viewer a more complete and accurate story Legend meets Legend one last time in a breathtaking Battle of muscle versus Mountain steaming out of retirement returning to the scene of her former glory a massive ac11 storm AC cross the Autumn landscape to meet her Destiny in a final charge over historic donor pass for half a century sp's Mighty cab forwards fought doners punishing grades daily hauling tonage Freights and passenger trains across the Sierra Nevada in an unbelievable display of raw power now just as these incredible engines are all but gone 4274 lb out of the Twilight of Southern Pacific steam to write a final Legacy in Steam and smoke and Brute Force once again the Sierra's reverberate with the Roar of 4274 Passage as she Journeys into history this is the story of that Epic Journey from initial test run to final Triumph the story of 4274 The Last Cab forward over Donner Pass leaving Sacramento Southern Pacific's route across donor pass climbs northeastward first through Roseville followed by Auburn kfax and then immigrant gap before crusting at Summit and winding its way downhill through truy to [Music] Reno October 1957 after 14 years of Mainline service 4274 faces oblique uncertain future as she stands idle in Roseville California following class three repairs at Sacramento and January the ac11 ran light to Roseville where for a time she was placed in stationary boiler Service as an air pressure Source built by Baldwin in April 1943 and placed in Revenue Service the following month the powerful 4882 helped SP meet the crunch of heavy wartime traffic demands following the war however her fortunes have steadily declined with the Advent of the diesel and yet for 4274 there will be one brief glorious reprieve on October 26th she returns to Roseville roundhouse where she is ready for a special last run by this time virtually all of Southern Pacific's cab forwards have been removed from active service displaced by the railroad's commitment to Total dieselization several of these Mighty articulateds have already been scrapped many others while away their final days in dead storage awaiting the [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] scrapper [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] a once again 4274 under goes the familiar servicing 2 years earlier this servicing was still part of her daily [Music] routine as the time for her trial run approaches 4274 is running gear is checked and oiled once again another cab forward 4227 was originally scheduled for the special train but had to be replaced everything must be in order on this engine by now every inch of 4274 has been thoroughly gone over a Topp her platform a crewman checks her air compressors and opens an airline [Music] valve on November 25th 1957 the engine is backed onto the turntable at Roseville directly ahead of herl several days of Trials and Shakedown runs not so long ago The Roundhouse stalls would have been filled with other AC class locomotives now however the engines are all internal [Applause] combustion slowly at first the huge engine eases forward off the turntable and onto the yard lead all eyes are on her as she makes her way under steam again for the first time in months the initial run takes place in Roseville yards closely monitored her cab filled with concerned operations Personnel 4274 Works her way through the trackage moving forward then in reverse then forward again soon the late November air is once again filled with a thick mixture of oil smoke and steam exhaust as the massive 4882 goes through her Paces other tests and Shakedown runs follow on November 27th and 29th Corrections and running adjustments are made following these runs but by the close of November 29th the verdict is in 4274 is ready for her final battle with Donner Pass he Saturday November 30th finds her in Sacramento waiting for her train to arrive from the Bay [Music] Area during the early morning hours 4274 moved down from Roseville through the elvas Y and backed into Sacramento at 3:35 a.m. freshly watered now she leaves her sighing in the shadow of Sacramento's Power and Light Company headquarters ready to reverse her way onto the depot leads and take charge of her train every move the engine makes is closely followed by eager Spectators inabit rail fans photographed and recorded from every conceivable angle this is as it should be for every single one of 4274 as many piston Strokes on this weekend will be historic and made in defiance of incredible odds in the eyes of aost conscious railroad management 4274 is an engine which has long since outlived its usefulness he coupled onto a train alongside Sacramento's Fifth and I Street Station 4274 impatiently awaits her conductor's highball while onlookers stare and last minute preparations are completed her