You'll see marvelous images of early GS-class steam locomotives on the Coast Daylight and Noon Daylight climbing Santa Susana Pass, speeding along the Pacific Ocean and in San Luis Obispo. Also included is a rare shot of the Sunbeam in Texas.
There are many scenes of the awesome SP Cab Forwards pulling freight on the Coast Line and over Tehachapi and Donner Passes. These mighty giants are also seen pulling passenger trains through the Sierra Nevadas. Mikado and Mountain types make appearances as well.
A section on early diesels showcases many of SP's first-generation models, including Alco PAs; EMD E6s, E7s, F7s and GP7s; and Fairbanks-Morse Trainmasters in freight service. It's an astonishing collection from the cameras of the SP cinematographers that will thrill every rail enthusiast!
Flangers, Spreaders, & Steam Rotary Snowplows
Volume II of the Southern Pacific Film Archives presents rare footage of snowfighting operations on Donner Pass, filmed by SP company photographers in the 1950s.
Flangers are the railroad's first line of defense when snow starts to fall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. You'll climb aboard to watch the snow fly as the flangers are pulled by steam engines and by SD9 diesels in Black Widow colors.
As the snow deepens, Jordan spreaders are called into action. Then the real show begins as giant steam-powered rotary plows are called out to do battle with the deepening drifts. Both cab-forwards and F-units are seen providing the muscle to push the rotaries over the mountains. SP captured truly spectacular footage of these fascinating machines by running a camera train just a few hundred feet ahead of the spinning blades.
Freight and passenger trains run through a winter wonderland pulled by cab-forwards and F-units, and you'll see Alco PAs being rescued at Yuba Pass after being snowbound with the City of San Francisco streamliner. It's a collection of vintage film that every railfan will treasure!
DVD Special Features: