Love that a popular excursion star was a regular here in the Central Valley. Here’s SP GS4 No. 4449 crossing the San Joaquin River at Herndon (near Fresno) on June 19, 1955. Photo by Stan Kistler. - ThreadSky

kcvulpinestudios.bsky.social • 16 days ago

Love that a popular excursion star was a regular here in the Central Valley.

Here’s SP GS4 No. 4449 crossing the San Joaquin River at Herndon (near Fresno) on June 19, 1955.

Photo by Stan Kistler.

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danlansdowne.bsky.social•16 days ago

I'm surprised it kept its warbaby paint that long.

kcvulpinestudios.bsky.social•16 days ago

Actually, they wore their livery through the war. I’ve see pics of the engine in the ‘50s wearing the Daylight livery.

This look was actually during their later years when the GS units were demoted to secondary passenger services and freight trains.

railfangxy.bsky.social•16 days ago

Not that long. The last dozen GS-4/5’s were kept colorful and dressed for standby duty. They weren’t stripped until the Coast Daylight was fully dieselized in ‘55 so 4449 was like this - General Service - for a years. She was in this condition at Oak Park longer than in the Valley

interurbanera.bsky.social•16 days ago

It wore it into retirement and that's how it looked until the 1970s when Doyle and co rescued it from the park & restored it. I'd love to know when the first time it was painted back into daylight, I haven't seen a definite date.

kcvulpinestudios.bsky.social•15 days ago

Not really. She got her Daylight appearance back after the war, even wearing it on a special excursion to Owen’s Valley.

interurbanera.bsky.social•15 days ago

So why on earth was she returned to warbaby in retirement? So weird.

kcvulpinestudios.bsky.social•15 days ago

It was when steam got bumped off the express train service. What happened was these units were backup powered until the Daylight services were dieselized. Afterwards, they were assigned to secondary trains like commuter runs. This resulted in their black livery.

chessiepeake.bsky.social•16 days ago

Yeah best I can find so far is "1981 for Railfair at the CSRM"

dariaphoebe.com•16 days ago

Photos exist of Freedom Train livery in 1977 and very fresh Daylight in 1981; contemporary accounts put it into the roundhouse for refurb work in advance of Railfair 81 and the California state railroad museum opening so it seems reasonable to guess it happened with that refurb

interurbanera.bsky.social•16 days ago

That makes perfect sense!

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