Amtrak Coast Starlight / Daylight 1970's

[snarematt]

I recently saw a great postcard showing an Amtrak E unit with some fluted budd cars (look like fmr zephyr cars). The postcard said it was the combined Daylight / Coast Starlight. 

1. Did this run on the Southern Pacific coast line like the Daylight?

2. Would this equipment have ever detoured over Tehachapi?

My layout is loosely based on Tehachapi (sp/atsf), and i'd love to be able to model some early Amtrak operations with an E unit in phase 1 paint. I figure if I want an E unit it's going to have to be a detour, as both sp and atsf didn't like to use them in the mountains. 

[RR_Mel]

I don’t believe the SP ran passenger service over the “Loop”.  The Golden State and Sunset Limited Route was from LA to El Paso, the Golden State went on to Chicago and the Sunset Limited to Louisiana.  The San Joaquin Daylight Route ended in Bakersfield.  The Coastal Daylight was only on the Coast. 

 

 

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

[snarematt]

Hi Mel, 

I'm almost positive that the SP's San Joaquin Daylight went over the loop - Oakland to L.A. as did the Owl and a few others. The Amtrak version of that train may have done something different, I don't know. 

I've seen pictures of the California Zephyr detouring over the loop in the early 1950's, but I don't know of other documented detours in the Amtrak era. 

Basically i'm always looking for excuses to get unique passenger trains over my railroad. I know some will say "it's your model - do what you want", but it's just more fun for me if I know it actually happened. 

thanks, 

matt

[angelob6660]

The Coast Daylight-Starlight was named in November 14, 1971 and dropped the Daylight in May 19, 1974.

1. Did this run on the Southern Pacific coast line like the Daylight?

Yes, some cities were changed by the railroad (SP) during the time, construction, or forced Amtrak to other stations.

In the early 1970s you will be fine. Late 70s not much change.

2. Would this equipment have ever detoured over Tehachapi?

The Coast Starlight does make detours over Tehachapi, but really rarely since its not part of the route.

[JOHN BRUCE III]

An E unit on the Daylight-Starlight would be very unusual, especially a single E unit. Pretty much from the start of Amtrak, the train used leased SP SDP45s (two), and after they became available, SDP40Fs. Also, the Coast Route is defined as San Francisco to Los Angeles, but the train normally left the Coast at San Jose and ran up the East Bay to Oakland instead. I don't know which photo you're referring to, but I'm wondering if it might have been a San Diegan mislabeled as the Starlight.

[RR_Mel]

snarematt

Hi Mel, 

I'm almost positive that the SP's San Joaquin Daylight went over the loop - Oakland to L.A. as did the Owl and a few others. The Amtrak version of that train may have done something different, I don't know. 

I've seen pictures of the California Zephyr detouring over the loop in the early 1950's, but I don't know of other documented detours in the Amtrak era. 

Basically i'm always looking for excuses to get unique passenger trains over my railroad. I know some will say "it's your model - do what you want", but it's just more fun for me if I know it actually happened. 

thanks, 

matt

 

Matt you’re correct; the San Joaquin Daylight did go through the Loop to LA.  I did not know that until I did some research.  That’s good info for my layout too.  I have two 10 car Daylights, Coastal and Shasta.  I’m going to do a search for the San Joaquin Daylight SP logo, I’ll swap out my Shasta for the San Joaquin.  

 

 

 

Edit:

 

I found out the San Joaquin Daylight ran a ¾ Dome/Lounge car in all four Consists #51-#54.  I have two Mel Kitbashed ¾ Dome/Lounge cars, I will change one of them to the San Joaquin Daylight logos after I find out what it looked like.  

 

http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track7/sanjoaqdaylt195707.html

 

 

Mel

 

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

[Lone Wolf and Santa Fe]

I remember riding this train as a kid from Portland to Los Angeles. It was pulled by a pair of SDP40s or similar.

Sometimes on my layout, due to unforeseen events Amtrak’s Coast Starlight does get routed over Tehachapi . Then it has to go through Cajon Pass also to get to Los Angeles.

I’m sure it’s happened in real life before but it would be kind of rare.

j........

[M636C]

I rode the Coast Starlight in January 1974 from Los Angeles to Oakland. I was hauled by two SP SDP45s, and I have photos from my roomette on the horseshoe north of San Luis Obispo showing the two locomotives with the Amtrak phase I stripes on the passenger cars. I made the trip again in September 1977 and we had two Amtrak SDP40Fs. The lounge car in 1977 was one of the ex SP three quarter domes. In 1974 it was a blunt end observation with a vestibule in the observation end.

M636C

[andrechapelon]

snarematt

Hi Mel, 

I'm almost positive that the SP's San Joaquin Daylight went over the loop - Oakland to L.A. as did the Owl and a few others. The Amtrak version of that train may have done something different, I don't know. 

I've seen pictures of the California Zephyr detouring over the loop in the early 1950's, but I don't know of other documented detours in the Amtrak era. 

Basically i'm always looking for excuses to get unique passenger trains over my railroad. I know some will say "it's your model - do what you want", but it's just more fun for me if I know it actually happened. 

thanks, 

matt

 

There was no Amtrak version of the San Joaquin Daylight. Those trains last ran on April 30, 1971. I rode the "Owl" from LA to Mojave in 1954 as a kid. We had an ABBA set of F's. I don't remember if the A's were FP's or straight F units (SP had a numbr of A units with boiler controls, but no boilers and a number of B's had boilers). IIRC, the "Owl" last ran sometime in 1965.

 

Any rerouting of the Starlight over Tehachapi would likely have involved the use of SP's FP7's (which were sold to Amtrak, IIRC) or borrowed SDP45's. E units weren't all that great on grades and even though E units were used for the most part on UP trains, they tended to add more units than really necessary on a horsepower basis. SP itself used either ALCO PA's or FP/F combinations in the mountains, although E units could be seen on the Daylight and Lark (primarily because the relatively short climb up the 2.2% Cuesta grade could be accomplished within the short time rating of the traction motors). The primary use by SP of E units was on the trains on the Sunset Route.

 

EDIT: Apparently, E units were common on the "San Diegan" trains in early Amtrak days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfssLOecoE8 

 

Andre