Southern Pacific

SP SD9 5472
Happy passengers offer a toast to the photographer from the rear platform of the business car Oakland, near Sunol, CA on Sunday, March 28, 2010.
Click on photo to enlarge

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do. The Southern Pacific railroad will always be my favorite railroad!

SP and its subsidiaries

Steve Sloan's Trains : UP : Southern Pacific : Locomotives 5300-5999

Click on the following links to see pictures related to the SP in the number series indicated:

SP 5308 EMD SD39, SP Class EF623-1

SP 5308 is an EMD SD39, SP Class EF623-1. Reportedly: SP 5308 was built in 1968 by EMD as a model SD39, builders number 34006, SP 5308 EMD SD39, SP Class EF623-1

The disposition of this locomotive is: retired in 1995 and sold in 1996 to Progress Rail. According to conflicting sources: Sold in 1999 to National Railway Equipment. Rebuilt to SD40-2M. Leased to UP, 4763. Renumbered to UP 2810 in 2001. Retired in 2002. Other Reporting marks and numbers reported as associated with this serial number may include CEFX 2810 and WAMX 4218.

SP 5308 in Mojave
Southern Pacific (SP) SD39 5308 and fellow SD39 5303 switch cars in the SP yard in Mojave, CA on Thursday, March 29, 1973.
Paul Young said, "Switching the West end of the yard. I see the old Union 76 gas station in the background. This is probably the Mojave shorts (LAMJY) setting out & switching it's train. Once that was completed, they would assemble the outbound (MJLAY) train and head East, provided they didn't die on the law. The LAMJY/MJLAY would often have work to do in Palmdale and/or Lancaster. Nice catch, Steve Sloan!"

SP 5313 EMD SD39, SP Class EF623-1

SP 5313 is an EMD SD39, SP Class EF623-1. Reportedly: SP 5313 was built in 1968 by EMD as a model SD39, builders number 34011, SP 5313, SP Class EF623-1. The disposition of this locomotive is: retired and sold in 1984 and scrapped.
Photo of SP 5313
Southern Pacific (SP) SD39 5313 is in Bakersfield, CA on Sunday, March 16, 1975.

SP 5317 EMD SD39, SP Class EF623-1

SP 5317 is an EMD SD39, SP Class EF623-1. Reportedly: SP 5317 was built in 1968 by EMD as a model SD39, builders number 34012, SP 5317, SP Class EF623-1. In 1994 it was renumbered 5298 to make room for D&RGW SD45s.
The disposition of this locomotive is, retired in 1999 and scrapped in 2002.
SP 5317 at Woodford
Southern Pacific (SP) SD39 5317 leads SD45 8844 and other big EMDs on an SP westbound at Woodford, CA on Monday, October 21, 1974.

SP 5324 EMD SD39, SP Class EF623-2

SP 5324 EMD is an SD39, SP Class EF623-2. Reportedly: SP 5324 was built in 1970 by EMD as an SD39, builders number 35821, SP 5324 EMD SD39, SP Class EF623-2.
The disposition of this locomotive is, sold in 1986 to Rail Switching Services. In 1987 it became Copper Basin Rwy. 304. In 1995 it became Helm HLCX 3952 then HATX 353. 1996 Indiana Harbor Belt 3902, it was retired by IHB in 2002 and sold to NRE, since scrapped.
SP SD39 5324 at Highland
Southern Pacific (SP) SD39 5324 leads SP U28C 7155 and others past Highland at the Summit of SP’s Colton Cutoff on Cajon Pass in California, Sunday, October 20, 1974.
SP SD39 5324 in Roseville
SP SD39 5324 is in Roseville on Sunday, April 11, 1976.

SP 5472 EMD SD9, SP Class DF-125

SP 5472 is an EMD SD9, SP Class DF-125. Reportedly: (According to good sources, including Strapac's fantastic SP Compendium book series), SP 5472 was built in 1956 by EMD as a model SD9, builders number 21297, SP 5472 EMD SD9, SP Class DF-125. In 1965 it was renumbered to SP 3946 SP Class EF618-5.
This locomotive was upgraded in 1977 emerging as SP 4423, SD9R SP Class EF618R-1.
The disposition of this locomotive is, the 4423 was sold to Omnitrax in the summer of 1993, along with about 100 other units. It became NWP 4423, purchased by Howard Wise of the Oakland Terminal Railway. According to their website, "The Pacific Locomotive Association contracted to get this locomotive just one day before it was to be scrapped."
The Pacific Locomotive Association operates the Niles Canyon Railway, according to Wikipedia.

