, a signpost lettered "Josephine", where until that time, there had never been a passenger train in that area. That was the last time No. 1744 was operated by the Southern Pacific, before its fire was dropped one last time. No. 4460 would pull the final excursions before being retired on October 31 of that same year, and No. 2248 remained on the active list until May 3, 1961.[citation needed]
Preservation
Of all the steam locomotives that pulled the farewell to steam excursions, only Numbers 1744, 2248, and 4460 are preserved.[5] No. 4460 has remained on static display at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri, as the Forgotten Daylight, whereas No. 2248 has been restored to operational status on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad in Tarrant County, Texas, as Puffy since 1993, but is currently undergoing a 1,472-day overhaul.[6] On April 18, 1959, the Southern Pacific donated No. 1744 to the Sons of Utah Pioneers, and the locomotive was moved to their grounds in Corinne, Utah on May 9, where it remained on static display for the next twenty-one years.
First excursion service
No. 1744 when it operated on the Heber Creeper, 1982
On April 22, 1980, No. 1744 was purchased by the New London and Village Incorporation, and it was moved by truck to Heber City, where it was given a major rebuild in the locomotive shops. In the Labor Day weekend of that year, No. 1744 was back under steam and was ready to operate on the Heber CreeperTourist Railroad.[7] There, No. 1744 would operate alongside some other active steam locomotives, including Union Pacific 2-8-0 No. 618, Sierra Railway2-8-2 "Mikado" No. 36, and Santa Maria Valley 2-8-2 No. 100. No. 1744 would also perform some famous doubleheaders with the other locomotives, which would also only happen on Labor Day weekends. As the decade progressed, however, the Heber Creeper was running into some financial trouble, and they slowly struggled to operate any more trains. No. 1744 made its last run in Heber on December 3, 1989, when it pulled the Santa Claus Express, and its fire was dropped once again.[citation needed]
Citizens in the Heber area successfully petitioned the State of Utah to help save the railroad, leading to the creation of the Heber Valley Historic Railroad Authority in the early 1990s. By that time, however, No. 1744 was auctioned off to Tarantula Corporation. It was moved by truck to Ogden, and then moved by rail East-bound to Fort Worth, Texas, where it was re-lettered Fort Worth and Western (FWWR). There were plans to operate the locomotive to pull the FWWR's Tarantula excursion trains. However, such plans have fallen through, and No. 1744 instead spent the rest of the decade in storage at Fort Worth.
Second excursion service
On May 21, 1999, No. 1744 was sold to the Rio Grande Pacific Corporation (RGP), who gave it a thorough overhaul beginning in January 2000 at a combined purchase and rebuild cost of $1.3 million.[8] No. 1744 was test fired over FWWR trackage on September 9, 2000, and throughout the rest of the month, it was used for various test runs while pulling passenger cars, until it was approved to operate by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on September 30.[9] It was subsequently moved via flatcar to New Orleans, Louisiana in November of that year.[10] The Locomotive made its official inaugural run the following month for the Burlington Rock Island Historical Society, and subsequently, it started pulling regular weekend passenger trains between Belle Chasse and Gretna on one of the RGP's subsidiaries, the New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railway.[11] With no way to turn the locomotive each run, No. 1744 would operate forwards to Gretna, and one or two EMDFP10diesel units would pull the train back to Belle Chasse with No. 1744 pushing the train tender-first. As the only steam locomotive to operate on that line, the locomotive was earned the nickname "The Big Easy Steam Train". May 12, 2001 was the last day No. 1744 operated under RGP ownership, and as patronage was downgraded, the locomotive was put into storage in New Orleans for the next six years. It was undamaged in spite of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.[12]
Third excursion service
No. 1744 climbing to Sierra in Forbes Park, 2007
On March 21, 2007, No. 1744 was purchased by Iowa Pacific Holdings (IPH), which owned and operated the newly opened Rio Grande Scenic Railroad (RGSR) that operated on San Luis and Rio Grande (SL&RG) trackage. On May 9 of the same year, No. 1744 was moved to Alamosa, Colorado, and it operated on a test run pulling ten loaded boxcars thirteen days later on May 22. Beginning on May 25, the locomotive pulled excursion trains on the Scenic line between Alamosa and La Veta, and it would also often travel South-bound to Antonito where passengers could connect with the 3-foot gaugeCumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.[13] However, No. 1744 would only operate on the SL&RG for four months, before its fire was again dropped. This time, it was due to the fact its firebox was in need of extensive repairs. In the beginning of 2008, disassembly began within the Alamosa yard, and with No. 1744 out of service again, IPH chose to acquire another operable steam locomotive for the trips: Ex-Lake Superior and Ishpeming 2-8-0 18, a 1910-built locomotive that has been restored for excursion service since 1989. No. 18 was found to be a more powerful locomotive that had more traction and was easier to operate, compared to No. 1744.[citation needed]
