Texas & New Orleans (SP) GS-1 4-8-4s?

Classic Trains General Discussion
1

I’ve read that the Southern Pacific allocated 4 new GS-1 class 4-8-4s to it’s Texas & New Orleans subsidiary. I also found another source stating there were a total of 11 4-8-4s that operated as T&NO units, so I’m guessing they either sent them another batch (or batches) of new locomotives, or they just transferred some from the Pacific Lines.

What were they used for on the T&NO during their operating lives? Did they start out as passenger power for the Sunset Limited before diesels? Were they freight engines? I would assume they ended up being freight engines regardless of their original purpose in their final years. Or were they used as dual purpose power from the very beginning?

Thanks for any info!

2

The history and numbers of the GS-1s is confusing.

Seven SP locomotives were transferred to T&NO and numbered 704 to 710 in 1941 and 1943.

Two of these 704 (4406) and 710 (4404) were sold to T&NO, the others were leased.

The leased locomotives were returned to SP in 1952-53 and got their old numbers back (although two had numbers 4470-71 for a short time.)

Then the original 700-703 were sold to SP becoming 4470-4473

GS stood for “Golden State”.

It is said that they were mainly used in passenger service until after WWII.

Peter

3

Cotton Belt leased excess northerns to the T&NO in the 1952-53 time frame. The 812-813 and 819 were known to work the T&NO out of El Paso. Another ten Cotton Belt northerns worked for the Espee, meaning that they would have worked over the T&NO to get to Espee rails. Those northerns were the 801-802, 804-805, 807-809, 815, and 817-818.

Ed in Kentucky

4

Did they get to run like a blue streak?

5

Did they get to run like a blue streak?

6

Espee told the War Production Board that GS stood for “General Service” as a ruse to get some built during WW2. Much the same way that MOAB stood for “Massive Ordnance Air Blast”…