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The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the
Western United States
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...
. The system was operated by various companies under the names Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Company and Southern Pacific Transportation Company.
The original Southern Pacific began in 1865 as a land holding company. The last incarnation of the Southern Pacific, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, was founded in 1969 and assumed control of the Southern Pacific system. The Southern Pacific Transportation Company was acquired in 1996 by the Union Pacific Corporation and merged with their Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...
.
The Southern Pacific legacy founded hospitals in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, Tucson, and Houston
Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
. In the 1970s, it also founded a telecommunications network with a state-of-the-art microwave and fiber optic backbone. This telecommunications network became part of Sprint
Sprint may refer to:
Aerospace
*Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design
*Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile
Automotive and motorcycle
*Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989
*Chevrolet Sprint, ...
, a company whose name came from the acronym for Southern Pacific Railroad Internal Networking Telephony.
History
The original Southern Pacific, Southern Pacific Railroad, was founded as a land holding company in 1865, later acquiring the Central Pacific Railroad in 1885 through leasing. By 1900, the Southern Pacific system was a major railroad system incorporating many smaller companies, such as theTexas and New Orleans Railroad
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad was a railroad in Texas and Louisiana. It operated of railroad in 1934; by 1961, remained when it merged with parent company Southern Pacific.
Location
The Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad was a partly ...
and Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad
Henry Morgan & Company ( colloquially Morgan's) was a Canadian department store chain founded by Henry Morgan in 1845. The first store was located in Montreal, and expanded to include 11 stores in Ontario and Quebec before being bought by Hudson ...
. It extended from New Orleans
New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
In 1969, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company was established and took over the Southern Pacific Company; this Southern Pacific railroad is the last incarnation and was at times called "Southern Pacific Industries", though "Southern Pacific Industries" is not the official name of the company. By the 1980s, route mileage had dropped to , mainly due to the pruning of branch lines. On October 13, 1988, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company (including its subsidiary, St. Louis Southwestern Railway) was taken over by Rio Grande Industries, the parent company that controlled the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Rio Grande Industries did not merge the Southern Pacific Transportation Company and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad together, but transferred direct ownership of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad to the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, allowing the combined Rio Grande Industries railroad system to use the Southern Pacific name due to its brand recognition in the railroad industry and with customers of both the Southern Pacific Transportation Company and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. A long time Southern Pacific subsidiary, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway was also marketed under the Southern Pacific name. Along with the addition of the SPCSL Corporation route from Chicago to St. Louis, the total length of the D&RGW/SP/SSW system was . Rio Grande Industries was later renamed
* On the night of 14 July 1991, a Southern Pacific train derailed into the upper Sacramento River at a sharp bend of track called “the Cantara Loop”, upstream from Dunsmuir, California, in Siskiyou County. Several cars made contact with the water, including a tank car. Early in the morning of 15 July, it became apparent that the tank car had ruptured and spilled its entire contents into the river – approximately of metam sodium, a soil fumigant. Ultimately, over a million fish, and tens of thousands of amphibians and crayfish were killed. Millions of aquatic invertebrates, including insects and mollusks, which form the basis of the river's ecosystem, were destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of willows, alders, and cottonwoods eventually died; many more were severely injured.
:The chemical plume left a wake of destruction from the spill site to the entry point of the river into Shasta Lake. The accident still ranks as the largest hazardous chemical spill in
* 745 (Mk-5, 2-8-2), owned by the Louisiana Rail Heritage Trust, operated by the Louisiana Steam Train Association, and based in Jefferon (near
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
to El Paso, across New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex
, Offi ...
and through Tucson, to Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
, through most of California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, including San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
. Central Pacific lines extended east across Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
to Ogden, Utah, and reached north through Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
to Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
. Other subsidiaries eventually included the St. Louis Southwestern Railway
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", is a former Class I railroad that operated between St. Louis, Missouri, and various points in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Ten ...
(Cotton Belt), El Paso and Southwestern Railroad,
the Northwestern Pacific Railroad at , the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico The Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico was a railroad subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and op ...
