my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

California's Railroad to the U.S. 1861 - 1996

SP Review Magazine's

Burnham List

Continuing Homework Assignment by Tony Johnson

Reprinted from SP Review #23 with permission.

with additions from: Lance Kilkenny

It's been a long time since we published an updated list of the various differences between certain SP/SSW/DRGW locomotives. This is a visual survey listing the changes to SP/SSW/DRGW locomotives after rebuilding, repainting, or having had maintenance work. Locomotive modelers will find this info useful, but only if you like to nit-pick!

Note: These units have been painted in Speed-letters but have not been confirmed as to type of number boards or if fitted with ditch lights. When sighted, it will be put in one of the groups listed below. Red numbers are formerly DRGW painted units.

2464 2478 2538 2543 2588 2600 2648 2668 2678 3138 5351 5352 5362 5364 5393 7255 7264 7755 7766 7770 7871 8565

SPEED LETTERED UNITS

Group #1

Speed lettered, ditch lights and DRGW style numbers in number boards

7323 7360 7400 7401 7500 7522 7653 7661 7677 7778 7785 7793 7801 7804 7816 7845 7849 7851 7853 7949 7955 7963 7964 8238 8294 8301 8311 8501 8511 8521 8524 8530 8533 8567 8568 8573 9197 9226 9367 9398

Group #2

Speed lettered, ditch lights, and original SP style (or DRGW) numbers in #boards

5350 5368 5378 5380 5394 5397 5399 5412 5504 5510 5511 5513 5514 5516 5517 6794 6815 6852 6854 6856 7294 7303 7306 7312 7313 7314 7316 7320 7321 7322 7323 7325 7326 7328 7331 7333 7335 7336 7338 7341 7358 7369 7374 7484 7486 7600 7609 7611 7613 7615 7616 7617 7620 7623 7625 7644 7774 7775 7776 7777 7779 7780 7781 7782 7783 7784 7787 7788 7789 7790 7791 7792 7794 7795 7796 7798 7799 7802 7811 7813 7814 7815 7817 7818 7822 7823 7824 7827 7829 7830 7832 7833 7834 7835 7836 7838 7839 7842 7843 7847 7848 7850 7852 7855 7859 7860 7861 7862 7863 7864 7865 7866 7867 7870 7872 7873 7875 7876 7877 7878 7880 7881 7882 7883 7950 7965 8230 8237 8252 8262 8271 8272 8276 8290 8300 8304 8305 8306 8307 8308 8309 8310 8312 8313 8315 8316 8322 8325 8328 8350 8351 8352 8353 8355 8356 8359 8361 8362 8363 8365 8366 8367 8376 8386 8489 8490 8491 8492 8493 8494 8495 8496 8497 8515 8517 8525 8527 8528 8548 8549 8550 8557 8559 8560 8563 9194 9239 9243 9245 9250 9254 9256 9273 9282 9286 9288 9294 9300 9303 9308 9310 9311 9314 9318 9328 9330 9333 9334 9335 9337 9343 9345 9347 9359 9361 9362 9364 9365 9367 9368 9373 9375 9376 9385 9386 9388 9391 9392 9395 9400 9401 9402 9710

note: 7303 9318 have red # boards

Group #3

Speed lettered, NO ditch lights, and DRGW style numbers in number boards

2536 2632 2642 3086 6793 7437 7523 7797 7812 7857 7945

Group #4

Speed lettered, NO ditch lights, and original SP style numbers in #boards

1602 2459 2552 2596 2638 2720 2724 2747 4825 6801 6805 6827 6836 6844 7241 7319 7354 7524 7758 7803 7805 7806 7808 7819 7825 7826 7828 7831 7837 7840 7841 7844 7856 7858 7869 7874 7879 7953 8256 8337 8384 8503 8541 9195 9207 9257 9309

ORIGINAL PAINTED UNITS

Group #5

Original DRGW paint, ditch lights, DRGW style numbers, and gyralights

3087 3096 3100 3116 3117 3118 3121 5342 5344 5345 5347 5372 5360 5381 5398 5403 5404 5411 5413

Group #6

Original SP paint, ditch lights, and DRGW style numbers in #boards (no gyras)

6348 6798 6799 6803 6804 6811 6812 6814 6837 6857 6891 7245 7249 7251 7265 7270 7276 7278 7291 7305 7340 7348 7349 7351 7352 7357 7367 7372 7399 7404 7414 7417 7419 7424 7425 7426 7428 7429 7435 7438 7444 7456 7461 7462 7463 7470 7471 7478 7482 7485 7501 7502 7503 7505 7506 7507 7510 7511 7513 7515 7517 7518 7519 7520 7525 7526 7528 7529 7530 7532 7534 7535 7536 7602 7631 7633 7636 7641 7654 7659 7660 7664 7667 7668 7670 7675 7958 7959 7961 8231 8232 8233 8235 8236 8241 8243 8246 8247 8248 8250 8254 8258 8261 8263 8265 8266 8268 8274 8277 8279 8284 8285 8287 8288 8289 8294 8299 8319 8323 8326 8327 8329 8331 8332 8334 8340 8364 8374 8375 8378 8383 8385 8391 8501 8506 8508 8509 8512 8514 8516 8518 8523 8534 8542 8543 8546 8550 8551 8552 8556 8562 8569 8572 9242 9259 9276 9295 9298 9313 9317 9349 9360 9366 9372 9381 9387 9393 9404 9601 9602 9603 9604 9606 9608 9610 9611 9612 9613 9614 9616 9618 9620 9623 9624 9626 9627 9645 9646 9655 9676

