Southern Pacific Coast Division Photos by Tom Gilderslieve from the Jeff Moore Collection

	NEW 12-16-25: SP Steam at Closing Time Commentary by Jeff Moore, with additional comments by Wx4 Staff Charles heimerdinger Photos - Jeff Moore Collection
Jeff Moore found a few SP steam action shots that Charles Heimerdinger recorded as a teenager, mostly on the Commute trains running up and down the San Francisco Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose. The last "official" used of steam on these trains was 22 January 1957 - not counting that one time in 1994 that is detailed on Wx4 - so, given that these were some of Charles' first photos, they likely date from mid-late 1956. By fall many of these trains were operating after sunset, or before sunrise. First up we have one of the gems of the set, SP #4441 at speed with Train 113 near Palo Alto. Next up is SP #444X- can't quite make out that last number- apparently on an eastbound Fleet train. lastly, we have another 444X with Train 149 in Palo Alto.


Next we have #4405, with Train 144, then 4-6-2 #2477 headed for Los Gatos with Train 132. Last up is SP #4421 with Train 123.


We'll wrap up the look at the SP commuter trains with #4451 leading a long extra train. It apparently is at rest on the center siding at California Avenue (with the east switch of the wye at right) on a Big Game Special. and then 4-8-2 #4300 with Train #136.


Next, we have two photos of cab forward #4247 with Train #406, which originated at Newark at 0755 in the morning and worked to Tracy. According to Evan Werkema, the presence of Western Pacific #94' in the second shot tells us that "the occasion was the Central Coast Railway Club's "Golden Age of Railroading" excursion behind WP 94 that ran from the William St. Yard in San Jose, CA to Carbona (Tracy). The excursion train was stopped for a photo runby just west of Livermore when it was overtaken by SP 4247 on eastbound freight 1-406." Wx4 comments: SP's Cab Forwards reportedly worked their last revenue miles on November 30. The loco had come to the Western Division from the Modoc Line earlier in the year from the Modoc Line. In May, 1955, she pulled the Alturas-Klamath Falls leg of the three day "Backwoods Special" from Oakland to Klamath Falls and return.

Now we come to the sad part, the lines of stored steam locomotives awaiting oblivion in the dead lines at Bayshore yard. At right is 4-6-2 #2487, followed by cab forward #4172, and finally #4373, plus some others.


A last dead line shot, in this case 2-6-0 #1805 at Oakland with the yard office in the background. We end on a happier note with two SP steam locomotives that are still with us today. First is #2472, seen here in Bayshore Yard awaiting movement to the San Mateo County the San Mateo County fairgrounds where it would remain on display until restored to operation. This locomotive is now owned by Golden Gate Railroad Museum and is stored in Schellville, California. For the last photo we're going to jump to the north side of the Golden Gate to the Northwestern Pacific yard in Tiburon, where Charles found NWP's 4-6-0 #112 sitting next to their roundhouse. The #112 is now part of the California State Railroad Museum collection and seems to be a semi-permanent resident in the old Central Pacific station, at least as of the last time I was in the area. See the bottom of the following section for photos of locos employed in stationary service at Bayshore. Click on the image for Wx4's story of #2472's last Peninsula Commute run.

new additions: 12-16-25: The Peninsula ~1957-74 Photos by Charles Heimerdinger - Jeff Moore Collection
		Jeff Moore has again bestowed some mid 20th Century SP photos upon us, this time recorded by Charles Heimerdinger. Top center/right: Wx4 judges that these two photos of Train Master #3031 at, and leaving, San Jose's Cahill station date from the very last days of these locos on the Peninsula, as #147 usually was a "F-M train" in late 1974 after the locos had largely been withdrawn from Fleet Hours service. The loco failed late in 1974, leaving only #3021 to soldier on into early 1975. At far left - We see Train Masters surrounding a PA at San Jose, probably just after steam quit in early 1957 - note that the oil drippings from steamers which formerly occupied track #1 (the ready track at photo right) still look fresh. At immediate left - Charles may have photographed the two F-M goats in the middle of San Jose Yard several years later, given that the 1958 Halloween scheme is slightly worse for wear.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxnew photo 12-16-25 revised 12-16-25: The four photos above and right depict activities of Stanford/Cal Big Game Specials at California Avenue and Palo Alto. At above right/right we see the Del Monte stuck on the center siding at Palo Alto, waiting for the Special that we see at right. The above center shot shows the same Train Master powered consist earlier on as it pulled off of the Los Altos Branch at California Avenue. It was preceded by PA #6005 and its train, as seen at above left. Why the Del Monte was held at Palo Alto is a mystery. This photo also shows a Commute car resting on a paved over track to the geographical east of the main tracks, something that I was not aware of. The track must have been yanked when the Cal Avenue trackage was rearranged following the abandonment of the Los Altos Branch in 1964. - EO
	As near as we can tell, the culprit for what is a pretty good traffic jam is the fact that football games don't adhere to train schedules. We conclude that the eastbound (southbound) special was still boarding football fans when the Del Monte showed up, so the latter's crew took the siding to expedite its own boarding process. Next, the westbound special crossed over from the Los Altos Branch (where it was stashed during the game) at California Avenue - a process impeded by Coast Daylight #99 - and then made its station stop at Stanford Stadium (top left). Once it departed, the eastbound special made its Stadium stop. This, we think, accounts for the red signal facing the Del Monte beyond the end of the Palo Alto platform in the top middle shot, above. Just north of Palo Alto station, SP's tracks pass El Palo Alto ( "The Tall Tree" at middle right) and through the San Francisquito Creek bridge. Train #147 at mid left sports some unusual power, #5321 (later, 2728/1428) - one of 19 boiler-equipped SD7's that normally performed on runs less rigorous than the Peninsula. At lower left is "filler" used to balance out this section's layout. If the Hayward Park station "platform" were still around today, as it was as we see it here in 1974, we opine that this fine view would be obscured by a host of personal injury lawyers lounging in their unbrella shaded lawn chairs as they looked for easy pickings. photographer unknown. Paul Avenue was rarely photographed, but Charles managed this shot of an amply-powered #166: one Train Master per car. The first car appears to be a corrugated sides coach or chair car.

	Left: SP 2-8-0 #2836 gained a measure of fame in May, 1960, when it was fired up to serve as a temporary stationary steam boiler at Third & Townsend Station. We estimate that the two photos at left date from somewhat earlier, when it saw like service at Bayshore Shops. It was repainted before heading downtown. A live hog and a red/scarlet diesel seem somewhat incongruous in the same frame, eh? Right: If nothing else, that enormous Baker & Hamilton building looming in the background denotes the location as SP's 7th St. Diesel Shop, where Commute power was left to congregate following the demolition of Mission Bay Roundhouse. The photos appear to date from 1974, after the 3200's began to replace the Train Masters. The upper right photo probably shows #3033 and #3201 headed towards the Porero (Mission Bay) Wye for turning, while the left margin portion of lower one gives us a glimpse of the ancient building that housed the post Mission Bay engineer's change room, where the Ernie Kiesel Collection of SP photographs then resided.

	new 12-16-25: Here we have 4-6-0 # 2381 serving as a stationary boiler. One of the things I note Charles liked to do when given the chance was getting an "over the cab" shot of the top of steam locomotive boilers, the one time he apparently achieved that on a hot SP steam engine was this one, also in use as a stationary boiler behind the Bayshore roundhouse.