, and a variety of narrow gauge routes. The SP was the defendant in the landmark 1886 United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...
case '' Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad'', which is often interpreted as having established certain corporate rights under the Constitution of the United States. The Southern Pacific Railroad was replaced by the Southern Pacific Company and assumed the railroad operations of the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1929, Southern Pacific/Texas and New Orleans operated 13,848 route-miles not including Cotton Belt, whose purchase of the Golden State Route circa 1980 nearly doubled its size to , bringing total SP/SSW mileage to around .
In 1969, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company was established and took over the Southern Pacific Company; this Southern Pacific railroad is the last incarnation and was at times called "Southern Pacific Industries", though "Southern Pacific Industries" is not the official name of the company. By the 1980s, route mileage had dropped to , mainly due to the pruning of branch lines. On October 13, 1988, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company (including its subsidiary, St. Louis Southwestern Railway) was taken over by Rio Grande Industries, the parent company that controlled the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Rio Grande Industries did not merge the Southern Pacific Transportation Company and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad together, but transferred direct ownership of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad to the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, allowing the combined Rio Grande Industries railroad system to use the Southern Pacific name due to its brand recognition in the railroad industry and with customers of both the Southern Pacific Transportation Company and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. A long time Southern Pacific subsidiary, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway was also marketed under the Southern Pacific name. Along with the addition of the SPCSL Corporation route from Chicago to St. Louis, the total length of the D&RGW/SP/SSW system was . Rio Grande Industries was later renamed Southern Pacific Rail Corporation
Rio Grande Industries (RGI or Rio Grande Industries, Inc.) was a name of two holding companies that were involved in the railroading industry. The original and second company took part in the operations of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Ra ...
.
By 1996, years of financial problems had dropped Southern Pacific's mileage to . The financial problems caused the Southern Pacific Transportation Company to be taken over by the Union Pacific Corporation; the parent Southern Pacific Rail Corporation (formerly Rio Grande Industries), the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway and the SPCSL Corporation was also taken over by the Union Pacific Corporation. The Union Pacific Corporation merged the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway and the SPCSL Corporation into their Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...
but did not merge the Southern Pacific Transportation Company into the Union Pacific Railroad. Instead, the Union Pacific Corporation merged the Union Pacific Railroad into the Southern Pacific Transportation Company on February 1, 1998; the Southern Pacific Transportation Company became the surviving railroad and at the same time the Union Pacific Corporation renamed the Southern Pacific Transportation Company to Union Pacific Railroad. Thus, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company became, and is still operating as, the current incarnation of the Union Pacific Railroad.
Locomotives
Like most railroads, the SP painted most of itssteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...
s black during the 20th century, but after 1945 SP painted the front of the locomotive's smokebox silver (almost white in appearance), with graphite colored sides, for visibility.
Some passenger steam locomotives bore the ''Daylight'' scheme, named after the trains they hauled, most of which had the word ''Daylight'' in the train name. The most famous "Daylight" locomotives were the GS-4
The Southern Pacific GS-4 is a class of streamlined 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) from 1941 to 1958. A total of twenty-eight were built by the Lima Locomotive Works, numbered 4430 through ...
steam locomotives. The most famous Daylight-hauled trains were the Coast Daylight and the Sunset Limited.
Well known were the Southern Pacific's unique "cab-forward
The term cab forward refers to various rail and road vehicle designs that place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than is common practice.
Rail locomotives
In steam locomotive design, a cab forward design will ...
" steam locomotives.. These were 4-8-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 4-8-8-2 is a locomotive with four leading wheels, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a two-wheel trailing truck.
Other equivalent classifications are:
UIC classification ...
, 2-8-8-2
A 2-8-8-2, in the Whyte notation for describing steam locomotive wheel arrangements, is an articulated locomotive with a two-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a two-wheel trailing truck. The equivalent UIC classification ...
, and 4-6-6-2
In Whyte notation, a 4-6-6-2 is a steam locomotive with four leading wheels (two axles) in an unpowered bogie at the front of the locomotive followed by two sets of driving wheels with six wheels each (three axles each), followed by two unpowered ...
