Southern Pacific 4274: Last Trip Over Donner Pass
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 14 дек 2022
- On November 30 and December 1, 1957, the era of large articulated steam power officially came to a close on the Southern Pacific when SP AC-11 4274 pulled a fan trip from Sacramento to Reno and return. Sponsored by the California-Nevada Railroad Historical Society, this was the last time, the sound of ear-shattering exhaust and wheezing air pumps would echo through the Sierra Nevada Mountains as they had for nearly 50 years.
This video comes from the 8mm and 16mm cameras of 5 different railfans, and shows the Sacramento to Reno run from end to end with lots of dramatic runby shots and pacing sequences, and are from the archives of the Western Railway Museum.
Enjoy this look at SP 4274, as she conquers the Sierra Nevada Mountains one last time! 
Авто/Мото
4274 was beautiful. We must build more of them at all costs. Cheers!
I was awed by its size in 1985 when I first saw it in the Sacramento Train Museum. It was truly the pinnacle of steam locomotives. Makes one wonder why they didn't go with the cab forward design long before this last series.
Crashworthiness, plus you need oil firing. It's more complex than needed if you don't have tunnels.
When I was a kid, my family camped in the Sierras near Cisco Grove. About a half mile from the SP mainline. Older cab forwards must have had steam whistles, because that's what I remember. At night you could hear them whistling thru the mountains. Before Interstate 5 went thru Sacramento, when turning from I street to Jibboom street, you crossed the SP mainline heading toward SF. Often there would be a cab forward waiting with cars for the signal to leave. The engine just a few feet from the crossing. The SP yard in Sacramento was huge. They could do major repairs on steam locos. In the steam days, almost everybody knew someone employed by SP. Almost all gone now. Me, too.
They all had steam whistles. They had air horns as well. But generally used the steam whistles. My cousin was a hoghead for the SP and said he never used the air horn.
I was on this last trip with my parents
That sounds quite interesting. Though I live on the East Coast, I have been fortunate enough to see the last surviving Cab Forward (#4294) at the California State Railroad Museum, and have also read a book about an SP railroader's memories of working on the line.
It's a true shame that SP 4274 ended up being scrapped instead of being preserved for public display observation, the 4274 had the significance of hauling one of the last steam excursion trains on the SP. I am satisfied that the 4294 was preserved for display, but I wish that there were more than one surviving "cab forward" locomotives on display and from different classes such as the ac-8 or 10 variants. I am satisfied that this footage of SP 4274 hauling the steam excursions was recorded on film and is available for personal observation of railfans.
Scrapping it was a crime.
@blackterminal my favourite train :(
The SP 6 chime is the most romantic whistle ever
What’s great about this version of filming southern pacific cab forward locomotives is that it shows in depth what the whistle really sounded like. It was very interesting. Is that the whistle on the cab forward was not controlled by a rope it was controlled by an air valve. Very cool and very unique. And truthfully, I honestly wish we could’ve done better to save 4274. It would’ve been great to have two surviving examples of cab forward locomotives
When you say the whistle was controlled by an air valve are you talking about the air horn or the steam whistle?
@@cheezart895 I’m talking about the steam whistle I own the Pentrex DVD, Southern Pacific Cab Forward Collection and according to author and railroad historian Dr. Bob Church, he explained that the whistle was controlled by an air valve
ruclips.net/video/7Gylvu9Dxyo/видео.html this video doesn’t it show or explain the whistle, but it is a preview of this DVD
@@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan ah ok but pretty cool
It also shows their distinctive compressor exhaust
@@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan i went to the ca state rr museum and i now realize that it has an air valve
It's a thing of beauty. I've been in it. It's well worth the effort to go see it and the rest of the collection in old town Sacramento.
One cannot but have great respect for these old work horses, the lonesome whistle and the mighty legends they created all across America. Gotta lov'em🇺🇸
This trip was extremely difficult to pull off. Southern Pacific was a railroad that was prided on public image, and when the trip was first proposed the Southern Pacific wanted nothing of it. Thankfully though the board of directors voted on allowing the trip and the vote passed and the trip was run. It was the same scenario with Cab Forward 4294, that engine was never supposed to be preserved.
Southern Pacific Railroad merged with, or was bought out by, Union Pacific Railroad. With the restoration of U.P. 4014, a 4-8-8-4 Big Boy,, wouldn't it be a real bonus to have U.P. take the last remaining cab forward, a 4-8-8-2, and restore it to running the rails again. Can you imagine those two steam locomotives running as a single consist? Thanks for the video. Jon, Railfan 439, on the U.P., Pacific Coast Line, Santa Barbara Subdivision, M.P. 404.5.
