Hello all,
After researching the San Diegan on wikipedia, I decided to create one myself to run on the club layout
Here is the Consist so far :
- Athearn Genesis Diesel EMD F7A-B Set -Assembled - Santa Fe "Super Chief"
(Powered #47L (A Unit) & #47A (B Unit) "Passenger Warbonnet" Silver and Red
1. Walthers Budd 73' Baggage
2. Walthers Budd 48 Seat Coach
3. Walthers Budd 48 Seat Coach
4. Walthers Budd 48 Seat Coach
5. Walthers Budd 48 Seat Coach
6. Walthers PS 4-4-2 Sleeper (plan on installing a tailight on the vestible end).
The locomotives are numbered for the Super Chief, But since I only have one car for the super chief (the sleeper) others seem pretty difficult to track down or locate, so with the Superchief Set notwithstanding, I retained the original numbers and assigned the diesels to either the "San Diegan" or "General Passenger Service".
The locomotive set I described is the last one listed on ebay right now, sitting in my cart.
(waiting for my check to come in)
The consist may not right, but I would like to hear your input.
Thanks
.
ATSFGuy ... The locomotives are numbered for the Super Chief... The consist may not right, but I would like to hear your input.
... The locomotives are numbered for the Super Chief...
That's a nice rendition of a typical San Diegan, although the sleeper (Regal series) is a little out of place. Maybe an observation car might be a better option if possible.
The ever changing consist makes it tough to model the San Diegan. Basically you have to pick a year/season/and in some instances a specific train number to model an accurate San Diegan.
And it isn't easy to model a proper San Diegan in plastic using ready to run cars. An accurate Santa Fe 52 seat coach is the hardest part of any San Diegan consist.
The double RDC San Diegan consist is possible, but it was a fairly short lived. And that service ended in tragedy.
I'm confused on what you mean by the "locomotives are numbered for the Super Chief"
Santa Fe did not put train numbers on their F units. For example; train numbers 70 - 83 for the San Diegan.
So any passenger F unit in the local pool could theoretically be used on the San Diegan. Your F units (47LA) are fine.
Another cool little add on you might consider for your train is a drumhead. Could be what you mean by tail light.
Tomar makes a nice San Diegan drumhead (#99). Here's a link:
Tomar Santa Fe drumheads
Matt from Anaheim, CA and Bayfield, COClick Here for my model train photo website
Thanks Southwest Chief,
The Locomotives were part of an Athearn/Walthers team up release as motive power for the super chief -copied the words from Walthers Website as I was typing.
type in Athearn Genesis Walthers 99041 on google
I have seen Santa Fe RDC's in HO with the bright red Warbonnet painted on one end, but are offered in BRASS (which is out of my reach).
The sleeper car is basically connection service.
(Sleeper travels from Chicago to LAUPT on the Super Chief).
(Then on the San Diegan from LAUPT to San Diego).
Did the San Diegan have a snack bar coach or a cafe car for passengers ?
A 29 Seat Dorm Lounge could sometimes show up in the train except for the restroom, the Dorm area would be "off limits" with the passengers sitting in the Lounge area.
The sleeper replaces the observation car. (I was told by someone in our club that obs were gone from trains when ridership dwindled).
Depending on which train it was, the San Diegan could have a snack bar car (lounge).
Round end observation cars were gone by 1956. This is when they stopped turning the trainset in San Diego.
Here are some San Diegan consists to help:
1955 Train #s 73 and 74 (summer)
1957 Train #s 73 and 74 (summer)
This is what I used for my super short San Diegan consist on my HO scale Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal module:
ATSFGuy Hello all, After researching the San Diegan on wikipedia, I decided to create one myself to run on the club layout Here is the Consist so far : - Athearn Genesis Diesel EMD F7A-B Set -Assembled - Santa Fe "Super Chief" (Powered #47L (A Unit) & #47A (B Unit) "Passenger Warbonnet" Silver and Red 1. Walthers Budd 73' Baggage 2. Walthers Budd 48 Seat Coach 3. Walthers Budd 48 Seat Coach 4. Walthers Budd 48 Seat Coach 5. Walthers Budd 48 Seat Coach 6. Walthers PS 4-4-2 Sleeper (plan on installing a tailight on the vestible end). The locomotives are numbered for the Super Chief, But since I only have one car for the super chief (the sleeper) others seem pretty difficult to track down or locate, so with the Superchief Set notwithstanding, I retained the original numbers and assigned the diesels to either the "San Diegan" or "General Passenger Service". The locomotive set I described is the last one listed on ebay right now, sitting in my cart. (waiting for my check to come in) The consist may not right, but I would like to hear your input. Thanks .