engineer lights up a another cigar as the clock moves toward the special Train's 11:00 a.m. departure Sacramento passengers climb AB board to join those who have arrived from the Bay Area extra 4274 East the Sierra daylight is an overnight Excursion to Reno sponsored by the California Nevada railroad Historical Society roundtrip fair is 1475 per person 750 for children the high ball is given when the engineer responds easing off 4274 break and opening her throttle the massive ac11 responds instantly leading extra 4274 East around the 7th Street curve and away from downtown Sacramento viewed from the observation platform the Southern Pacific infirmary and the I Street Bridge recede into the background followed by the butterfly fly sheds along the passenger platform and then by the 32-year-old Sacramento Depot itself passengers settle in comfortably as the Sierra daylight winds its way toward the American River Sacramento stands at an elevation of 42 ft above sea level Southern Pacific's Overland route takes it 35 Mi Northeast to Auburn at 1367 ft above sea level initially the grade profile is a slight 4% climb to Roseville before turning into a much steeper 2% after crossing the American river at elvas Tower extra 4274 East races through North Sacramento and North Highlands near Watt Avenue sp's Main Line parallels Auburn bull bouard and then runs alongside Roseville Road a favorite train watching point for local rail fans and at least several young future railroaders the observation car is privately owned by the California Nevada and Pacific Coast Club to round out the Sierra Daylight's 10 car consist Southern Pacific has included a hamburger Grill Lounge car and news vendor car along with several standard chair cars the equipment's color schemes include pman green daylight red and orange and the two two-tone gray scheme which originated on several trains jointly operated with Union Pacific 4274 is pulling close to 900 tons as she poers her way Eastward near Roseville Beyond Roseville Southern Pacific has split its Mainline into separate East and Westbound routs east of Rockland 4274 and her train cross over the westbound Maine as Albert Phelps captures the scene in black and white footage the newer eastbound Mainline dates back to 1912 and allows uphill trains a slightly easier climb through the Sierra Foothills these East and Westbound Mains parallel and cross each other all the way to kfax several photo runbys have been scheduled for this Charter run the first takes place at Lincoln Avenue penan and 4274 Idols wer trains passengers hurry forward to scout camera angles after a quick inspection by the engine crew 4274 will back downgrade and then accelerate forward again shutters click open and shut as movie cameras record the action 4274 is firemen cooperates by laying on a thick cloud of black smoke to heighten the dramatic effect as the engine blasts back up the grade her side rods and safety reflector front glean in the early afternoon sun as she completes his initial run by here soon the signal is given and everyone hurries to board the train after one last snapshot with the passengers back in their seat 4274 accelerates her train uphill again Bound for Newcastle in Auburn one or two local residents stand by at the grade crossing to witness her passing just east of Newcastle the westbound track parallels the eastbound main for a short distance before splitting off to the South again the track and road beds stretching before 4274 show signs of dedicated maintenance and recent ballasting as the engine climbs toward Auburn since its earliest Central Pacific days Southern Pacific has made Maintenance of Way a top priority along its East West Sierra Crossing history coupled with Fierce unrelenting winter snowstorms has long since taught it the Folly of deferred maintenance even at these lower elevations frequent inspections and Rapid Repairs are the order of the day tunnel 19 is one of the several short tunnels which line the eastbound Mainline near Auburn although sp's Engineers tried to work around the area's Rolling Hills as much as possible in laying out this route a number of short BS did prove necessary tunnel 20 shows the effects of years of heavy usage during the late spring and summer seasons SP often faces incredible pressur is moving long strings of priority perishables East out of the Sacramento Valley in addition to its normally scheduled traffic racing through the outskirts of Auburn extra 4274 East passes the Nevada Street Station without pausing due to the paralleling main lines that surround it Auburn boasts two separate SP Depot 4274 pulls her train across the landmark Auburn Ravine Trestle as three separate cameras record their passage constructed as part of the eastbound Mainline revision through Auburn this 540 ft Trestle