SP 5472 in Niles Canyon
Happy passengers offer a toast to the photographer from the rear platform of the business car Oakland, near Sunol, CA on Sunday, March 28, 2010. Pacific Locomotive Association's (PLA) SP 5472 is right behind them.
About Southern Pacific #141 "Oakland"
Southern Pacific # 141, now owned by Golden Gate Railroad Museum, was built by the Pullman Company in 1927 and delivered to the railroad on January 20, 1928 as the “New York.” The car joined a distinguished fleet of business cars constructed by Pullman during the 1920’s and was assigned to A. D. MacDonald, Chief Financial Officer of Southern Pacific, with offices in New York. The car was renamed “Oakland” in November of 1928, and apparently was quickly sent to its namesake city. In 1932, A. D. MacDonald became president of the Southern Pacific ( a post he held until 1941) and S.P. 141 was assigned to him. Although the car wandered the nation as a president’s car, it was based in the Oakland business car yard for its entire working life.

SP DRGW 5510 EMD SD50

SP DRGW 5510 was an EMD SD50, SP Class EF635D-1. Reportedly: it was built in 1984, as an EMD SD50 DRGW 5510 construction number 847022-10. Other reporting marks and numbers reportedly associated with this locomotive include: UP 9854, UP 5104.
SP DRGW 5510 in Truckee
The 5510, a former DRGW SD50, is at Truckee California on Tuesday, August 12, 1997.

Former SP 5623 EMD GP9, SP Class DF-606

SP 5623 is an EMD GP9, SP Class DF-606 Reportedly: SP 5623 was built in 1955 as SP 5623, SP Class DF-606, builder number 19978. In the 1965 renumbering it became 3005, SP Class EP418-3. In 1977 it was rebuilt to SP 3189, SP Class EP418R-1. SP 3189 was retired in 1991. In 1992 it was sold to Levin Metals. It was purchased from the scrap dealer in 1992 by Errol Ohman and Howard Wise. The pair restored the locomotive and repainted it into its original "black widow" paint scheme and its original number (5623) in 1993. SP 5623 spent most of the 1990s working for the Oakland Terminal Railway. The 5623 now resides the Niles Canyon Railway in Sunol, California, where it is used in occasional excursion service.
Torpedo Boat GP9 5623 at Niles Canyon
Errol Ohman and Howard Wise's former Southern Pacific (SP) Torpedo Boat GP9 5623 at Niles Canyon Railway's Brightside Yard shop, near Sunol, CA on Sunday, March 13, 2011.

SP 5669 EMD GP9, SP Class DF-607

According to good sources, including Strapac's fantastic SP Compendium series, SP 5669 was built in 1956 by EMD as a model GP9, SP 5669, SP Class DF607, builder's number 21362. In 1965 it was renumbered to SP 3502 SP Class EF418-6.
This locomotive was upgraded in 1976 emerging as SP 3434 SP Class EF418E-2.
The disposition of this locomotive is, retired 1987, 1993 went to Willamette and Pacific 1802:1, scrapped 1996.
Model of SP 5669 EMD GP9
SP 5669, a Halloween painted Athearn Genesis GP9 and an F7a lead a train over Mouse Creek at the California Central Model Railroad Club on Tuesday January 29, 2019.

Special Notes

NOTE: If anything is my "life's work" it's my train photos. — If you scan an analog photo of mine, or if you share a digital photo I took that does not have my photo credit, add something like "Photo by Steve Sloan" directly onto the image. It's not enough to say "Photo by Steve Sloan" in the text caption. People download photos off the Internet/Social Media platform and whatever is in the text does not stick to the photo. Then, they get reshared and that data is lost. I deserve credit for my work.

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