You might find this useful. The SF Railway Modeling and Historical Society has good information on consists on their website...it's what I used to put together a representative consist for the San Francisco Chief before Walthers came out with their version.
http://atsfrr.net/resources/Internet/Consists/Index.htm
Robert Beaty
The Laughing Hippie
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The CF-7...a waste of a perfectly good F-unit!
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the
end of your tunnel, Was just a freight train coming
your way. -Metallica, No Leaf Clover
Three articles by Keith Jordan should be of interest to anyone modeling the San Diegan or the Surf Line.
"The Colorful Surf Line" in Auguast 2004 MR. Five page article with some good photos.
Santa Fe Surf Line, 1940. August 2004 Trains. 6 page article with photos.
"From Surf Line to San Diego" in Model Railroad Planning 2001. 8 page article with more good photos.
Dave Nelson
Hey Guys,
Sorry I haven't been on lately, I've been tied up with work and other stuff.
Thanks for all of your input, I guess the 52 seat coaches were more common on the San Diegan than the 48 seat coaches, however on the "Amtrak Detailing Project" Thread, I saw photos of coaches with the roof off and since the 48 Seat Coaches have divided windows, they looked like they have more space to relax and stretch your legs then the cramped 52 seaters, So I decided to use these former El Capitain coaches for the San Diegan after the El Capitain became all Hi-Level.
Are the 52 seat coaches that Walthers made correct for Seaboard, Incorrect for Santa Fe ?
Are the 48 Seat Coaches Correct for Santa Fe to be used on the San Dieagn ?
6-7 Cars is enough for a San Diegan, even if I am freelancing a little bit.
LION rode on that train from San Diego to Los Angeles when him was in the Navy (Think 1960s and the Vietnam war) Him got off of the train in Los Angeles, lloked around and then asked a cab driver "Where's the city?"
At least when you get off of a train in New york, you do not need to ask where the city is.
It was a nice ride with nice equipment, but it was not the commuter train that I was used to on Long Island.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
ATSFGuyAre the 52 seat coaches that Walthers made correct for Seaboard, Incorrect for Santa Fe ?
Another useful link from the historical society web site:
http://atsfrr.net/Reviews/HO/Passenger/Walthers/Lightweight.htm
According to the reviews, it would take some work to make it 100% correct for Santa Fe. It's closer to the SAL version apparently.
Start by using this link & these books for the proper Santa Fe passenger consists:
http://santafe.gmbus.com/
A Quarter Century of Santa Fe Passenger Consists; Fred W. Fraily
Santa fe Passenger Trains in the Steamlined Era; Patrick C. Dorin
Passenger Trains ib California; Patrick C. Dorin
The Warbonnet 3rd Qtr 2017
Motive Power is also discussed in the Warbonnet 3rd & 4th Qtr of 1996
Pretty much TCY Coach Yard, Soho, Lambert & Oriental Limited cars have to be used. The only plastic cars correct out of the box would be the Athearn Lwt 60' RPO, 73' Baggage & Express Boxcar Fe-24. The old tin sides Walthers kits build up quite well for the Del Mar Race Specials and Hvywt Baggage & Chair car consists.
Santa_Fe Man:
I looked at the link: http://santafe.gmbus.com/
Good website, I've added some of the consists to my San Diegan Notes on my SmartPhone.
Brass cars (especially those from Coachyard) are nice/protoypical, I'd like some. But they're extremely rare and beyond my reach.
The Walthers ones while sometimes expensive, are easier to find and build up a train with.
Here's what my current train set looks like:
(updated 4-15-22)
ATSF F7A Diesel Engine #47L
ATSF F7B Diesel Engine #47A
ATSF F7A Diesel Engine #47C
1. 73' Budd Baggage SF
2. 63' Budd RPO SF
3. Budd 48 Seat Coach SF w/newstand
4. Budd 52 Seat Coach SF
5. Budd 52 Seat Coach SF
6. Budd 52 Seat Coach SF
7. Budd Lunch Counter-Diner SF
8. Budd 52 Seat Coach SF
9. Budd 52 Seat Coach SF
10. Budd 52 Seat Coach SF
11. 85' Budd Lounge Obersvation SF
Extras
ATSF F7B Diesel Engine #47B
85' Budd Lounge SF
I welcome your feedback.