stands 90 ft above the highway below cab forwards were once an everyday sight a top this Trestle as they pulled and pushed a seemingly endless number of trains uphill in their final years of active service more and more of these Mountain malleys as they came to be called returned to these tracks as diesels bumped them from their assignments elsewhere now late in 1957 the side of a single 4882 doing its job becomes an historic moment not to be missed leaving Auburn the train approaches tunnel 21 soon extra 4274 East will begin some of the steepest mountain climbing along its tortuous route from Auburn at 1367 ft the route climbs steadily through 11 tunnels to kfax at 242 4 ft the grade profile turns steadily steeper to an average of 2.43% as the tracks twist their way upward rolling toward Foothill 4274 Powers her train at a steady Pace up the ever increasing grade a few minutes later the train pulls through Foothill past the short agricultural Spur Line with waiting box cars outside of Bowman a set of SP black widows roll their westbound Freight downhill past 4274 evidence of sp's continuous Maintenance of Way activity lines the track side at Clipper Gap as 4274 approaches Lake Theodore sp's predecessor the Central Pacific first reached this region in June 1865 even now in 1957 the area is almost as inaccessible as it was then further east the route is laced with a series of short tunnels in Rapid succession 4274 leads her train through tunnels 23 24 and 25 as she continues to battle her way upgrade toward kfax rolling through tunnel 26 extra 4274 East passes under the westbound Mainline just ahead lies tunnel 27 and East Applegate situated near an area original known as Illinois town kfax was soon renamed for California Senator Skyler kfax to honor his early support of Central Pacific and its transcontinental rail route currently serving as a train order station among other functions kfax has been first and foremost a busy railroad Center on the Donner Pass line since its earliest days at this moment it is vitally important to 4274 as a watering stop since leaving Sacramento the stiff uphill climb has claimed all but 5,000 gallons of her tender's 22,000 G capacity the stop gives extra 4274 passengers a welcome opportunity to stretch their legs and to snap a few more photographs while the engine is serviced an almost carnival-like atmosphere seems to Prevail as passengers and Spectators Mill about rail fans and railroaders alike residents and visitors all of them on hand to watch an era end before their eyes one day soon even the water columns will have vanished from the scene as they too are found to have outlived their usefulness [Applause] a from kfax with this 2424 FT elevation the route twists 29 Mi uphill to Immigrant Gap at 5224 ft for this section the overall profile is a steep 2.42% at some points the grade reaches 3% immediately after kfax 4274 crosses the trussle at Long Ravine as the mainline curves around almost 180° in its climb to Cape Horn moments later the train will navigate a second curve slightly broader in the opposite direction as it climbs along the mountain side starting in 1909 Southern Pacific's Fleet of cab forwards were specifically designed for these stiff grades along the Sierra Nevada their unique cab location was implemented as a safety feature to protect engine Crews from asphixiation in the lengthy tunnels and snow sheds along the summit considering the improved visibility which also resulted from this design many have wondered why other railroads never adopted this design with their oil [Applause] burners tunnel 33 is on the left as 4274 approaches the spectacular curve at Cape Horn the train is now traveling along the original Mainline through this region as it eases through the curve with a breathtaking view of the sieras across the deep ravine 2,000 ft below the North Fork of the American River courses its way downhill for years this was a popular stop for pass passenger trains crossing gor pass in both directions Beyond gold run the mainline twists through a series of Curves as it leads uphill toward Dutch Flat and Ulta the great approach is 3% now and the ac11 is working harder than ever as it muscles its train uphill through the curves west of Alta except for the railroad activity these remote Mountain fastnesses appear to have been completely Untouched by time it's hard to believe that covered wagon parties once wound their way across these mountains a 100 years ago or that an equally determined band of Builders carved out a transcontinental railroad line soon thereafter outside Ulta another EMD powered Freight makes its way downhill at Alta the steep grades limit 4274 is maximum speed to 25 mph as the engine labors with her load early in 1942 this station was the location for a severe wartime