(rebuilt from 2-6-6-2) locomotives set up to run in reverse, with the tender
Tender may refer to:
Entertainment Film
* ''Illegal Tender'' (2007), a film directed by Franc. Reyes
* ''Tender'' (2012), a short film by Liz Tomkins
* ''Tender'' (2019), a short film by Darryl Jones and Anthony Lucido
* ''Tender'' (2019), a sh ...
attached to the smokebox end of the locomotive. Southern Pacific had a number of snow sheds in mountain terrain, and locomotive crews nearly asphyxiated from smoke in the cab. After a number of engineers began running their engines in reverse (pushing the tender), Southern Pacific asked Baldwin Locomotive Works to produce cab-forward designs. No other North American railroad ordered cab-forward locomotives.
Passenger train service
Until May 1, 1971 (whenAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
took over long-distance passenger operations in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
), the Southern Pacific at various times operated the following named passenger trains. Trains with names in ''italicized bold text'' still operate under Amtrak:
* '' 49er''
* ''Acadian
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the ...
''
* ''Apache''
* '' Argonaut''
* '' Arizona Limited''
* ''Beaver''
* ''Californian''
* '' Cascade''
* '' City of San Francisco''
* '' Coast Daylight''
* ''Coast Mail''
* ''Coaster''
* '' Del Monte''
* ''Fast Mail''
* '' Golden Rocket''
* '' Golden State''
* ''Grand Canyon''
* ''Hustler''
* ''Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texas
...
''
* ''Klamath''
* '' Lark''
* ''Oregonian''
* '' Overland''
* ''Owl''
* ''Pacific Limited
The ''Pacific Limited'' was an American named passenger train which from 1913 to 1947 was jointly operated by three railroads on the Overland Route between Portland, Oregon, Oakland, California, Los Angeles, California and Chicago. The Southern P ...
''
* '' Peninsula Commute''
** ''Loop Service''
* ''Rogue River''
* '' Sacramento Daylight''
* '' San Francisco Challenger''
* '' San Joaquin Daylight''
* ''Senator''
* '' Shasta Daylight''
* ''Shasta Express''
* ''Shasta Limited''
* ''Shasta Limited De Luxe''
* ''Starlight''
* ''Sunbeam
A sunbeam, in meteorological optics, is a beam of sunlight that appears to radiate from the position of the Sun. Shining through openings in clouds or between other objects such as mountains and buildings, these beams of particle-scattered sunl ...
''
* '' Sunset Limited''
* ''Suntan Special
The ''Suntan Special'' (sometimes styled as ''Sun Tan Special'') was a summer excursion train service operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, California, from 1927 to 1959.
History
When ''Suntan Special'' ...
''
* ''Tehachapi''
* '' West Coast''
* ''El Costeño''
* ''El Yaqui''
Locomotives used for passenger service
Steam locomotives
* 2-8-0 Consolidation * 2-8-2 Mikado * 4-4-2 Atlantic * 4-6-2 Pacific – see SP 2472 * 4-8-2 Mountain – see SP Mt-5 * 4-8-4 Golden State/General Service – see SP 4449 *2-8-8-4
A 2-8-8-4 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation, has two leading wheels, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck. The type was generally named the ''Yellowstone'', a name given it by the first owner, the Northern ...
* 4-8-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 4-8-8-2 is a locomotive with four leading wheels, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a two-wheel trailing truck.
Other equivalent classifications are:
UIC classification ...
Cab Forward Articulated
* 4-10-2 Southern Pacific - see SP 5021
Diesel locomotives
* ALCO PA * EMC E2 * EMD E7 * EMD E8 * EMD E9 * EMD FP7 * GE 70-ton switcher * EMD NW2 * EMD NW5 * EMD SW1 * EMD SW8 *EMD SW900
The EMD SW900 is a diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel (GMD) between December 1953 and March 1969. Power was provided by an EMD 567C 8-cylinder engine that generated 900 horsepower ...
* EMD SW1200
* EMD SW1500
* GE U25B
* GE U28B
The GE U28B diesel-electric locomotive model replaced the U25B in early 1966, featuring a slightly uprated prime mover (only more power than the U25B). Early units had the same car body styling as the U25B, while later units had design features ...
