SP Branchline Ops

[normhart]

I'm looking for information on what locomotives and rolling stock SP would have run on the Napa Branch of the Martinez Sub of the Western Division (http://sptco.tnorr.com/Depots-Calif...tern_Martinez-Sacramento_1937.htm#Napa-Branch) from 1912-1913 or there abouts.

A brief history of the branch;
The Napa Valley Rail Road (NVRR) was founded in 1865, completed in 1868, and promptly when into foreclosure. It had one wood burning 4-4-0 named Calistoga (Booth & Co 1859).
The California Pacific purchased the line in 1869.
The California Pacific was purchased by the Central Pacific in 1876.
The Central Pacific was purchased by the Southern Pacific in 1898.

SP operated passenger service on the line until 1928 and freight into the 1980's.

In 1912 a competing interurban line was completed into Calistoga.

So was SP still operating wood burners then?
Had they gone over to oil or coal by this point?
What size/type engines were run on small branchlines at this time?

Thanks for any info you all may be able to provide.

Norm

 

[bl4882]

Hello Norm,

The Espee went from coal to oil right around the turn of the century, so the whole system was burning oil, except for part of the southwest, by 1912. As for when they were weaned from wood, I'm not sure about that.

As far as locomotives are concerned, the railroad gathered a huge variety of locomotives from many builders as it gobbled up small road after small road to build the empire, which started almost as soon as the transcontinental line was finished. This page http://espee.railfan.net/sp_steam-index.html of the Espee Modeller's Archive will give a pretty good idea what they were operating during the time frame you are interested in.

I know I have some other sources but I can't dig them out right now. I will post again as soon as I have a chance.

Bernie

 

[bl4882]

Hello again Norm,

Here is some more material that may be of help and possibly lead to new info.

http://www.sphts.org/pmcclosky/spwebresources.html A compendium of sources for infromation about the SP assembled by Peter McCloskey

http://sptco.proboards.com/index.cgi A Southern Pacific forum with a lot of information. It does tend toward the modern, though.

http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/index.html Arcadia Publications specializes in books on local history, and it's heavy with pictures. There are over 1000 titles, so there has to be stuff about the Napa Valley. You can obtain their books from Amazon at a discount.

These should give you enough leads to follow to keep you busy.

Bernie

 

[normhart]

Thanks Bernie,

Wow, I've seen much of what you have linked already but after searching much of it I've found very little on the Napa branch.

If they had gone to oil by 1912 I am going to have my work cut out for me as I don't remember seeing any oil tenders in Trainz at all.

If you stumble across anything else let me know.

Thanks again

Norm

Edit;
Ha! Goes to show, I've found four oil tenders already on my PC.
SP 3025 4-4-2 tender
SP 3215 2-8-2 tender
SP 4305 4-8-2 tender
SP 2479 4-6-2 tender (this is the tender type seen in almost all photos taken after 1940's I think)
and of course there is the Daylight tender.

The first two are most likely to have been used in the 1910's IMO.

I've also found a Reader R.R. #11 oil tender and a SP 220 "heavy 4-4-0" tender both of which are likely for the era.

I am guessing that for a short branch line the 4-4-0, 4-4-2, and possibly 2-6-0 would be the largest engines used in such a flat location during this era.

 

[whitepass]

You are also not going to find much roiling stock for 1912.

 

[normhart]

You are also not going to find much roiling stock for 1912.

Yes, I've already discovered that. However, the rolling stock from pencil42's V&T, UP, and CP collection seems to offer the kind of equipment that would likely still have been used on a small branch line. I am fortunately lucky enough to have found the full 1915 rolling stock inventory of the S.F.,N.,& C. Ry Interurban. This consisted of 6 -28ft boxcars 20tons, 4 - 34ft boxcars 30tons, 3 - 36ft boxcars 30ton, 1 - 36ft water car 30ton, 8 - 30ft flatcars 15 ton (one with a home built line tower). All were wooden underframe, center sill, and body and tie rod construction. Of these the only the flatcars and the 28ft boxcars were built before 1912.