sabotage scare as an SP track worker discovered a large number of track spikes had been removed from the roadbed although the sabotage soon proved to be nothing more than juvenile vandalism the incident prompted the arm to guard the vi Sierra Mainline by posting a military police Battalion in the area for the war's duration today however as various photographers capture extra 4274 East passage ala is a quiet Outpost having been recently downgraded in responsibilities as Southern Pacific modernizes its train order operations once past ala 4274 continues its climb passing through toll as it heads for the double boore tunnel at map far in the distance several snowcap mountains serve as a reminder that winter is not far off the 481 ft tunnel at nap was initially single track to accommodate the original Mainline with the addition of a second eastbound main however the tunnel was widened and upgraded in 1913 as 4274 rounds the big curve at Blue Canyon she is running at Full Throttle from immigrant Gap with its 5224 FT elevation the main line climbs 27 M to Summit at 7,33 FT above sea level although the great profile eases back to a 1.93% average 4274 still has some heavy mountain climbing ahead of her at Immigrant Gap the Donner Pass Mainline crosses over from the American Riverside of the Long Mountain Ridge to the Yuba Riverside sp's famous Sierra fire Trin and its Crews made their headquarters here until Changing Times and procedures rendered them unnecessary in 1950 until even more recently this was also the location for several snow sheds and a large covered turntable for helper engines following the completion of a balloon track bypass the turntable was removed in 1955 a large number of Southern Pacific Personnel still are based in immigrant Gap however employee bunk houses and family quarters cluster nearby along with two small hotels the telegraphers office and several Maintenance of Way structures additionally a local lumber operation the Sugar Pine Company planning Mill provides some Revenue operations to the railroad from its adjacent [Music] spur the crisp Mountain a catches and holds the thick mix of smoke and steam exhaust as 4274 Works her train Eastward past a stream of Maintenance of L cars from the other side of the Curve Al Phelps camera records the train as it heads for the crossing of the ridge just minutes ahead the malie is putting out maximum effort as she strains against the grade but this after all is what she was built to do from higher up a third camera provides another perspective on 4274 effort this time in black and white never again will immigrant Gap witness the ultimate drama of a cab forward working all out to power her train Eastward over Doner pass the AC 111's distinctive sounds Echo and Reed in the distance as she pulls away from immigrant Gap 4274 will return tomorrow of course but it will all be different then at that time she will be headed downgrade and the world will have changed forever east of the ridge 4274 picks up speed as she approaches smart on her way to uass the grve for the most part is still very Steep and a heavy train needs all the momentum it can gather in this region The Season's first light snow drifts have already begun to accumulate soon the nearby concrete retaining walls will once again and earn their upkeep nearing Yuba pass 4274 rolls under Highway 80 at yba pass the train enters an area as rich in Timber as it is rich in Southern Pacific history in lore most recently this is the general area in which unusually severe January snowstorms Stranded the westbound city of San Francisco holding the baguer Streamliner and its passengers hostage for 3 Days in 1952 before rescue crews could free them passing through the area near Crystal Lake and Cisco in late November however the climate is deceptively mild soon the train approaches tunnel 35 the first of three tunnels in the vicinity emerging from tunnel 35 42 74 meets a westbound Freight on the opposite main it was here between tunnels 35 and 36 that the city of San Francisco became hopelessly trapped along the westbound trackage in the winter of 1952 Soda Springs is one of the few accessible points for train photography at this elevation Al Phelps camera captured the speed of 4274 Passage as fascinated Spectators stand by Jake Dev also captures the scene slightly further up the track the result is an action forit that is both Timeless and elegant from yet another perspective Al Phelps provides a black and white record of 4274 as she makes her way through Soda Springs despite the Autumn nip in the Mountain Air the Train's observation platform continues to be packed with Observers Lake van Norton gleams the afternoon sunlight as extra 4274 approaches the snow sheds at Summit leaving summit's maximum 7,33 FT elevation sp's Main Line descends 