SP 4-8-4 steam experts-need help!

SP did NOT use any form of "green" on their boiler jackets. However, back in the 1930s, there were quite a few locomotives painted a sort of gray on their boiler jackets, but NOT any 4-8-4s, to my knowledge. The "Southern Pacific Lines" lettering began being removed in 1946, and reportedly pretty much all locomotives and passenger equipment was lettered "SOUTHERN PACIFIC".

Jack, you forgot about the switchers used in the passenger yards. Scott is bringing them in next month.

Pete

Norton posted:

Jack, you forgot about the switchers used in the passenger yards. Scott is bringing them in next month.

 

Pete

OK, but we are discussing 4-8-4s here.

My guess is it's a custom paint job. 

My guess is that you might find documentation of blue-green boilers on a lot of SP locomotives.  What I am wondering is where you would find a GS-1 in O Scale?  I have one, but I had to make it.

Church is a good source; check out his 4-8-2 Mountain book and #4350.

Raised nickel silver numbers and road name were not unheard of - shop probably had time on its hands.

I have photos of white or silver driver tires on otherwise tired looking SP locomotives, as well.

Bob,

It was listed as a Key engine, one of four. My friend who models SP does not know of any documentation of green engines on the RR.

Another interesting thing about the GS-1 class is that while the entire MT series of 4-8-2's (Including the ex-El Paso &Southwestern MT-2) received skyline casings the GS-1's never did.

Stuart

Are there any pictures of this "Green" model?

Obviously can't tell the color but the boiler appears to have different paint from the rest of the engine and tender. Would they have used both gloss back and flat black???

Pete

The image of #700 is the same one that was published in my 1938 Loco Cyc. It is unusual in that it is the fireman's side of the engine, somewhat unusual for a builders photo. The specs for the engine indicate that SP received 4400-09. There is no indication in the Cyc that the GS-1 was reviewed in either Railway Age of Railway Mechanical Engineer. There is a picture of a GS-2 however, and the GS-2 was evidently described in RME in March, 1937, and Railway Age in the February 20, 1937 issue. Is there any chance that any details for the GS-1 appeared in the GS-2 write up?

My friend and I concluded that most engines were painted a different color to match a passenger train that they would pull, such as an introduction to a new service. The only train name that he could come up with for the TN&O was the Argonaut, and he told me that it was a heavyweight train. The depression existed when these engines were new, and I believe it is unlikely that any were painted in anything but black, but "you never know..."

I probably have just about every book written about the S.P. and do not recall any GS-4 locomotives ever being painted green.

The model manufacturer's site has a caption on one of the pictures noting "The color scheme is a one off for a special occasion and probably lasted for only a few days, maybe a few months at best".

Has anyone tried contacting them to see where they came up with this scheme in the first place, or what information they have to back up the quote above?

A three digit number would be a T&NO engine?

The "Baldwin Locomotives" magazine of April, 1931 contains a caption specific to #4408:

"A Baldwin Locomotive of the 4-8-4 type, Fourteen of Which Were Built for the Southern Pacific Company in 1930. It was one of these Locomotives, Road Number 4408, Which Hauled the Official Train on the Day of the Bridge dedication." (Capitals same as the caption.)

The caption appeared below a broadside view of #4405. The occasion was the dedication ceremony for the Martinez-Benicia bridge on November 1, 1930.

There is no mention in the article of any specific color of the engine, but local newspapers might have something? One photo in the article shows chrome cylinder heads on the 4408 though.