* GE U30C
* GE U33C
* FM H-12-44
* FM H-24-66 "Train Master"
* EMD GP7
* EMD GP9
* EMD SD7
An SD7 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between May 1951 and November 1953. It had an EMD 567B 16- cylinder engine producing for its six traction motors. 188 were built for United States railroads. ...
* EMD SD9
* GE P30CH
* EMD SD40M-2
* EMD SD39-2
* EMD SD38-2
The EMD SD38-2 is a model of six-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by Electro-Motive Diesel, General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) from 1972 to 1979. EMD built 90 of these medium road-switchers, which were used in both yard and mainlin ...
* EMD SD35
An EMD SD35 is a 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between June 1964 and January 1966. Power was provided by an EMD 567D3A, 16- cylinder engine which generated . A fuel tank was used on this unit ...
* EMD SDP45
* EMD GP60
* EMD GP40P-2
* EMD GP40M-2 EMD may refer to:
Finance and commerce
* Emerging market debt
* Earnest money deposit, in the United States, a security deposit, especially for real estate
Medicine
* Electromagnetic diaphragm
* Electromechanical dissociation
* Emergency med ...
* EMD GP40-2
* EMD GP38-2
The EMD GP38-2 is an American four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors, Electro-Motive Division. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP38-2 was an upgraded version of the earlier GP38. Power is provided by an EMD 645E 16-c ...
* EMD GP20
* EMD SD35
An EMD SD35 is a 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between June 1964 and January 1966. Power was provided by an EMD 567D3A, 16- cylinder engine which generated . A fuel tank was used on this unit ...
* GE B30-7
The GE B30-7 is a diesel-electric locomotive model produced by GE Transportation Systems, GE from 1977 to 1983 as part of their GE Dash 7 Series, Dash 7 Series, featuring a V16 engine, 16 cylinder engine producing 3,000 horsepower. A total o ...
* GE B36-7
* GE B39-8
A GE B39-8 is a 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems. It is part of the GE Dash 8 Series of freight locomotives. Following the production of the first three units for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, GE ...
* GE B40-8
The GE Dash 8-40B (or ''B40-8'') is a 4-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between 1988 and 1989. It is part of the GE Dash 8 Series of freight locomotives.
A total of 151 examples of this locomotive were built for ...
* GE AC4400CW
* GE C44-9W
The GE C44-9W is a diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems of Erie, Pennsylvania. Keeping in tradition with GE's locomotive series nicknames beginning with the "Dash 7" of the 1970s, the C44-9W was dubbed the Dash 9 upon i ...
* EMD SD50
* EMD SD45
* EMD SD45T-2
* EMD SD40T-2
* EMD SD40R
* EMD SD70M
The EMD SD70 is a series of diesel-electric locomotives produced by the US company Electro-Motive Diesel in response to the GE Dash 9-44CW. Production commenced in late 1992 and since then over 5,700 units have been produced; most of these are th ...
Notable accidents
* John Sontag, a young Southern Pacific employee, was injured c. 1888 while coupling cars in the railroad yard in Fresno. He accused the company of not providing him with medical care while he was recuperating from his on-the-job injury and then not rehiring him when he had healed. He soon turned to a life of crime (mostly train robberies) and died of gunshot wounds and tetanus in the Fresno jail in 1893 aged 32 years. : Sontag's partner in crime, Chris Evans also hated the Southern Pacific, which Evans accused of forcing farmers to sell their lands at reduced rates to the company. * On 28 March 1907, the Southern Pacific ''Sunset Express
''Sunset Express'' is a 1996 detective novel by Robert Crais. It is the sixth in a series of linked novels centering on the private investigator Elvis Cole
Robert Crais (pronounced ) (born June 20, 1953) is an American author of detective fi ...
