Hello,
I just picked up 3 N Scale SP MOW fire fighting tank cars. I'd like to know what the general consist to a fire train was (besides loco and water cars) back in the 50's to 60's. Were any other cars added, such as a car (freight or passenger) to hold/seat the fire crews on the way to a fire? Any help or pictures would be appreciated.
Regards,
Jeff B
S-P Trainline the publication of the Southern Pacific Historical and Technical Society http://www.sphts.org/index.php had an article on Fire Trains in Vol. 89. A copy can be purchased from their website store. http://sphts.org/store/trainline-back-issues/trainline-issue-089-reprint.html
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Thanks much for the information from both of you. I found a bit more info last night when I was looking at my copy of the "Donner Pass" book from John Signor. Mostly it was some photos of the steam fire trains up until the 50's but I did find some more contemporary photos in Richard Steinheimers book "Diesels over Donner". From these photos it looked like they didn't run with a crew car or caboose, so I'm wondering if the crew just rode on the raised platform for the trip up to the fire. For now, I'll just set the fire tankcars I have onto an unused siding, and they'll look pretty good there.
Thanks,
Jeff
Jeff:
I worked my way through college fighting fires for the Forest Service in Truckee, CA during the 1960's, and had a chance to see the SP fire train in action. We were called out on a brush fire at Stanford Curve near Donner Pass, and we were mopping the fire up below the roadbed on the curve, when t he fire train came down from Norden. The loco was a GP--I don't know which designation--and the 3 fire tank cars. Their crew rode the platforms. They hooked up the pumps and while we attacked the fire from downstream, they hit it from off the roadbed upstream and almost washed us away. It was pretty spectacular. It wasn't the only time we worked in tandem with SP along the line, either. Their fire crews were just as good at putting 'em out as we were, lol!
Tom
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Much thanks for the information Tom,
It must have been pretty spectacular seeing the fire train at Stanford Curve. I've done alot of rail photography in that area (Cold Stream Canyon) and still enjoy going there to just to hike and railfan. My avatar photo is actually shot in the area-between Stanford Curve and Andover.
When I would work one day a week at the Dispatcher's Office at the Ranger Station, I would take a rather complicated set of weather reports outside called the TBI---Timber Burning Index---which would indicate the predicted fire danger for our East Side area. I remember that I would also phone that information into both the Donner State Park and the SP at Norden. I'm assuming that SP would use the information as to where to situate the fire train at any given time, either at Truckee or Norden, or if the TBI was low, possibly between Baxters and Emigrant Gap. I do remember seeing the fire train on the loop at Truckee several times, especially during late summer when the TBI was always higher on the East Side. It could get VERY lively in the Truckee district after the Fourth of July, lol!