Just read a copy of Ralph Church’s “Stranded Streamliner” about the 1952 marrooning of the “City of San Francisco” in the Sierra snowslide, a great riveting story of all the attempted rescues. But one picture, of a rotary at Emigrant Gap (after the pax had been rescued) showed a rotary with a TWO HEADLIGHTED steam loco in the background, and the caption says that was a 4-8-2, even gives a number of one of that class; I thought only the GS4 class of 4-8-4 had headlights like that. Also, does anyone know if the F-unit diesels that brought the rescue train down “the Hill” were replaced by a GS at Roseville for the duration of the run to Oakland Pier, as I assume as the growlers were wanted for the actual opening of the Hill?
I’m not familiar w/ the book you mentioned but the only other SP steam engine class w/ the double headlights were the 2 GS-5s and they were basically GS-4s w/ roller bearings instead of solid.
No 4300 series 4-8-2s had two lights on the front. Only 4-8-4s 4430-4459 had the double lights. However, the 4300’s were equipped with skyline cases that forced the bell to be moved up front and could be easily confused with a headlight.
I think I see the pic you’re looking at. If so, it is a 4-8-2, with one headlight.