Don’t laugh… I really don’t know…
What is a Daylight Locomotive. I’ve seen photos of them, but why are that called that.
I told you it was a dumb question…
First of all, there’s no such thing as a dumb question on this forum. The only dumb questions are those that don’t get asked. Secondly, I have absolutely no idea the answer to your question. Let’s hope someone comes along that does so we’ll both know…
Tracklayer
When someone says “a Daylight Locomotive,” they are usually refering to the Southern Pacific 4-8-4 steamer, number 4449, dressed in a bright orange and red scheme, resembling the colors of a sunset.
No, no Trainfreak409. I think our friend wants to know “why” it’s called the Daylight… My reply to this would be that they had to call it something (?)…
Tracklayer
don’t quote me on this, but i believe the daylight was an SP passenger train using the daylight paint scheme, and a daylight locomotive refers to any of the locomotives that might have pulled it.
I think that it’s because the colours are representative of daylight, or at least a good sunrise. Whenever I see them, I think of a nice, sunny day because they’re o bright.
Matthew
The Daylights got there name if I am not mistaked because they travelled the 400 scenic miles between LA and San Fancisco in of all things, “the daylight” There was the Coast Daylight along the ocean and the San Joquin Daylight that went up through Bakersfield. There may have been others. I am no SP expert. Some called them the most beautiful trains ever but that is highly subjective. Some of the GS class were painted in the red and orange paint scheme ala the one remaining and were dubbed the “daylights”
You’re all wrong. As a powerful 4-8-4, it hauled passenger butt so quickly that it scared the living daylights…
The SP “Daylight” train name came about from the SF (actually Oakland) - LA run made entirely within daylight hours. The paint scheme came later, as did the additional “Daylight” trains.
The Daylight locomotive is the SP GS-4 449, as stated. It got its name similar to the Challenger; it was named after SP streamliner the Daylight. Which it did haul, though the daylight was pulled by diesels in later years just as was UP’s Challenger. So were the other SP freight 4-8-4 called Daylights? And speaking of stupid question what does the term “Espee” differs in meaning from the SP and what does it mean?
Espee is just the phonetic pronunciation of SP, In a similar vien, Beano is B&O.
Dave H.
A Daylight Locomotive is any locomotive painted in the Coast Daylight paint scheme. Although 4449 is the most famous “Daylight Locomotive” there have also been F-units and even SD-40s painted in the Daylight paint scheme.
As far as I can tell there were the Coast Daylight, San Joaquin Daylight, Sacramento Daylight, and Shasta Daylight. After a while, SP decided to paint the equipment for these trains in an appropiate (Daylight) scheme, including the locomotives. However, I believe the names outlasted the paint schemes.
During the 1970s, SP had four U25Bs rebuilt into TE-70-4S. They were painted in a Daylightesque scheme. They were also nicknamed “popsicles”. Here is a link to some SP equipment painted in Daylight inspired paint schemes.
In the early 1980s, SP experimented with painting SD40R (classified by SP as an SD40-2) SP 7342 into a couple of variations of the Daylight scheme and the SD44R (classified as an SD44-2 by SP) SP 7399 into a variation of the Daylight scheme.
I wonder why none of the SP fans who probably know more about the Daylights than I do have responded.
No such thing as a dumb question. These were 4-8-4 locomotives called GS-4’s. They had a paint scheme of orange, red, and black. The locomotives were numbered in the 4000 series, the only survivor of this type of locomotive is the 4449 out of Portland. They were named Daylight because during the long days of summer, traveling between San Fransisco, and Los Angeles, long rays of “daylight” would shine in through the windows of the passenger cars. Eventually, the steamers were replaced by diesels.
this is the SP daylight passenger train which ran on the west coast of california…there were two sister passenger trains also the southern pacific sunset and the cotton belt sunbeam …the original locomotive was a GS-4 and then was pulled by Alco Pa 1 and 2 A & B units…about the time amtrak took over in the late 60’s, the last few runs were pulled by EMD F and E 7 A and B units…chuck
Alco PA-1 (Cotton Belt)
F7 A and B units SP (Black Widows)
Awesome stuff. All I knew about was the basic idea of SP Daylight passenger runs, but not all this detail. Thanks!
After reading the above 15 responses 3 times, can anyone tell me the answer to the question??
Sure. Technically, there’s no such thing as a “Daylight” locomotive. In the mid-30’s the SP decided to upgrade the heavyweight “Daylight”, which had been running since the 20’s to streamliner status. After initially looking at an articlulated diesel unit (along the lines of the Pioneer Zephyr, but not identical), it was decided to go with light-weight passenger cars hauled by a steam locomotive as this would provide more flexibility. Two 12 car trainsets were ordered and Lima won the contract for 6 streamlined steam locomotives which essentially were upgraded and streamlined versions of the GS-1 4-8-4’s which were Baldwin built in 1930.
SP 4-8-4 classes GS-2, GS-3, GS-4 and GS-5 were all used on the “Daylight”. There were 6 GS-2’s (#'s 4410-4415), 14 GS-3’s (#'s 4416-4429), 28 GS-4’s (#'s 4430-4457) and 2 GS-5’s (#4458 and #4459). The only difference between the GS-4’s and the GS-5’s is that the 2 GS-5’s were equipped with roller bearings whereas the GS-4’s used the SP patented spring-pad lubricator.
The GS-2’s were outshopped in early 1937, the GS-3’s later in 1937 and the GS-4/5 were outshopped in 1941 and 1942. All these locomotives were factory painted in the “Daylight” color scheme. In addition to the “Daylight”, they were used on other SP 1st class passenger trains.
Of the 4 classes mentioned above, the classes most closely identified with the “Daylight” are the 28 GS-4’s and their 2 GS-5 sisters as these were the prime locomotives on the “Daylight” from 1941 until it was dieselized in January, 1955. Most of the “Daylight” painted engines had been de-skirted and painted black by the early 1950’s except for those locomotives in the “Daylight”, “Lark” and “Starlight” (overnight coach train, although it usually carried a couple of Pullmans until it was merged with the all Pullman “Lark” in
Neat seeing the SP BlackWidow pic’s there Chuck. I just got a SP BlackWidow F A & B unit. The FA unit has a camera installed, and the FB unit is powered to pu***he FA unit. First time I had seen them anywhere before I bought these units. Thanks for the pic’s.
OkieRRr
ITs called that because the daylight limited pasenger train that was painted in that paint traveled from sanfransisco to portland in daylight hours