my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

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

Southern Pacific

Passenger Trains

Sacramento Daylight

This information has been compiled from postings to the SP Mailing list.

There were four class A-6 locomotives. Two were painted in Daylight colors, 3000 and 3001. The other two (3002 and 3003) were painted in the black SP scheme. The June 2, 1946 Circular 4 consist list shows the following five lightweight cars operating Lathrop-Sacramento on Train 53, the Sacramento Daylight:

• Coffee Shop 80 seat
• Chair 46 seat
• (Articulated chair car 46 seat
• (Articulated chair car 46 seat
• Parlor-observation 22 seat

Also, a 60 foot Harriman baggage-coach combine operated Sacramento to Lathrop on Train 54, and remained with the locomotive on the trip from Lathrop to Tracy for the mid-day layover, then returned to Lathrop with the locomotive to pick up the Sacramento cars coming up from LA on the San Joaquin Daylight, Train 51, to constitute the evening Sacramento Daylight, Train 53.

Train #51-53 is a combined train until Lathrop, where the first 9 Cars continue to Oakland as Train #51, the last 5 cars go as Train #53 to Sacramento.

Train #52 with 9 cars leaves from Oakland and Train #54 with 5 cars leaves from Sacramento, they combine at Lathrop becoming a 14 car train to Los Angeles.

Operational Notes:

• )* denotes articulated chair cars

References:

• SP Equipment Circular No.14 June 2, 1946