In researching, I found that a few DL Locomotives pulled the Golden State in the post war years, but not one pic is out there to be found.
Can someone give me the colors and if the scheme was different from the E7 units that most picture?
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Ron, according to American Rails (https://www.american-rails.com/golden.htm) at the launch of the Golden State after WW2 the Rock Island used its current paint scheme on the diesels for the Golden State. "(the Rock Island stuck with its "Rocket" scheme of crimson, silver, and white.) Note also that the Rock Island never owned any DL109 locomotives but did have 4 of the predecessor engines. 1 DL103, 1 DL105 and 2 DL107s. These are visually similar to the DL 109 but not identical. The Rock did not own any "B" units.
SP did not own any of the first generation ALCO cab units.
Rolland
Rolland, thanks, the listing only said DL units, I just took it to mean the 109. There are no DL 103-107 in O scale, I am wanting to build a Golden State with something other than the run of the mill engine. I do however want it to be the SP variety vice RI as the cars I have are the Orange red paint VS the Rocket Aluminum.
Ron
Both the Rock Island and Southern Pacific cars on the 1947 Golden State were painted Daylight red on top with silver just below the windows.
Ron I emailed you a photo of a DL-105 in Rocket livery coupled to an E6 or 7 The SP used E units to pull the GS red / silver. I googled "Southern Pacific Golden State" and the first photo to come up was an E-7 in GS livery. Link to Broadway Limited E7 in GS livery j
Thanks John, All the information is appreciated. I have seen custom painted O gauage E units in the GS livery, they are stunning.
Something interesting, pictures of Rock Island identifying them #'s 621 and 623 , surfaced after I dug further, both having new prime movers in service on RI passenger service, it is not clear which passenger service but it was noted late 60's which would have been the death knell years for passenger trains.
What I found intriguing is that ALCO never designated them DL 103-109 but they were later classified these numbers. Of the 77 units built all but 13 went to NH and were plagued with engine problems caused by the restrictions of WWII with the final unit completed in 1945.
So it would not be dishonest to custom paint a DL 109 to match either the 621 or 623 as ALCO never differentiated models even though later publications did. A thought as I deliberate which Locomotive power to head my GS.
Southern Pacific never had any DL109/DL110's.
Rusty
In the early years of diesel locomotives on the Golden State, Southern Pacific, beginning in 1947, assigned A-B-B E7's. Every day. Rock Island and SP diesels were changed at Tucumcari, NM. The E7's on the Golden State wore the red and silver paint scheme originally, as did the cars, but by 1950, the locomotives had been repainted into SP's Daylight red and orange livery.
In 1950, SP acquired one E8A, and it was added to the Golden State/Sunset E7 pool.
A-B-B E7's were standard on the Golden State, as well as on the Sunset* until the arrival of E9A's in 1955. After that, the standard Golden State/Sunset locomotives were 3 units of E7, E8, and E9, and sometimes an Alco-GE PA1 (usually one of the ex-T&NO units without dynamic braking) was mixed in.
In the 1960's, 2, 3, or 4 E-units were still the standard for the Golden State, but FP7A and F7B units also showed up sometimes, and Rock Island started sending a unit west in the consist, usually an E8 in maroon, and usually in the controlling position within the consist (because of the Rock Island signal system in Illinois).
In 1966, I rode a Pullman added to the Golden State, chartered by the Army, from El Paso to Kansas City. We had an SP locomotive consist of E9A-E7B-E7B to Tucumcari, and a Rock Island E8A-E7B from there to Kansas City.
* West of El Paso, where locomotives were changed on the Sunset.. East of El Paso, the Sunset was pulled by two Alco-GE PA1's, back to back until the 1960's.
@Number 90 posted:In the early years of diesel locomotives on the Golden State, Southern Pacific, beginning in 1947, assigned A-B-B E7's. Every day. Rock Island and SP diesels were changed at Tucumcari, NM. The E7's on the Golden State wore the red and silver paint scheme originally, as did the cars, but by 1950, the locomotives had been repainted into SP's Daylight red and orange livery.
In 1950, SP acquired one E8A, and it was added to the Golden State/Sunset E7 pool. (A pair of T&NO PA1's pulled the Sunset east of El Paso.
A-B-B E7's were standard on the Golden State and Sunset* until the arrival of E9A's in 1954. After that, the standard Golden State/Sunset locomotives were 3 units of E7, E8, and E9, and sometimes an Alco-GE PA1 (usually one of the ex-T&NO units without dynamic braking) was mixed in.
In the 1960's, 2, 3, or 4 E-units were still the standard for the Golden State, but FP7A and F7B units also showed up sometimes, and Rock Island started sending a unit west in the consist, usually an E8 in maroon, and usually in the controlling position within the consist (because of the Rock Island signal system in Illinois).
* West of El Paso
Also on rare occasions SP would sub in a GS class Northern in place of the ABB E7s on the red and silver 1947 Golden State. I've got a couple pictures (which I won't post due to copyright issues) of both a Daylight painted and a black GS4 on the Golden State (taken in 1949 and 1950 respectively). The photos don't note this but I'm pretty sure the GS Northerns might have been on 2nd sections of the train. Because of these pictures I run GS class Northerns on my version of the Golden State.
@Rusty Traque posted:Southern Pacific never had any DL109/DL110's.
Rusty
Correct. There were no SP DL10x locos. So there was no SP paint scheme, to get back to the original thought.
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