'', descending the grade out of the San Timoteo Canyon, entered the Colton rail yard traveling about , hit an open switch and careened off the track, resulting in 24 fatalities. Accounts said 9 of the train's 14 cars disintegrated as they piled on top of one another, leaving the dead and injured in "a heap of kindling and crumpled metal". Of the dead, 18 were Italian immigrants traveling to jobs in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
from Genoa, Italy.
* The '' Coast Line Limited'' was heading for Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...
, on 22 May 1907, when it was derailed just west of Glendale, California. Passenger cars reportedly tumbled down the embankment. At least 2 people were killed and others injured. "The horrible deed was planned with devilish accurateness" the '' Pasadena Star News'' reported at the time. It said spikes were removed from the track and a hook placed under the end of the rail. The ''Stars coverage was extensive and its editorial blasted the criminal elements behind the wreck:The man or men who committed this horrible deed near Glendale may not be anarchists, technically speaking. But if they are sane men, moved by motive, they are such stuff as anarchists are made of. If the typical anarchist conceived that a railroad corporation should be terrorized, he would not scruple to wreck a passenger train and send scores and hundreds to instant death.* In the early hours of 1 June 1907, an attempt to derail a Southern Pacific train near Santa Clara, California, was foiled when a pile of railway ties was discovered on the tracks. A work train crew found that someone had driven a steel plate into a switch near Burbank, California, intending to derail the Santa Barbara local. * On 12 August 1939, the westbound '' City of San Francisco'' derailed from a bridge in Palisade Canyon, between Battle Mountain and Carlin in the Nevada desert. Among the passengers and crew members 24 people were killed and many more injured, and 5 cars were destroyed. An act of sabotage was determined to be the most likely cause; however, no suspect(s) was(were) ever identified. * On New Year's Eve 1944 a rear-end collision west of Ogden in thick fog killed 48 people. * On 17 January 1947, the Southern Pacific Nightflier wrecked outside of Bakersfield; 7 people were killed and over 50 injured. Four coaches and a tourist sleeper were overturned, landing far off the tracks; the other seven cars remained upright. The locomotive stayed on the tracks and its crew was uninjured. A 29-year-old passenger, Robert Crowley from Miami, Florida, had been conversing with a man across the aisle who was killed instantly. Crowley, who was a combat war veteran, said “I never saw such a mess” even on a battlefield. * On 8 May 1948, in Monterey,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, a Southern Pacific passenger train, the ''Del Monte Express'' struck a car driven by influential marine biologist Ed Ricketts at the now defunct railroad crossing at Drake Avenue. Ricketts subsequently succumbed to his injuries three days later in the hospital.
* On 17 September 1963, a Southern Pacific freight train crashed
"Crashed" is the third U.S. rock single, (the fifth overall), from the band Daughtry's debut album. It was released only to U.S. rock stations on September 5, 2007. Upon its release the song got adds at those stations, along with some Alternativ ...
into an illegally converted bus at a grade crossing in Chualar, California, killing 32 bracero workers. It would later be a factor in the decision by Congress in 1964 to terminate the bracero program, despite its strong support among farmers. It also helped spur the Chicano civil rights movement. As of 2014, it was the deadliest automobile accident in United States history, according to the National Safety Council
* On 28 April 1973, a Southern Pacific freight train carrying munitions exploded in Roseville Yard injuring 52 people, the cause of this was due to a hot box on a railcar setting the floor ablaze and causing the disaster to occur.
* On 12 May 1989, a Southern Pacific train carrying fertilizer derailed in San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...
. The train failed to slow while descending a nearby slope, and sped up to about before derailing, causing the San Bernardino train disaster. The crash destroyed 7 homes along Duffy Street and killed 2 train workers and 2 residents. Thirteen days later on 25 May 1989, an underground pipeline running along the right-of-way ruptured and caught fire due to damage done to the pipeline during clean-up from the derailment or from the derailment itself, destroying 11 more homes and killing 2 more people.
