my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

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

Southern Pacific SD44R

7399

7399 Daylight image from the Gary Hall collection.	7399 Kodachrome image courtesy Dave Henry.
7399 Daylight image courtesy Stan Rothwell	7399 Kodachrome image courtesy Stan Rothwell
© Kevin Stevens - 7342 and 7399 at Bakersfield ready to help the 1984 Louisiana Daylight over the Tehachapi's Kevin has also submitted a number of long awaited Kodachrome images.	© 1994, 1999 - Tony Madieros, SP 7399 at Roseville, CA.

[ see the The Specials - Daylights for more Daylight images ]
[ see the Kodachrome Collection for more Kodachrome images ]

Externally, this unit is identical to an SD45R, internally it is/was one of a kind, having an EMD V-16 645, rated at 3000hp. It has since been confirmed that this unit was fitted with a V-16 engine, which agrees with Garmany, who states (in SP Dieselization) that it received a new V-16 3000hp for evaluation.

The evaluation was not considered to be a success; likely the expense of reworking the frame to take the smaller engine, as the SD45R program went a different direction, they kept their V-20's derated to 3200hp.

This unit has led an interesting life re. paint schemes, being the only other EMD six axle unit to appear in Daylight colors, ( SD40R 7342 being the other unit). 7399 also made it into the Kodachrome scheme.

7399 was released in Nov 1981, painted in yet another variation on the Daylight theme.

This was closer to the Daylight paint we all know. SP Scarlet and Daylight Orange long hood, with a black roof, trucks, fuel tank, pilots and plows.

The entire nose was painted all red, including the top, the sides and the front.

Lettering on both sides was white and was all in one line, rather than 7342's stacked lettering.

Daylight References:

• SP Dieselization by Garmany has a photo of the left hand side of SD44R 7399, on page 391,in the Daylight paint. dated May 1981. This unit has Southern Pacific on one line, in white on both sides.
• SP Motive Power Annual 1981 - rear cover has a color photo of right hand side of 7399
• Railfan & Railroad March 1982, page 2 - color photo of right hand side of 7399, dated 11/1981
• Railfan & Railroad Sept. 1984 and Trains magazine Oct. 1984, had an article on the 1984 Louisiana Daylight, with color photo's of both units.

see also the SP SD45R Info page for References.

Other References:

• SP 1987/88 Motive Power Pictorial by Joe.W.Shine, Page 109.
• SP into the '90's by Joe.W.Shine, Page 195.