Yeah that’s not gonna happen. It’d be cool to see 4294 run again but it’s highly unlikely. One because it’s a cab foward and two it’s articulated. Aside from UP 4014, C&O 1309 etc. the reason that there aren’t many mallets and simple articulates running today is because, it’s hard enough getting a conventional steam locomotive back up and running again. You add on a second set of driving wheels, it becomes more complicated and the cost doubles more. Add on the fact that a cab forward is a different type of build where it’s designed to run in reverse, and the tender is permanently coupled to what is usually the front, so that’s a whole NOTHER pile of shit. Not to mention that I can’t think of any person at least in today’s era that even knows how to operate a cab forward. So yeah I doubt that the last remaining cab forward will ever run again
Thank you for sharing! Such an impressive locomotive!
Wow!! Another excellent vid of SP back in the day...beautiful!!
Thank you so much for posting this. 👍 I'm constantly having to remind myself that is going forwards, not backwards. 😅
My uncle George (Janes) was a towerman at the old Bayshore yard in San Francisco. As a lifelong railfan and model railroader, I reckon big George would've been trackside for 4274’s last runs.
I love this footage and have never seen it. Awesome job!
Many thanks for posting this marvelous footage!
I went to see the grand opening of the Sacramento railroad. I've seen this monster in person at the railroad museum and it's worth going to see all by itself. There are still many other locomotives there in the displays.
Nice work and thank you for sharing.
I saw this type of locomotive going over Donner Summit at a Norden when I lived there in the early sixties. Love this. Thanks for posting such a historic video for us to enjoy!
That shot of auburn is Amazing. They are standing in the cut for I-80.
What a great video, thanks for uploading!
Excellent Presentation, Hunter!
Great to have a record of this loco in operation. Maybe one day it's surviving sister can be restored to working order like the Union Pacific Big Boy 4014
Or like the Southern Pacific Daylight locomotive, #4449, a big 4-8-4 which went into service in 1941.
I used to think the Cab forward locomotive was strange, but the more I learned about it, the more it bacame one of my favorites! Such a unique history.
Great coverage.
Great video 📹
That's a beast!!!
I remember going to Soda Springs with you. Now I work at a place like that in Big Sky 8-)
November 30th and December 1st, 1957
Extra 4274 East: The Sierra Daylight.
This is what I was looking for
A testament of a Beautiful firepower monster ❤
Well documented video . I have never actually seen a Cab Forward in operation . very nice!
Any vids showing inside the cab?
It is like a lot of things. We didn't really appreciate what we had until it's gone
@@cabbagepatch8947the preserved cab forward in Sacramento has an open cab, there are probably tours of it on RUclips if you search Sacramento railroad museum
Love it!
Wonderful!!
As a Missabe fan, a backwards Yellowstone.
2:50
With a plume of oil smoke that big, I bet the rail fans on board got some pretty good photo shots of 4274 at work.
Unique locomotive.
Such a shame that we'll never see these giants roaming our rails again, most unique looking articulated locomotive by far
It's crazy that only one of these was preserved.
Amazing looking locomotives you have to look twice just to figure out what's going on.😅
Thank you for posting I wish somebody had filmed the large Garrett that used to run on the Great central line in northern England. It’s good that you found this footage and shared it I wonder if who filmed it years ago would’ve dreamed it would’ve been streamed all over the world for us to enjoy. Oh one question do tunnels in the US not have names.? all the tunnels here in Great Britain are named usually by their location.
Completely depends on the location. SP numbered the tunnels on Donner, for instance, but Union Pacific’s mainline in Wyoming passes through Hermosa Tunnel.
Fabulous footage. Great to see the "cab forward" in its heyday. Is there one of these locomotives residing in a museum anywhere in the U.S?
The end of the video explains that
At the museum at the end was 4294 not 4274. Maybe I missed something, but either way that was a excellent video. Thanks to whoever filmed the last turn of sp4274.
The SP was initally (likely out of spite) against preserving a cab forward, which resulted in the scrapping of 4274. 4294 was a later compromise.
This a good videp
Never could get use to these cab forwards. Still can't.
One thing I got to know how did they fuel this engine? The one that was in the movie back to the future, had a wood or coal car behind it. Unless i am mistaken i didn't see anyone moving coal or wood from the car behind the engine. Please explain this to a beginning student of this fascinating technology.
It burns oil
So the AC-11's have a whistle and a horn?
Almost every steam locomotive on the SP were equipped with air horns.
My grandfather called my dad a liar when he went from Ohio to SoCal and saw one of these the first time and told his dad about it, he went back and took a picture of it as proof.
Those pre-recorded sounds of that engine? I didn't think cameras of that vintage had sound to them. Just sounds like it was all additive. It's not a complaint the video is great just curiosity
Yes the sound is synchronized as most home movies at that time were traditionally silent
Most home cameras no, but the talkies started late twenties and sound was improved by the mid to late 30's.