* On the night of 14 July 1991, a Southern Pacific train derailed into the upper Sacramento River at a sharp bend of track called “the Cantara Loop”, upstream from Dunsmuir, California, in Siskiyou County. Several cars made contact with the water, including a tank car. Early in the morning of 15 July, it became apparent that the tank car had ruptured and spilled its entire contents into the river – approximately of metam sodium, a soil fumigant. Ultimately, over a million fish, and tens of thousands of amphibians and crayfish were killed. Millions of aquatic invertebrates, including insects and mollusks, which form the basis of the river's ecosystem, were destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of willows, alders, and cottonwoods eventually died; many more were severely injured.
:The chemical plume left a wake of destruction from the spill site to the entry point of the river into Shasta Lake. The accident still ranks as the largest hazardous chemical spill in California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
history. At the time of the incident, metam sodium was not classified as a hazardous material.
Preserved locomotives
There are many Southern Pacific locomotives still in revenue service with railroads such as theUnion Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...
, and many older and special locomotives have been donated to parks and museums, or continue operating on scenic or tourist railroads. Most of the engines now in use with Union Pacific have been "patched", where the SP logo on the front is replaced by a Union Pacific shield, and new numbers are applied over the old numbers with a Union Pacific sticker, however some engines remain in Southern Pacific "bloody nose" paint. Over the past couple years, most of the patched units were repainted into the full Union Pacific scheme and as of January 2019, less than ten units remain in their old paint. Among the more notable equipment is:
* 745 (Mk-5, 2-8-2), owned by the Louisiana Rail Heritage Trust, operated by the Louisiana Steam Train Association, and based in Jefferon (near New Orleans
New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
* 786 (Mk-5, 2-8-2), owned by the City of Austin, leased to the Austin Steam Train Association
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city i ...
. Currently under full mechanical restoration in Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
.
* 794 (Mk-5, 2-8-2), the last Mikado built for the Texas and New Orleans Railroad
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad was a railroad in Texas and Louisiana. It operated of railroad in 1934; by 1961, remained when it merged with parent company Southern Pacific.
Location
The Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad was a partly ...
in 1916 out of spare parts in their Houston
Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
shops. It currently resides with cosmetic restoration at San Antonio Station
San Antonio station is an Amtrak railroad station located on the eastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, in San Antonio, Texas.
San Antonio station hosts two Amtrak services; the tri-weekly '' Sunset Limited'' and the daily ''Texas Eagle''. Fou ...
, San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, but plans are to restore it to operating condition.
* 982 (F-1, 2-10-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, ten powered and coupled driving wheels, and two trailing wheels. In the United States of America and elsewhere the is ...
), tender
Tender may refer to:
Entertainment Film
* ''Illegal Tender'' (2007), a film directed by Franc. Reyes
* ''Tender'' (2012), a short film by Liz Tomkins
* ''Tender'' (2019), a short film by Darryl Jones and Anthony Lucido
* ''Tender'' (2019), a sh ...
located at the Heber Valley Railroad in Heber City
Heber City is a city and county seat of Wasatch County, Utah, United States. The population was 11,362 at the time of the 2010 census. It is located 43 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.
History
Heber City was first settled in 1859 by Robert ...
, Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
, main locomotive located in Houston
Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
*1518
__NOTOC__
Year 1518 ( MDXVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Exceptions France
In France, the year 1518 lasted from 4 April 1518 to 23 April 1519. Since Constantine (aro ...
(EMD SD7
An SD7 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between May 1951 and November 1953. It had an EMD 567B 16- cylinder engine producing for its six traction motors. 188 were built for United States railroads. ...
), former EMD demonstrator 990 and first SD7 built, located at the Illinois Railway Museum, Union, Illinois
*1744
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Royal Navy ship ''Bacchus'' engages the Spanish Navy privateer ''Begona'', and sinks it; 90 of the 120 Spanish sailors die, but 30 of the crew are rescued.
* January 24 – The Dag ...
(M-6, 2-6-0), components slowly being gathered at Brightside, California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
for a restoration to operating condition on the Niles Canyon Railway.
* 2248 ''Puffy'' (T-1, 4-6-0), operated by the Grapevine Vintage Railroad
The Grapevine Vintage Railroad (GVRR) is an excursion and special event railroad in Grapevine, Texas, USA, that runs from the Main Street station in Grapevine to the Fort Worth Stockyards. GVRR is owned and operated by the City of Grapevine.
