From Flimsies, I learned that Southern Pacific 4-6-2 2472 was going to be leading a round-trip excursion from San Luis Obispo to Tangier to celebrate the centennial of the track connection allowing trains from the north to descend the Cuesta Grade into San Luis Obispo, making it possible to travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles without changing trains. Armed with the information needed, I called the City's Chamber of Commerce for a ticket then called the Budget Motel for a night's stay and purchased a round-trip ticket on the Santa Barbara section of the San Diegan with the Thruway Bus to San Luis Obispo.
Southern Pacific 2472 HistoryThe Golden Gate Railroad Museum began in 1975 as Project 2472, a group of volunteers formed to restore the former Southern Pacific 4-6-2 2472. It had been donated to the San Mateo County Fairgrounds and left sitting for more than 29 years. The locomotive was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works and delivered to Southern Pacific as a member of the "P-8" class in 1921. It was specifically designed to haul passenger trains on the Overland Route between Sparks, Nevada and Ogden, Utah. On the Pacific Limited and the Overland Limited trains, it averaged more than 10,000 miles a month. As newer power in the form of the MT Class 4-82 Mountains were purchased, the Pacifics were reassigned to California and used on secondary trains.
In the 1940s, many of the P8 Class of engines moved to the Peninsula Commute service between San Francisco and San Jose. In the 1950s, all the P8 locomotives were scrapped except for two — 2467 in Harrison Park, Oakland and 2472 at the San Mateo Fairgrounds. 2472 was moved from San Mateo in 1990 to a newly-acquired restoration faculty at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. The restoration was completed in time for the 2472 to participate in Railfair '91 held at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, where it was joined by many other locomotives from around the country. 2472 operated many mainline excursions in the 1990's including trips to Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Watsonville (doubleheaded with Southern Pacific 4449), Sacramento, Tracy and many trips on the San JoseSan Francisco line.
The TripOn May 5th, I rode Train 771 to Santa Barbara then transferred to the Thruway Bus to San Luis Obispo then was checked in before returning to the station to watch both Coast Starlights pass through. The train reversed down to the depot and everyone boarded loaded its passengers into a mostly-Daylight consist.
We departed at 4:00 PM as the rain started again and proceeded southeast out of town through the Southern Pacific yard. After a few miles, we crossed the Corral de Piedro, entered Price Canyon and snaked our way through with 2472's whistle echoing off the canyon walls. We ducked under Highway 101 before entering Grover Beach and to the right you could see the Pacific Ocean. With sand dunes to the west, we travelled through Oceano before climbing the short hill out of the Cienega Valley with Celery Lake and White Lake below then crested the grade with a tank farm on the left and entered the Santa Maria Valley.
We crossed Oso Creek, went across the rich farm land until we crossed the Santa Maria River and entered the town of Guadalupe. At the south end of town, the Santa Maria Valley Railroad took off to the east as we started to climb the Casmalia Hills and from the location of Waldorf looking down into the Santa Maria Valley, I could see the Holly Sugar Plant at Betteravia. We then ascended the grade between the hills to Devon before turning west down Shuman Canyon with the Casmalia Hills running northwest to Point Sal. Our route went south up onto the San Antonio Terrace with the sand dunes to the west and the Pacific Ocean just beyond, then we passed through Narlon, crossed San Antonio Creek and climbed onto the Burton Mesa to Tangier, just east of Point Purisima on Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Here the steam engine and train were wyed for the return journey to San Luis Obispo. We made good time back, arriving just after dark to finish a very unique trip with Southern Pacific 4-6-2 2472 then I walked back to the hotel.
5/8/1994 The next morning I was up early and walked back to the Amtrak station to take the Thruway Bus to Santa Barbara and the San Diegan for home.
Later that month, I finished my first year as a special education instructional assistant at McFadden Intermediate.
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