Soon, No. 1744's boiler was separated from the frame, and it was shipped to Historic Machinery Services Corporation in Springville, Alabama with the hopes of having it repaired. In 2012, the corporation's owner was retired, and the unfinished boiler was moved to the Rusk Palestine and Pacific Railroad, better known as the Texas State Railroad, in Rusk, Texas, which owns a steam shop capable of full repairs.[14] Some parts for boiler repairs were also being fabricated by crews from the Strasburg Rail Road of Strasburg, Pennsylvania.[15] As the 2010s progressed, the boiler was shipped back to Alamosa, as the RGSR was starting to run into some financial trouble to the point where they could no longer afford to operate or maintain steam locomotives. One of the final straws to the RGSR's struggle was a wildfire that badly damaged the Fir Concert Grounds. The railroad ceased all tourist train operations as IPH filed for bankruptcy by the end of 2020.[16] No. 1744 would be put up for sale on Ozark Mountain Railcar along with No. 18, and other locomotives and rolling stock, as well as the SL&RG trackage.[17][18]
Disposition
On March 9, 2020, it was announced that No. 1744 would be purchased by the Pacific Locomotive Association, with the hopes of finishing its restoration to operate it on the Niles Canyon Railway (NCRY), which lies on the last leg of the Transcontinental Railroad.[19][20][21] Crews of the SL&RG began to help move the separated components of the locomotive West-bound to Brightside. The same day the acquirement was announced, the tender and cab arrived at the NCRY's facility at Brightside, California, and the tender was placed on the rails. On August 31, the frame and running gear also made it to the NCRY by truck.[22] As of 2023, the boiler is being rebuilt with a new rear flue sheet and a new crown sheet at Stockton Locomotive Works, and the driving wheels have been repaired at the California State Railroad Museum’s (CSRM) locomotive shop in Sacramento.[23][24]
The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, often shortened to Rio Grande, D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a 3 ft narrow-gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado, in 1870. It served mainly as a transcontinental bridge line between Denver and Salt Lake City, Utah. The Rio Grande was also a major origin of coal and mineral traffic.
The Southern Pacific was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Company and Southern Pacific Transportation Company.
The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the California State Parks system that interprets the role of railroads in the Western U.S.. It is located in Old Sacramento State Historic Park at 111 I Street, Sacramento, California.
The Heber Valley Railroad (HVRX) is a heritage railroad based in Heber City, Utah. It operates passenger excursion trains along a line between Heber City and Vivian Park, which is located in Provo Canyon. The HVRX carries over 110,000 passengers a year.
The Mount Hood Railroad is a heritage and shortline freight railroad located in Hood River, Oregon, 60 miles (97 km) east of Portland, Oregon, United States.
The Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) is a heritage railway running on the first transcontinental railroad alignment through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and the Niles district of Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. The railway is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Niles Canyon Transcontinental Railroad Historic District. The railroad is operated and maintained by the Pacific Locomotive Association which preserves, restores and operates historic railroad equipment. The NCRy features public excursions with both steam and diesel locomotives along a well-preserved portion of the first transcontinental railroad.
Southern Pacific 4449, also known as the Daylight, is the only surviving example of Southern Pacific Railroad's GS-4 class of 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotives and one of only two streamlined GS class locomotives preserved, the other being GS-6 No. 4460 at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri. GS is an abbreviation of General Service or Golden State, the latter of which was a nickname for California, where the locomotive was used to operate in revenue service.
Southern Pacific 4460 is the only surviving class "GS-6" steam locomotive, together with "GS-4" class Southern Pacific 4449, which is operational in excursion service. The GS-6 is a semi-streamlined 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive. GS stands for "Golden State" or "General Service". The locomotive was built by the Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) for the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in 1943. The GS-6 lacked side skirting and red and orange "Daylight" paint found on previous locomotives of the GS class and were painted black and silver instead. The War Production Board controlled locomotive manufacturers during World War II and had turned down Southern Pacific's order of fourteen new Daylight locomotives in 1942. Southern Pacific re-designed the new fleet based on the older GS-2s, only with 260 psi instead of 300 psi, an all-weather cab, and a new GS-4 style tender. The design was finally approved, but the War Production Board reassigned four to the smaller and power-starved Western Pacific Railroad. Their smaller size when compared to previous GS class locomotives and the fact that they were built during World War II earned them the nicknames "War Babies".
