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Southern Pacific's Colorful Shasta Route by Tom Dill Hard Cover 1996 SP
Southern Pacifics Colorful Shasta Route by Tom Dill
Hard Cover
Copyright 1996
128 pages
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements 3
Bibliography 4
Preface 6
Chapter 1 - Western Division 7
Chapter 2 - Sacramento Division33
Chapter 3 - Shasta Division45
Chapter 4 - Portland Division79
This work is being compiled on the eve of the purchase of the Southern Pacific Railroad by the Union Pacific. E.H. Harriman's dream is becoming a reality as the merged railroads will create a virtual rail transportation monopoly in the far west. The matters which brought the Southern Pacific to the point of near bankruptcy is beyond the scope of this work. Instead, let's look back to a time when the Southern Pacific was considered one of the leaders in the industry and certainly was near the top in revenue and employment. This book is an attempt to depict the era from 1945 to 1970 on the Shasta Route, just one segment of the vast Southern Pacific empire. The Shasta Route described herein encompasses parts of four divisions of the Southern Pacific as they were during this time. These include the Western, Sacramento, Shasta and Portland Divisions, each of which is broken down into an individual chapter. This was a time of dramatic change taking place on the Southern Pacific. New colorful streamliners had recently been inaugurated on the spectacular Shasta Route so that patrons could fully appreciate the varied and magnificent scenery along the right-of-way. The area was eloquently described by famed railroad author and historian, Lucius Beebe. "Of all the regions dominated by the Southern Pacific, many observers feel that none transcends its empire in Northern California and Oregon in terms of space, grandeur and loneliness. Here is a vast and sparsely populated world of timber and perpetual rain where, in the gloomy heights of the Cascades, mists shroud the approaches to some of the most impressive railroad grades, loops and curving tunnels in the world. To the sensitive traveler it is the closest thing available in the modern world to the forest primeval, the grandest railroading country known to human experience."
In addition to the new passenger trains, SP established faster, expedited freight service during the mid 1950's to offer better schedules for shippers. New "piggyback" service, truck trailers on flat cars, offered virtually door to door service. But certainly the most dramatic change to occur during this time was the total conversion from steam to diesel operation. First introduced on the Southern Pacific in 1939, diesel locomotives didn't really begin to make significant inroads into the realm of steam power until well after the end of World War II. For a number of years steam and diesel worked side by side but by the mid-1950's it was obvious that steam power would last but a few more years. The end came quicker than most thought possible. By the beginning of 1956 steam powered freights north of Sacramento were a rare occurrence, and by the end of the year steam operation was virtually at an end.
Some mention should be made regarding the direction of train movements. On the Southern Pacific generally all train movements away from San Francisco are considered as eastbound and scheduled trains are even numbered. Trains operating toward San Francisco are considered as westbound and scheduled trains listed in the timetable carry odd numbers in the locomotive's train indicator boards. These are the directions used in this book rather than compass direction.
So come along with us now as we explore and travel from Oakland, California to Portland, Oregon through some of the Northwest's most magnificent scenery along Southern Pacific's fabulously colorful Shasta Route.
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