Southern Pacific Steam in the 1950s

“Southern Pacific Steam in the 1950s” from the films of Doctor Wayland Paul Matt. Many classes of SP steam locomotives are featured, including GS-4, Baldwin F-4, F-5, and C-9, SP-built Mountain MT-4, Cab Forwards AC-10, AC-11, and AC-12, Baldwin narrow gauge 4-6-0 number 18, and much more. You will see many of these classic steam locomotives in charge of both passenger and freight trains in the San Joaquin Valley of California, with several pacing scenes included along highway 99 near Bakersfield. We also visit Tehachapi Pass in both the steam and diesel eras. As an added bonus, we’ll tour SP’s narrow-gauge line in the Owens Valley of eastern California, where Southern Pacific Baldwin 4-6-0 number 18 is seen in operation. Included in this segment is a scene of workers transferring railroad ties from a standard-gauge car to a narrow-gauge car in Owenyo. For those interested in seeing SP 4449 in revenue service, Doctor Matt captured the now-famous steamer on the “San Joaquin Daylight” passenger train number 51, as it departed Bakersfield, California. To round out the program, we’ll take a brief look at Southern Pacific passenger trains powered by EMD models SD9, SDP45, and F7B. Take yourself back to the final years of steam operations on the Southern Pacific, in this full-length video presentation.