11 M to trucky situated at 5825 ft this downhill grade averages a steep 1.91% along its twisting trackage the massive snow sheds and retaining walls at Summit quickly fall behind as the train makes its way down Hill ahead lies trucky as brake smoke boils off its Wheels extra 4274 East pulls into truy originally known as Coburn station the community was soon renamed for the nearby trucky River one Central Pacific tracks reached this location since that time truy has served continuously as a hub of SP rail AC ity on Donner crass from trucky with its elevation of 5825 ft the tracks contined downgrade to Reno at an elevation of 4496 ft running alongside the trucky River this section's grade is a mild 1.3% passengers will spend the night in Reno some may even sleep 4274 in her train will lay over in Sparks early next morning 4274 under goes routine servicing and maintenance for her return trip prior to leaving Sparks the engine's number boards are changed she will be making this portion of her run as the second section of train 27 the Overland Limited upon the Train's arrival in Reno last minute checks and preparations are completed due to Reno's higher elevation the eastbound climb over Doner won't be nearly so arduous passengers and town folk alike gather to watch as 4274 steams at rest peacefully for many this will be their last chance to examine an ac1 Southern Pacific's cab forwards boast the most unique sounding air pumps ever to be placed on a steam engine whether stopped at a station or working up a heavy grade their sound can be mistaken for nothing else the device at top the Smoke Stack is a smoke splitter which helps reduce exhaust blast damage in the snow sheds starting with the very first cab forwards and their oddl looking whaleback tenders Southern Pacific has continually upgraded and improved both the design and the performance of its articulated Motive Power viewed from any angle 4274 is a masterpiece of Form and Function a quick tour of the cab and lifetime memories result traffic slows to a crawl beside the depot as drivers cran for a better view in passing it's almost as though everyone in town has heard about 4274 return as crowds gather to see the last of the cab forwards the nearby grade Crossings are blocked by the train on both sides of the depot and normal life comes to a halt not even the 27° temperatures seem to phase the onlookers as they gaze in awe at the massive engine one last time he an eastbound Freight rolls past as the 1030 high ball is given 4274 departs Reno for the very last time pulling second 27 in her wake first the Railway Express agency building slips past quickly followed by the depot as though passing in review and then Reno itself recedes into memory once outside Reno the second 27 blasts its way up the trucky River Canyon making excellent time up the relatively slight grade paralleling the river the train speeds past another eastbound Freight near floriston 4274 leads her train across the trucky River throughout the canyon sp's trackage crosses the river at several points at bokeh the great is still only 1% 4274 has no trouble powering her train uphill through this region as she makes her way steadily [Music] Westward [Music] passing under the highway 40 Bridge the train continues toward trucky at trucky the train will stop for water and an inspection before resuming its Journey up the steepest portion of the East slope this is the final appearance of a cab forward and everyone seems highly aware of this fact as the train rolls into the yards even a nearby EMD unit offers a passing salute fans cruster around for more snapshots until the conductor gives the highball receiving the signal the engineer EAS his locomotive into motion again the fireman gives a quick visual check from his side as the train moves forward as 4274 makes its final departure from trucky life around the yard slowly returns to normal the excitement is over so is an era west of trucky 4274 picks up speed for its assault on the 1 91% ruling grade to Summit these next 11 miles will be twisting ins sinuous near Stanford the train enters the largest curve on this portion of the journey Beyond this lies another curve at Andover followed by tunnel 13 tunnel 13 curves its way through the mountain side Donner Lake appears on the left as the train heads for Lake View wooden snow sheds are still plentiful along the upper reaches of Donner Pass in 1957 the train barely emerges from one before entering another trailing a thick cloud of smoke and exhaust gases in her wake 4274 demonstrates the primary reason behind the design of sp's cab forwards prior to their Inception Southern Pacific had experimented with conventional articulated power in this region often with disastrous results for the engine Crews as they fought for air against