Group #7

Original SP paint, NO ditch lights, and DRGW style numbers in number boards

2458 2462 2480 2531 2533 2534 2563 2591 2613 2655 2673 2681 2683 6797 6800 6816 7105 7346 7350 7373 7379 7402 7473 7533 8003 8005 8008 8028 8039 8253 8498 8534 8538 8566 9327 9342

Group #8

Original SP paint, ditch lights, and original SP or DRGW style numbers in #boards

6813 6858 7282 7293 7307 7309 7344 7356 7370 7412 7427 7433 7457 7465 7475 7487 7488 7499 7786 7807 7839 7878 8002 8013 8025 8033 8034 8036 8044 8083 8084 8234 8244 8245 8251 8257 8259 8261 8266 8267 8269 8370 8275 8281 8282 8292 8293 8318 8321 8324 8334 8335 8338 8358 8360 8377 8379 8382 8387 8390 8522 8529 8539 8553 8554 8565 8569 8570 9232 9234 9262 9281 9291 9299 9334 9344 9346 9358 9380 9396 9600 9605 9606 9607 9609 9617 9622 9625 9628 9629 9633 9634 9635 9637 9640 9644 9645 9648 9649 9653 9654 9657 9658 9662 9663 9664 9667 9670 9677 9678 9679 9688 9690 9691 9696 9698 9701 9706 9707

Group #9

Original SP paint, ditch lights, DRGW style numbers in #boards, but with Rio Grande sized cab numbers

7304 8569(fireman's side only) 9365 9368 9329 (fireman's side but with SP-style numbers)

Group #10

Any Oddball Units - unusual features on individual units (drives modelers crazy!)

DRGW units:

DRGW5409 has SP "gothic" style numbers in boards - lost gyralite

DRGW3139 has SP-style numbers but Burnham size numbers

DRGW3092 has large "Rio Grande" on left side and small on right. - this is unconfirmed, and apparently might be a railfan urban legend.

DRGW5328 has yellow strobe(aka CNW type)

DRGW3085 has large non-standard DRGW stenciled #'s on left side

DRGW5399 5505 5509 now missing Mars lights and have MK style number boards

DRGW3127 5326 5504 5511 has SP boards in front and Burnham boards on rear

DRGW5366 has SP-size numbers on both sides of the cab, while DRGW5391 has them on at least the engineer's side of the cab.

SP units:

One "Burnham" board and one original board - 6800 6858 7251 7304 7359 7417 7478 7486 7644 7661 8232 8276 8290 9300 9347 9391 9256

One SP# and one ATSF # board - 6807 6812 7359

Two red number boards - 7303 9207 9318

6801 7481 9195 9300 9391 has Santa Fe style boards

7546 7459 have hand-painted number boards on the fireman's side only and the paint is running.

7310 has tiny, all capitals hood lettering "Southern Pacific"

7804 7644 7677 have speed-lettered SP on the nose. The one on 7644 is hand-crafted (ugly). 7677 also has Sante Fe numberboards.

GP38-2 4820 also has the small san-serif SOUTHERN PACIFIC lettering on the engineer's side only.

7515 has bell on roof

SP7804 7822 have only 2 "feathers" on wings. There may be more

SP4802 4825 4832 5108 7231 8234 8266 8280 8368 8525 still have "L" shaped windows

SP7880 had ditch light mounts applied after shopping, but no ditch lights.

SP7249 has Oscilltrol lights on rear only

SSW9374 has "Cotton Belt" stacked rather than spelled out in one line

SSW4203 had its nose painted and now has serif-style "SSW" on nose, instead of number

SP7488 SP7657 SP8370 SSW9686 have no initials on the nose - SSW9652 has tiny "SSW" on nose

SSW8091 has no SSW on the nose

SP2732 has twin clear strobes between number boards on cab

Group #11

Rio Grande units with ditch lights, beacons, gryalights & headlights

3087 3096 3116 3117 3122 3130 5342 5345 5347 5372 5391 5398 5404 5411 5413

Group #12

Rio Grande units with ditch lights, SP numbers in #boards, and NO gyralights

3114 3119 3154 3155 5343 5352 5353 5361 5377 5386 5389 5391 5392 5395 5405 5406 5407 5501 5502 5503 5506 5508 5512

note: 3154 has stripe above frame & on nose on both sides of unit.

Group #13

Speed lettered, ditch lights, headlights and Gyralights

5351 5378 5387 5388