The Colorado Pacific Rio Grande Railroad is a class III railroad operating in south-central Colorado. It runs on 154 miles (248 km) of former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad tracks on three lines radiating from Alamosa and interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad in Walsenburg. Much of the railroad is located in the San Luis Valley. In 2022, it was purchased by Stefan Soloviev.
Southern Pacific 2472 is a P-8 Class 4-6-2 heavy "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in 1921. No. 2472 is one of three surviving Southern Pacific P-8 class 4-6-2 Pacific locomotives, the other two being Nos. 2467 and 2479. The 4-6-2 designation means it has four leading wheels, six driving wheels, and two trailing wheels. The locomotive was used by the Southern Pacific Railroad to haul passenger trains until being retired in 1957. The locomotive was then donated to San Mateo County and placed on static display at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds. After being restored to operational condition in the early 1990s, the locomotive would pull excursion trains on the Niles Canyon Railway until being retired in 2015. The No. 2472 was then moved to the Northwest Pacific Railroad, where it is as of 2023, undergoing its Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) mandated 1,472 day inspection and overhaul.
The Pacific Locomotive Association, Inc. (PLA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the physical aspects and atmosphere of Pacific Coast railroading during the period from 1910 to 1960.
The Krauss-Maffei ML 4000 is a diesel–hydraulic locomotive, built between 1961 and 1969 by German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei in Munich, Germany. It generated 3,540 horsepower (2,640 kW) from two Maybach V16 engines. 37 examples were built in total, for two North American railroads and one South American railroad. They had a short service life and the US examples were withdrawn in 1967–1968.
The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad of Colorado was a heritage railway that operated from 2006 to 2019 in and around the San Luis Valley as a subsidiary of the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad. The heritage railroad ceased operating excursions following a wildfire that damaged some of their facilities, as well as the parent company SLRG entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late 2019.
Southern Pacific Railroad 2467 is a preserved 4-6-2 “Pacific” type steam locomotive. Built by Baldwin in 1921, it was used by the Southern Pacific Railroad to pull passenger trains until it was retired from service in 1956. On July 25, 1960, it was donated to the city of Oakland, California, who had it placed on display at the Harrison Railroad Park. In July 1990 a restoration began by the Friends of the 2467, which later merged into the Pacific Locomotive Association. In June 1999 it was returned to operation and made an appearance at Railfair 1999. Although serviceable, SP 2467 is currently on static display while on loan from its operator, Pacific Locomotive Association, Inc., to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California.
The history of the Southern Pacific ("SP") stretched from 1865 to 1998.
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad No. 18 is an SC-4 class 2-8-0 “Consolidation” type steam locomotive, built by ALCO’s Pittsburgh Works in 1910 for the Lake Superior and Ishpeming (LS&I) Railroad in Upper Michigan. Originally numbered 11, the locomotive was renumbered to 18 in 1924, and it served the railroad, until it discontinued steam operations in 1962. No. 18 was subsequently sold to the Marquette and Huron Mountain tourist railroad, where it was put into storage alongside other steam locomotives.
Union Pacific 618 is a class "C-2" 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive previously owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. The engine is now located in Heber City, Utah and owned by the Heber Valley Railroad. Built in July 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) of Eddystone, Pennsylvania, No. 618 is one of 2 surviving Oregon Short Line C-2 locomotives. The locomotive operated in revenue service until 1958. It was then donated to the State of Utah, where it sat on display for many years. In the mid 1960s, a full restoration effort began on the locomotive with the promise of heading up Utah's first tourist railroad in Heber City after the state donated the engine to the National Railway Historical Society. Today, it is one of UP's oldest locomotives and the first steam locomotive to be removed from a Public Park, and put back into operational condition in excursion service. The engine currently is out of service in Heber City, Utah undergoing restoration back to operating condition.
Columbia River Belt Line 7, also known as Skookum, is a preserved 2-4-4-2 Mallet-type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1909. It was used to pull logging trains in the Pacific Northwest, until 1955, when the locomotive fell on its side, and it was abandoned. Several decades and ownership changes later, No. 7 was restored to operating condition in 2018. Presently, Skookum is owned by Chris Baldo, and it is being used to run on occasion for the Niles Canyon Railway.
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