my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

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

Southern Pacific E-8

6018

1 unit delivered

If you own an E-8, and it's not numbered 6018, then it must an E-9 ...

Seriously though, SP only had one EMD E-8A, (and no B units) and that's it. SP did in fact place an order for 28 E-8 units - 6018ABCD - 6024ABCD but subsequently canceled it, a rather common occurrence evidently.

John Bonds Garmany in SP Dieselization, states EMD Demonstrator #5600A was the unit that SP hosted for a while, and subsequently purchased. Joe Strapac in SP Historic Diesels Vol.3, states it was EMD #952 that demonstrated and infers that 6018 wasn't this unit. Yer pays yer money...

6018 operated on passenger trains in ABB fashion with E-7B's.

As delivered 6018 was painted in Daylight paint, had a clamshell door pilot to cover the coupler and Leslie A-200 blat horns.

By 1958 and still in Daylight paint, it had lost it's clamshell doors, gained a set of Nathan M-5 chimes and had nose MU connections fitted.

To paraphrase: 'I don't have photographic evidence' that 6018 was painted in red and gray - but I feel certain it probably was...

12 years after initially writing this webpage; I can finally say that 6018 was painted blood nose - thanks to Joe Strapac for providing the photographic evidence...

To the best of my interpretation! 6018 was delivered with intake grilles that look to be similar to Detail Associates 2704 (as fitted to F7's?). The E9's came with Farr-Aire grilles - DA 2701?.

References:

• SP Dieselization by John Bonds Garmany
• Extra 2200 South Issue 59, Jan/Feb/Mar 1977 - 1976 SP Roster Part VI
• SP Motive Power Annual 1972 - Passenger E-Units article.
• SP Historic Diesels Vol.3 E-Units and Pass. F's