the two thick clouds of toxic smoke well beyond Summit 4274 rolls her train back downgrade through Soda Springs at an easy pace for the mighty engine and her consist it's all literally downhill from this point onward for 4274 this is especially true following today's run she will return to storage never to run again under her own power Donner Pass has received its first blanket of snow as the train rolls through the quiet Countryside this is only a light dusting compared to what will follow once winter hits the region in all its Fury already SP snow removal crews are gearing up for another tough season on the Hill flangers are being Reed and the heavy snow blowers are being checked and recheck to ensure they will be ready to answer their call along the line maintenance crews are performing final inspections of every inch of trackage making sure that all that can be done has been done seasonal snowfall across the summit can average anywhere between 200 and 600 in in a given year the record thus far is 819 in established in 1937 further downgrade 4274 leads her train out of tunnel 33 at Cape Horn when first constructed to ease the traffic demands along this portion of the mainline tunnel 33 was dubbed the Panama Canal by its [Music] Builders at Long Ravine 4274 leads her train up a slight grade toward kfax although the rest of the journey is all downhill in of the Sacramento Valley the cab forward and her crew still have their work cut out for them on miles of twisting curves the westbound Mainline Smooths out as it draws closer to West Applegate once below Applegate the trackage will lead 4274 on a gradual descent through the Foothills to Auburn viewed from the Highway 80 Bridge 4274 leads are trained toward the westbound Auburn station which is located on the south side of town in addition to serving as county seat for pler County Auburn is known as the heart of the Gold Country due primarily to its location a scaned 12 miles from the site of John Marshall's initial discovery of gold at Coloma the train drifts downgrade through Bloomer cut just west of Auburn 4274 final run is rapidly drawing to a close as the elevation steadily drops toward the floor of the Sacramento Valley just east of Newcastle the Westbound and eastbound mainlines briefly converge at tunnel 18 at Newcastle station a cameraman stands vigil as the train passes by throughout the 2-day Excursion 4274 engine crew has gone out of its way to provide as much railroad drama as is humanly and mechanically possible this final runby is no exception as for the photographers themselves they know all too well that this is their very last chance to capture shots of an ac11 working in actual Revenue Service they take advantage of every camera angle every Vantage Point hoping for the perfect [Music] shot he further downhill 4274 pulls her train past the deserted Luma station as her final miles approach arriving in Sacramento at 4:30 p.m. 4274 cuts off from her train for the very last time and reverses down a runby track once more the photographers and Spectators follow her every move knowing that this is the end the Sierra daylight will soon make the final leg of its run back to the Bay area behind Diesel power even as 4274 returns to Roseville at 5:40 p.m. her fire will be dumped Forever by 650 her boiler pressure will already be down to 210 lb in April 1959 she will finally be scrapped [Music] w [Music] [Music] but now the crowd clusters around her saying goodbye not wanting this moment to end yet end it must the ac11 heads into a deepening dust and straight into history as well for she is 4274 the last cap forward over Donner Pass [Music] the most exciting videotape ever Jay Allen Hawkins famous documentary of the final run over kahone pass breathtaking high-speed drama heart 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[Music] tapes twisting through an endless series of snake like curves to battle a ruling 2.2% grade the Union Pacific faces a formidable obstacle course along its Oregon Division Mainline through the rugged Blue Mountain country from North powder at the East Edge to meum in the West Union Pacific steady stream of priority Freights pound and strain their way across 56 bruising miles of mountain railroading in a daily battle against time and nature never is the battle more intense than when winter comes to the Blue Mountains blinding blizzards snow covered RightWay machinery and manpower taxs to their upper limits this is when the Union Pacific must use all of its vast resources to survive in this mountainous helper District this is when the newest state-of-the-art high-tech equipment faces its ultimate Challenge this is winter in the Blues Blue Mountains volumes 1 2 and three are now available only $49.95 each and be sure you don't miss Blue Mountains Volume 4
