San Joaquin Daylight
Encyclopedia
The San Joaquin Daylight was a Southern Pacific passenger train
(train numbers 51 and 52) inaugurated between Los Angeles
and Oakland Pier
by way of the San Joaquin Valley
and Tehachapi Pass
on July 4, 1941. It operated until the advent of Amtrak
in 1971.
built coaches were assigned to the two train sets, both articulated pairs
and singles. The 40-seat dining car
and parlor-observation car had been built for the original 1937 Daylight. Each train set had ten cars painted in SP's Daylight colors (red and orange, with black roofs and white striping and lettering), and included two head-end cars
rebuilt from heavyweights by the SP Sacramento
shops repainted Daylight colors to match the rest of the train.
steam locomotive
s 2383-2385 after semi-streamlining
them and repainting them in Daylight colors again at the Sacramento shops. A single Pacific was assigned as power between Oakland Pier and Bakersfield. A pair of those Pacifics was assigned to power the San Joaquin Daylight between Los Angeles and Bakersfield. The helper P-10 that led the northbound San Joaquin Daylight from Los Angeles to Bakersfield returned as the helper on the southbound San Joaquin Daylight from Bakersfield.
Diesel power, which replaced steam by 1954, included EMD E-units
and FP7s
and Alco PAs
, later supplemented by GP9s
and SDP45s
.
Streamlined Pacific Locomotive & Tender
5069 Heavyweight Modernized Baggage 30’ Railway Post Office
Car
6091 Heavyweight Modernized Baggage Car
2492 44 Revenue seat Coach
2478 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2477 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
10200 40 seat Dining Car
2480 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2479 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2487 44 Revenue seat Coach
2950 23 Revenue seat Parlor 10 seat Lounge Observation
(Los Angeles – Bakersfield)
2384 P-10 Class 4-6-2 Streamlined Pacific Locomotive and Tender
5017 Heavyweight Modernized Baggage 30’ Railway Post Office Car
6092 Heavyweight Modernized Baggage Car
2493 44 Revenue seat Coach
2482 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2481 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
10201 40 seat Dining Car
2484 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2483 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2488 44 Revenue seat Coach
2951 23 Revenue seat Parlor 10 seat Lounge Observation
, trains 53-54. The two trains ran together from Los Angeles to Lathrop, where they diverged. In 1970 the split moved north from Lathrop to Tracy.
The San Joaquin Daylights dining service was replaced by a coffee-shop car by the 1950s. The parlor-observation car was also removed, though it immediately gained a second life. In 1954 SP placed two of its seven homebuilt dome-lounge cars
in the consists; one of the cars was in fact rebuilt from the train's own parlor-observation car. The dome car was discontinued on the San Joaquin Daylight in the late 1960s.
In 1961, the coffee-shop car in each consist was replaced by SP's automat cars which provided vended meals and non-alcoholic beverages, a self-service microwave oven, and a table area. This lasted to the end of service.
The San Joaquin Daylight operated until April 30, 1971, the day before Amtrak
took over nationwide rail passenger service in the United States. It was partially succeeded in 1974 by the San Joaquins between the Bay Area and Fresno and Bakersfield, albeit over Santa Fe
trackage in the San Joaquin Valley.
, providing sleeping cars and meal and beverage service. It was discontinued in 1965, three years before the Lark
on the Coast Line ended. The West Coast (trains 59-60) performed a similar function for Sacramento-LA passengers until the early 1960s, although unlike the Sacramento Daylight, it was a separate train the entire way.
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
(train numbers 51 and 52) inaugurated between Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Oakland Pier
Oakland Long Wharf
The Oakland Long Wharf, later known as the Oakland Pier or the SP Mole was a massive railroad wharf and ferry pier in Oakland, California. It was located at the foot of Seventh Street....
by way of the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
and Tehachapi Pass
Tehachapi Pass
Tehachapi Pass is a mountain pass crossing the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, California in the United States. The route over the pass connects the San Joaquin Valley to the Mojave Desert...
on July 4, 1941. It operated until the advent of Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
in 1971.
Passenger cars
Pullman-StandardPullman Company
The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
built coaches were assigned to the two train sets, both articulated pairs
Articulated vehicle
An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivoting joint in its construction, allowing the vehicle to turn more sharply. There are many kinds of articulated vehicles, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains...
and singles. The 40-seat dining car
Dining car
A dining car or restaurant carriage , also diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant....
and parlor-observation car had been built for the original 1937 Daylight. Each train set had ten cars painted in SP's Daylight colors (red and orange, with black roofs and white striping and lettering), and included two head-end cars
Baggage car
A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
rebuilt from heavyweights by the SP Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
shops repainted Daylight colors to match the rest of the train.
Locomotives
For power the road initially assigned three P-10 class Pacific4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s 2383-2385 after semi-streamlining
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
them and repainting them in Daylight colors again at the Sacramento shops. A single Pacific was assigned as power between Oakland Pier and Bakersfield. A pair of those Pacifics was assigned to power the San Joaquin Daylight between Los Angeles and Bakersfield. The helper P-10 that led the northbound San Joaquin Daylight from Los Angeles to Bakersfield returned as the helper on the southbound San Joaquin Daylight from Bakersfield.