How do we know the audio is authentic?
Its a shame, that only 1 cab forward has survived, and is in a california museum.
It's at the California State Railroad museum in Sacramento, California
@@ronniesmith8941 what would the 4294 need to run a total heavy overhaul? I think the last time it was under steam was 1956?
A nice video, but I wish you had shown inside the cab.
6:47
Was that a diesel horn I heard early in the film?
Cab forwards also had air horns
How did they get Coal to the Boiler. Maybe it was Oil Fired
They were oil fired as are most steam locomotives that operate on the west coast
Note: With the cab in front, the crews knew that coal firing the engines would be impossible, so they burned oil instead.
Also, the oil tender was pressurized to insure positive fuel oil flow to the burner, even at the thinner air at 7,000’ Donner Pass.
@@johnhagan7742 Camelbacks existed, I'll remind you
Yeah they pretty much needed to be oil burners for this desigh to work properly. Even then, their main terrain was California. Pretty much every steamer working in the state, and its neighbors, were oil burners because oil was far more readily available than coal. The same applies to the Santa Fe's steam fleet working that far west, and even UP's steamers were usually oil burners working west of Ogden
S P Cab Forwards were all oil fired...none of that messy coal fired stuff..with soot and cinder..and ash 5:32
The State Railroad Museum should restore 4294 and steam it up. I’ve heard the same excuses about that locomotive that I heard for years about the UP Big Boy…”It’s too big. Too complex. Too expensive… It’’ll never be done… blah blah blah…”
Logistically and politically speaking 4294 is fine just where it is
Think if someone came up with all the money to restore it to operation maybe the state would go for it. Issue there are limited places it could run.
@@HunterLohseRRVideos Exactly what they said about the Big Boy (and some still do). You can always find reasons to not do something. It’s called inertia.
@@eva.cassidy People would still come up with reasons why it can’t be done. “Train Orders” is notorious for this thinking.
The Big Boy was two private corporations exchanging a transaction. The 4294 is owned by the state of California which requires way more political hoops, and with the current railroad climate, especially surrounding where it is, it is just not practical
Is California very mountainous? But, are there also flat areas of the state?
California has everything, mountains, valleys, hills, deserts, and beaches
I know I can , I know I can , I know I can
The audio doesn't sound original... Is it?
It is dubbed
Before even California cared about clean air.
Were these oil fired?
Yes
No.5 oil
They need to bring back steam.
Yes.
Does it still run to this day ?
Did you watch until the end of the video?
@@HunterLohseRRVideos yes
@@HunterLohseRRVideos it was retired and put into the Sacramento railroad museum
@@HunterLohseRRVideos it doesn’t run under its own steam
Then your question was answered
Too bad there is no "operating" cab-forward today.
Why not run the engine backward through the tunnels? Then you have the protection of the tender in front of the crew. Was told that engine crews were vulnerable to injury at grade crossing collisions.
This is a cab-(foward) train
@@IIIIIIlllllllIIILLL A cab foRward locomotive. Notrain.
Why not run the engine backward through the tunnels? Then you have the protection of the tender in front of the crew. Was told that engine crews were vulnerable to injury at grade crossing collisions.
@@robertgift How can the driver see then? its not like a normal steam train. the driver seeing the cab is just weird. what if theres a car in the railroad crossing?
@@IIIIIIlllllllIIILLL Correct. Less visibility withe tender obstructing the view.
Buthe boiler also obstructed the view.
My great uncle had his fireman also look ahead when rounding left curves.
"After a number of crews nearly asphyxiated, the locomotive was run in reverse. This meant that the tender was leading the train, which introduced new problems. The tender blocked the view ahead and put crewmen on the wrong sides of the cab for seeing signals. The tenders were not designed to be pushed at the lead of the train, which limited speeds." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cab_forward
moving in reverse it looks normal
The Southern Pacific also had AC-9s, which were basically the reversed cab forwards.
4294 is at the sacramento museum, the restoration is expensive though, this video tells a lot of half truths not a lot of facts
RIP SP 4274 IT WAS SCRAPPED AFTER RETIREMENT
Was it really
@@gabrielquinones3343 Sadly, yes. The 4274 was scrapped after being retired. As the matter of fact, all of the cab forward steam locomotives were scrapped, except for 4294, the last cab forward which is now on display at the California State Railroad Museum.
Eine hübsche Lokomotive mit einem hässlichen Geheule.
Someone should really restore one @MrBeast
You think a "rich" youtuber can restore that?
For the 4294 to run, it would take a big crew to get her up and running! Not to mention, probably about over $1 million
🚆🚄seen it in Sacramento railway museum🚅