my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

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

12 units built

4200	4201	4202	4203	4204	4205	4206	4207	4208	4209
4210	4211

3900	3901	3902	3903	3904	3905	3906	3907	3908	3909
3910	3911

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These engines' Class is not as simple as the header suggests.
They carried their 4200 numbers when fitted with a four wheel leading truck and when simpled but were reclassified AM-2.
Renumbering was not part of their rebuilding.

SP took delivery of 12 2-6-6-2 Cab Forwards specifically for passenger use in 1911.

It turned out that the 2 wheel leading truck had abnormal flange wear and tended to derail at passenger speeds, 4208 once dumping the Overland Limited down a bank on a sharp curve near Colfax. The cab end also swung out further than the other Cab Forwards and in the snowsheds corner posts were torn off several times.

The fix was to extend the frames and fit a 4 wheel leading truck.

These engines were set aside in the 1920's, then converted to simple expansion and sent to the Portland Division.

In 1938 they were renumbered to the 3900 series to make way for 4200 series AC-8's and AC-10's.

All were scrapped between 1946-1948.

References:

• A Century of SP Steam Locomotives - Guy L. Dunscomb
• SP Co. Steam Locomotive Compendium - Diebert & Strapac
• Cab-Forward - Robert J. Church
• Cab-In-Front (The Half Century Story of An Unconventional Locomotive) - John.B.Hungerford © 1959
  • reprinted by PFM 1974

Modeling choices at the moment are:

• For N Scale:
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• For HO Scale:
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• For S Scale:
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• For O Scale:
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