H ...
, but is currently pending for a 1,472-day overhaul required by the FRA in Grapevine, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
* 2467 ( P-8, 4-6-2), on loan by the Pacific Locomotive Association, Fremont, California to the California State Railroad Museum
* 2472 ( P-8, 4-6-2), owned and operated by the Golden Gate Railroad Museum, Redwood City, California
* 2479 ( P-10, 4-6-2), owned and being restored by the California Trolley and Railroad Corporation, San Jose, California
* 3100 (former SP6800 Bicentennial), U25B owned and operated by the Orange Empire Railway Museum, Perris, CA
* 3420 ( C-19, 2-8-0), owned by El Paso Historic Board, stored at Phelps Dodge copper refinery, El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...
*3769 ( EMD GP9), On display and used as a switch engine for the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden, Utah.
* 4294 ( AC-12, 4-8-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 4-8-8-2 is a locomotive with four leading wheels, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a two-wheel trailing truck.
Other equivalent classifications are:
UIC classification ...
), located at the California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
* 4449 (GS-4
The Southern Pacific GS-4 is a class of streamlined 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) from 1941 to 1958. A total of twenty-eight were built by the Lima Locomotive Works, numbered 4430 through ...
, 4-8-4), formerly located at the Brooklyn Roundhouse before being relocated to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in June 2012, Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...
* 4460 ( GS-6, 4-8-4), located at the National Museum of Transportation, Kirkwood, Missouri
*7457 ( EMD SD45) the first GM Electro-Motive Division SD45 diesel-electric road switcher locomotive to be built for that railroad in 1966. It last saw service on Donner Pass. It was donated to the Utah State Railroad Museum in 2002.
''For a complete list, see: List of preserved Southern Pacific Railroad rolling stock.''
Company officers
Presidents
* Timothy Guy Phelps (1865–1868) * Charles Crocker (1868–1885) * Leland Stanford (1885–1890) * Collis P. Huntington (1890–1900) * Charles Melville Hays (1900–1901) * E. H. Harriman (1901–1909) * Robert S. Lovett (1909–1911) * William Sproule (1911–1918) * Julius Kruttschnitt (1918–1920) * William Sproule (1920–1928) * Paul Shoup (1929–1932) *Angus Daniel McDonald
Angus Daniel McDonald (April 14, 1878 – November 15, 1941) was an American railroad executive. He was president of the Southern Pacific Company, the parent company of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
McDonald attended the University of Notre Da ...
(1932–1941)
* Armand Mercier (1941–1951)
* Donald J. Russell (1952–1964)
* Benjamin F. Biaggini (1964–1976)
* Denman McNear (1976–1979)
* Alan Furth (1979–1982)
* Robert Krebs (1982–1988)
* D. M. "Mike" Mohan (1988–1993)
* Edward L. Moyers
Edward L. Moyers, Jr. (October 3, 1928 – June 5, 2006) was an American railroad executive of the 20th century. He served as president and CEO of several railroads including MidSouth Rail, Illinois Central Railroad and Southern Pacific Rail ...
(1993–1995)
* Jerry R. Davis (1995–1996)
Chairmen of Executive Committee
* Leland Stanford (1890–1893) * (vacant 1893–1909) * Robert S. Lovett (1909–1913) * Julius Kruttschnitt (1913–1925) * Henry deForest (1925–1928) * Hale Holden (1928–1932)Chairmen of Board of Directors
* Henry deForest (1929–1932) * Hale Holden (1932–1939) * (position nonexistent 1939–1964) * Donald J. Russell (1964–1972) * Benjamin F. Biaggini (1976–1982) * Denman K. McNear (1982–1988) *Edward L. Moyers
Edward L. Moyers, Jr. (October 3, 1928 – June 5, 2006) was an American railroad executive of the 20th century. He served as president and CEO of several railroads including MidSouth Rail, Illinois Central Railroad and Southern Pacific Rail ...
(1993–1995) Chairman/C.E.O.
