my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

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

Cotton Belt PA1

SSW 300 - 301

SP 6067 - 6068

2 units delivered

Don't even bother reading this page! buy this Book - "PA - ALCo's Glamour Girl by Andy Romano" - 28 color photo's of every SP/SSW/TNO paint scheme plus one I had not heard of before, plans, rosters, in fact the whole enchilada...

Cotton Belt received 2 PA1's in 1949, painted in the Daylight scheme, in yet another Cotton Belt variation, these had yellow handrails. They only had a single headlight, not receiving signal lights or nose MU sockets, and like the T&NO units did not have dynamic brakes or pilot plows, they did have a larger (1900 gallon) boiler water tank, than SP units.

These were 'nearly' delivered in Black Widow paint, but the decision was made to go with the Daylight paint (with variations as above), after seeing the T&NO painted units.

They were to be numbered 300A and 300B, but as SP was doing away with letter suffixes, and on the Cotton Belt they were to be operated as single units, they were individually numbered 300 and 301 as delivered.

Initally delivered with the 'reverse' Cotton Belt 'Gin Saw' logo, 15 inch "ST LOUIS SOUTHWESTERN" roadname and roadnumbers, hi-viz yellow handrails and grabs, and a black roof, the roof was repainted silver 'within a couple of years'...

By 1956, the roof had been repainted silver, the 'Gin Saw' logo was the normal white with dark blue background, and the roadname was changed to read "COTTON BELT".

In January 1960 these were transferred west still in Daylight paint and silver roof. The 'Gin Saw' logo on the nose was replaced with an "SP", they were relettered "SOUTHERN PACIFIC" and renumbered 6067 and 6068.

They were rebuilt in 1960, painted in 'Blood Nose' paint, and Signal Lights were evidently applied in 1962?

On being transferred west, they were used mainly on Trains 90-91, the Coast Mail an all stops train between San Francisco and Los Angeles, although they did see occasional duty on the Coast Daylight.

See the references below for Books that will provide more information on SSW PA's.

see also: SP PA/PB's

see also: TNO PA's

Prototype References:

• Diesels of the SP, Vol 1, Alco PA's - (there were no more Volumes)
• SP Dieselization by John Bonds Garmany
• Cotton Belt Locomotives by Joe Strapac - Chapter 13, SSW Passenger Diesels
• PA ALCo's Glamor Girl by Andy Romano - 28 color photo's (and that is just the SP stuff), plans, rosters
• Cotton Belt Color Pictorial by Steve Allen Goen
• Southern Pacific Motive Power Review 1967-68 by Joe Strapac
• Southern Pacific Motive Power Review 1978-79 by Joe Strapac
• Southern Pacific Motive Power Review 1983-85 by Joe Strapac

Additional S Scale info courtesy James Baglien.