Diesel power, which replaced steam by 1954, included EMD E-units
EMD E-unit
EMD E-units were a line of passenger train diesel locomotives built by the General Motors Electro-Motive Division and its predecessor the Electro-Motive Corporation . Final assembly for all E-units was in La Grange, Illinois. Production ran from May, 1937, to December, 1963. The name E-units...
and FP7s
EMD FP7
The EMD FP7 was a , B-B dual-service passenger and freight-hauling diesel locomotive produced between June 1949 and December 1953 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant, excepting locomotives destined for...
and Alco PAs
ALCO PA
ALCO PA refers to a family of A1A-A1A diesel locomotives built to haul passenger trains that were built in Schenectady, New York in the United States by a partnership of the American Locomotive Company and General Electric between June, 1946 and December, 1953...
, later supplemented by GP9s
EMD GP9
An EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in the United States, and General Motors Diesel in Canada between January, 1954, and August, 1963. US production ended in December, 1959, while an additional thirteen units were built in Canada, including...
and SDP45s
EMD SDP45
The EMD SDP45 was a six-axle, C-C, diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois. It was fundamentally a passenger-hauling version of the SD45 on a stretched locomotive frame and with an extended, squared-off long hood at the rear, aft of the radiators,...
.
First consist
2383 P-10 class 4-6-24-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
Streamlined Pacific Locomotive & Tender
5069 Heavyweight Modernized Baggage 30’ Railway Post Office
Railway post office
In the United States a railway post office, commonly abbreviated as RPO, was a railroad car that was normally operated in passenger service as a means to sort mail en route, in order to speed delivery. The RPO was staffed by highly trained Railway Mail Service postal clerks, and was off-limits to...
Car
6091 Heavyweight Modernized Baggage Car
Baggage car
A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
2492 44 Revenue seat Coach
2478 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2477 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
10200 40 seat Dining Car
2480 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2479 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2487 44 Revenue seat Coach
2950 23 Revenue seat Parlor 10 seat Lounge Observation
Second consist
2385 P-10 Class 4-6-2 Streamlined Pacific Locomotive and Tender (Helper)(Los Angeles – Bakersfield)
2384 P-10 Class 4-6-2 Streamlined Pacific Locomotive and Tender
5017 Heavyweight Modernized Baggage 30’ Railway Post Office Car
6092 Heavyweight Modernized Baggage Car
2493 44 Revenue seat Coach
2482 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2481 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
10201 40 seat Dining Car
2484 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2483 Articulated 46 Revenue seat Coach
2488 44 Revenue seat Coach
2951 23 Revenue seat Parlor 10 seat Lounge Observation
Later history
In 1946 a Sacramento section of the San Joaquin Daylight was introduced, named the Sacramento DaylightSacramento Daylight
The Sacramento Daylight was a named passenger train operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad, part of the family of "Daylights" which included the San Joaquin Daylight, Shasta Daylight, Coast Daylight, and Sunbeam...
, trains 53-54. The two trains ran together from Los Angeles to Lathrop, where they diverged. In 1970 the split moved north from Lathrop to Tracy.
The San Joaquin Daylights dining service was replaced by a coffee-shop car by the 1950s. The parlor-observation car was also removed, though it immediately gained a second life. In 1954 SP placed two of its seven homebuilt dome-lounge cars
Dome car
A dome car is a type of railway passenger car that has a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. It also can include features of a coach, lounge car, dining car or observation...
in the consists; one of the cars was in fact rebuilt from the train's own parlor-observation car. The dome car was discontinued on the San Joaquin Daylight in the late 1960s.
In 1961, the coffee-shop car in each consist was replaced by SP's automat cars which provided vended meals and non-alcoholic beverages, a self-service microwave oven, and a table area. This lasted to the end of service.
The San Joaquin Daylight operated until April 30, 1971, the day before Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
took over nationwide rail passenger service in the United States. It was partially succeeded in 1974 by the San Joaquins between the Bay Area and Fresno and Bakersfield, albeit over Santa Fe
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
trackage in the San Joaquin Valley.
Overnight: The Owl and the West Coast
The overnight counterpart to the San Joaquin Daylight was the Owl, trains 57-58, between Oakland and Los AngelesUnion Station (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...
, providing sleeping cars and meal and beverage service. It was discontinued in 1965, three years before the Lark
Lark (passenger train)
The Lark was an overnight passenger train of the Southern Pacific Company on the 470-mile run between San-Francisco and Los-Angeles. It became a streamliner on July 10, 1941 and was discontinued in April 1968...
on the Coast Line ended. The West Coast (trains 59-60) performed a similar function for Sacramento-LA passengers until the early 1960s, although unlike the Sacramento Daylight, it was a separate train the entire way.
See also
- Coast Daylight
- San Joaquin, Amtrak CaliforniaAmtrak CaliforniaAmtrak California is a brand name used by the Caltrans Division of Rail for all state-supported Amtrak rail routes within the U.S. State of California...
's service to the Central Valley - Sacramento DaylightSacramento DaylightThe Sacramento Daylight was a named passenger train operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad, part of the family of "Daylights" which included the San Joaquin Daylight, Shasta Daylight, Coast Daylight, and Sunbeam...
- Southern Pacific 4449Southern Pacific 4449Southern Pacific 4449 is the only surviving example of Southern Pacific Railroad's GS-4 class of steam locomotives. The GS-4 is a streamlined 4-8-4 type steam locomotive...
locomotive in "Daylight" paint scheme