southern pacific E8/9 Daylight and "Bloody Nose"

[Anonymous]

understand that these engines were mainly used for passenger-service but have been told that they also were used for freight-probably not from the
beginning

[M636C]

The Southern Pacific owned one E8, No 6018 (1950)and nine E9s (1953) (possibly numbered 6044 to 6053). They were all delivered in Daylight colours, but were repainted in grey and red from about 1959. The locomotives were traded in or scrapped from 1967. All the E9s (but not the E8) had dynamic brakes as indicated by a 48 inch fan centrally between the stacks. This was rare, and most models don't have dynamics. At least one E9 was experimentally painted in "Black Widow" colours.

The E8 was too highly geared for freight service, and the E9s were withdrawn before passenger service went to Amtrak but the SDP45s and F units carried on on former SP trains. The E9s may have done some freight service, but there were only a few of them on a big railroad.

Peter

[DSchmitt]

#6050 was painted in Black Widow

[Anonymous]

My two cents worth, but first HI ALL!!,

I believe the reason that SPT changed the paint scheme was because of money concerns, Thery didn't want to spend the extra money repainting their E unit in the DAYLIGHT scheme, so they came up with a simple paint scheme reasoning that the BLOODY NOSE scheme was a safety conscience color.

But I think they were just too cheap to keep it the color it should have stayed.

DaylDaar

[M636C]

It's true that the red and orange faded more quickly, and the red and grey lasted well (if you ever washed it, which didn't seem to happen in the 1990s). But the "Daylight" scheme worked well on passenger units, the E7/8/9 and the PA-1, but it wouldn't have looked as good on hood units. The rebuilt Sulzer engined U25s never looked much good. The 4-8-4s never looked as good as they did in Red and Orange, not even the Red White and Blue for the Freedom Train.

Peter

[Anonymous]

I don't believe SP ever used any of its E8 or E9 units in freight service. Throughout their careers these units were based out of Los Angeles, and worked passenger and mail & express trains on the Coast, Sunset and Golden State routes.

SP discontinued the Daylight paint scheme in 1958 as an economy move--but this was unrelated to freight service assignments. E9s 6048 and 6050 were painted in Black Widow colors in that year as an experiment; the 6051 received the black-and-orange "Halloween" paint scheme about the same time. All of the Es were repainted in the "Bloody Nose" scarlet-and-gray thereafter.

Es had A-1-A trucks (the center axle was and idler) and had insufficient traction for freight service, given SP's grades.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

E units were quite rare in freight service anywhere. The only roads of which I'm aware that did this on a regular basis were PRR/PC, EL, CB&Q and UP. There may have been others.

PA's were more likely to wind up in the freight service pool since they had the heavier GE electrical system.

[espeefoamer]

SP E9 #6051 is preserved at the California State Railroad Museum, in Daylight Colors![8D]

[agentatascadero]

To answer the unanswered question, yes the bloody nose was applied to both passenger and freight locomotives, but not on true switchers(many road engines have been and are used as switchers). I agree the switch was made for economy, but I never saw a faded Daylight painted locomotive, steam or diesel. Being an SP brat, it's difficult to admit out loud, but the Warbonnet,IMHO, was by far the best paint scheme ever to dress a diesel, with the Daylight no.2. In steam, Daylight was, by far, no.1.