I guess is that while it is possible that SP would have modernized their stock on this branch it is unlikely to have been much. The primary money maker of the line was the tourist trade, passengers. The primary freight money maker was gold and, especially, silver which would have gone by express car. Most of the other freight traffic was agriculture, walnuts primarily.

As I mentioned I have very few pictures from this era as yet although there are several museums and historical societies in the valley which I'll be talking to this coming summer.

Suggestions would be more than welcome for other cars the might be more accurate.

Norm

 

[mjolnir]

As I mentioned I have very few pictures from this era as yet although there are several museums and historical societies in the valley which I'll be talking to this coming summer.

Don't forget the local libraries, too. But why wait til summer? You could contact the libraries, and most likely the historical societies by email during this, their slow season, and they might be able to provide you with some assistance now. And if they are unable to provide any assistance, you might save yourself some time when you're out there on the ground.

ns

 

[bl4882]

Don't forget wine. Napa has been a huge wine producing area since Charles Krug built his winery there in the 1860s. In fact, research into the wine industry in Napa might yield a lot of collateral info on the railroad there.

Bernie

Edit: Forgot to mention, In addition to the public libraries, you might also want to check the holdings of the major university libraries as well. I just got a 3 x 8 foot, 1 inch to 100 ft. scale map of Bayshore yard drawn by SP's Coast Division Engineering Department in 1962 from Stanford. I had to wait in line behind the needs of the students, but I got it, and I don't think you can get it anywhere else. If you really get committed to this project, it might be worth a few bucks to get this kind of material if you can find it.
BL

 

[normhart]

Don't forget wine. Napa has been a huge wine producing area since Charles Krug built his winery there in the 1860s. In fact, research into the wine industry in Napa might yield a lot of collateral info on the railroad there.

Bernie

Yes, while the wine industry in the Napa Valley tends to over blow the valley's place in history there was some freight traffic. I have a couple of books around here somewhere...

I, naturally, will visit all the wineries along both routes. (strictly for historical purposes :hehe: )

Edit: There were two bridges crossing the Napa river in the town of Napa (one for each line) and, somewhere between St Helena and Calistoga, both lines again crossed the river. I am going to have to trespass on several vineyards to find the sites of these bridges as the rails where ripped up years ago. (1939 for the interurban and sometime in the 1980's for the SP)

 

[mjolnir]

I am going to have to trespass on several vineyards to find the sites of these bridges as the rails where ripped up years ago. (1939 for the interurban and sometime in the 1980's for the SP)

Maybe not. The Rock Island had a branch line from Hartshorne, OK (or there abouts), down through Kiowa, Coalgate, Tishimongo, and Ardmore, which was abandoned in 1929. Not too long ago (though perhaps several years), I was able to follow almost this entire line on Google maps. Worth a try to see if you can find the bridge sites that way, too.

ns

 

[Pencil42]

While I don't know for sure, I would suspect that the branch line was running knuckle couplers by 1912, with the possible exception of any MoW equipment. For locomotives, a ten-wheeler (4-6-0) would also be a good candidate.

I look forward to seeing screenshots of your work!

Curtis

 

[normhart]

Hey Curtis, screenshots are a long, long ways off for this project :'(

On an up note I discovered that Bendorsey has done a series of TOTC (Turn of the century) 1900-1910)) cars. Some have been updated for TS2009. He also has a massive number of speciality cars that appear to be from the right era.

I'm downloading them as I speak and hope for good things! I also note that he did some very fine SP cars but in narrow gauge, rats!


Edit:
Oh, my goodness! Lots and lots of nice stuff for turn of the century layouts. More than I'll ever need for the Napa Branch. (Snow Spreader? Who knew?) The TOTC passenger cars look right for the era, 60ft wooden cars for Coach, Baggage, Combine, Diner, Observation, Parlor, RPO - Express, and Sleeper cars as well as some odder cars, Baggage cars converted to haul horses or milk (cans or tank). His Work cars (MoW) (38!) are extensive and cover just about anything you can name. No more worries about rolling stock IMO.