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Freight steamers in helper service on SP/UP dieselized streamliner trains

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Freight steamers in helper service on SP/UP dieselized streamliner trains
Posted by De Luxe on Thursday, June 4, 2015 6:26 PM

Hi folks,

were freight steamers like 2-10-2s, 4-10-2s 4-12-2s ever used as helpers on dieselized streamliner trains on the SP and UP? I saw several photos of 2-10-2s and 2-10-4s helping dieselized streamliners on the SF, but never SP or UP. So far I only saw 4-8-2s (not even 4-8-4s) helping dieselized streamliners on the UP and 2-10-2s helping 4-8-4s with the Daylights on the SP, but that doesn´t count since my question is only for the dieselized streamliner trains. I also saw photos of 4-8-8-2s (Cab Forwards) helping dieselized streamliners on the SP, but I don´t want to count the Cab Forwards since they were built as dual-purpose engines. It would be very interesting for me to know if there were 2-10-2s and 4-10-2s helping the dieselized Daylights, Cascade, Lark, Overland Limited, San Francisco Challenger, City of San Francisco, Sunset Limited and Golden State on the SP, or 2-10-2s, 4-10-2s and 4-12-2s helping the dieselized City of Portland, City of San Francisco, San Francisco Challenger, Overland Limited, Los Angeles Challenger and City of Los Angeles on the UP. I know that a freight steamer with small drivers and limited speed capacity was surely something unwanted to be seen in front of a proud streamliner helping the diesels, but I would really like to know if this happened on the UP and SP with those steamers and streamliners I mentioned.

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Posted by timz on Saturday, June 6, 2015 4:52 PM

The Trains We Rode has a pic of the eastward City of SF on Donner with a 2-10-2.

Eastward City of LA might have gotten 2-10-2 helpers up Cajon and to Cima-- always? after dark until 1946 so no pics. City of Portland in the Blue Mtns too?

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Posted by De Luxe on Sunday, June 7, 2015 7:41 PM

Thanks for this info! Yes, 2-10-2s on Cajon Pass sounds realistic.

Yes, if those passes have been passed at nighttime we can only guess which engines might have been used. So I guess anything is possible.

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Posted by daveklepper on Sunday, June 7, 2015 10:11 PM

And did not the PRR routinely use I-10 2-10-0s as helpers on passenger trains?

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Posted by BaltACD on Monday, June 8, 2015 10:58 AM

B&O used steam engines, normally their light Mikados, on the streamlined and dieselized Capitol and National Limiteds when necessary.

To my knowledge, passenger train helpers were always added to the head end, as opposed to normally being on the rear end as in freight trains.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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