Notable employees
* Carl Ingold Jacobson, Los Angeles, California, City Council member, 1925–33 * W. Burch Lee, employee inNew Orleans
New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Louisiana House of Representatives
* Blake R. Van Leer, President of Georgia Tech, United States Army Officer and Hydraulic process inventor
* Charles Wright, Land Surveyor for the railway, before becoming a botanist
* Jack Kerouac, Novelist
* Jimmie Rodgers (country singer), Father of Country Music, Singer-Songwriter
online
detailed history *
* * Hofsommer, Donovan; ''The Southern Pacific, 1901–1985''. Texas A&M University Press; (1986) . * Hofsommer, Don L. "Rivals for California: The Great Northern and the Southern Pacific, 1905-1931." ''Montana: The Magazine of Western History'' 38.2 (1988): 58–67. * * * * * * * * * *
Sphts.org: Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society
* ttp://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/index.shtml Union Pacific Railroad.com: Union Pacific History
"Across the Great Salt Lake, The Lucin Cutoff"
— ''1937 article''.
Abandoned Rails.com: History of the Santa Ana and Newport Railroad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Pacific Transportation Company Predecessors of the Union Pacific Railroad Rail lines receiving land grants Railway companies established in 1865 Railway companies disestablished in 1996 Former Class I railroads in the United States Defunct Arizona railroads Defunct California railroads Defunct Louisiana railroads Defunct Nevada railroads Defunct New Mexico railroads Defunct Oregon railroads Defunct Texas railroads Defunct Utah railroads Defunct Kansas railroads Defunct Oklahoma railroads Defunct Colorado railroads Defunct Arkansas railroads Defunct Missouri railroads Defunct Tennessee railroads Defunct Illinois railroads Companies based in San Francisco History of San Francisco History of the Mojave Desert region 3 ft gauge railways in the United States 1865 establishments in California 1996 mergers and acquisitions
See also
* History of rail transportation in California * El Paso and Southwestern Railroad * Long Wharf (Santa Monica) * Mussel Slough Tragedy * Pacific Fruit Express * Santa Fe–Southern Pacific merger * Southern Pacific 4449 * Southern Pacific Depot *St. Louis Southwestern Railway
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", is a former Class I railroad that operated between St. Louis, Missouri, and various points in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Ten ...
* Texas and New Orleans Railroad
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad was a railroad in Texas and Louisiana. It operated of railroad in 1934; by 1961, remained when it merged with parent company Southern Pacific.
Location
The Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad was a partly ...
* TOPS (Total Operations Processing System), rolling stock management system jointly developed with IBM and Stanford University and used by SP until 1980, still used by British Rail and successor system
Notes
References
;General * * * * * * * Daggett, Stuart. ''Chapters on the History of the Southern Pacific'' (1922online
detailed history *
* * Hofsommer, Donovan; ''The Southern Pacific, 1901–1985''. Texas A&M University Press; (1986) . * Hofsommer, Don L. "Rivals for California: The Great Northern and the Southern Pacific, 1905-1931." ''Montana: The Magazine of Western History'' 38.2 (1988): 58–67. * * * * * * * * * *
External links
Sphts.org: Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society
* ttp://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/index.shtml Union Pacific Railroad.com: Union Pacific History
"Across the Great Salt Lake, The Lucin Cutoff"
— ''1937 article''.
Abandoned Rails.com: History of the Santa Ana and Newport Railroad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Pacific Transportation Company Predecessors of the Union Pacific Railroad Rail lines receiving land grants Railway companies established in 1865 Railway companies disestablished in 1996 Former Class I railroads in the United States Defunct Arizona railroads Defunct California railroads Defunct Louisiana railroads Defunct Nevada railroads Defunct New Mexico railroads Defunct Oregon railroads Defunct Texas railroads Defunct Utah railroads Defunct Kansas railroads Defunct Oklahoma railroads Defunct Colorado railroads Defunct Arkansas railroads Defunct Missouri railroads Defunct Tennessee railroads Defunct Illinois railroads Companies based in San Francisco History of San Francisco History of the Mojave Desert region 3 ft gauge railways in the United States 1865 establishments in California 1996 mergers and acquisitions