· . cpc AUGUST,1978 $1.00 ·Pacilic Ne s ALSO In THIS ISSUE: AMTRAK'S PLAnninG DEPARTMEnT, THE HEBER CREEPER, ESPEE AGREES TO TALK COMMUTES AnD MORE. ��� SOUTHERN PACIFIC BAY AREA STEAM HARRE W. DEMORO Here is a collection of vintage photographs of the vast Southern Pacific steam operations in the ever-popular San Francisco Bay Area, just as these locomotives appeared in over ninety years of steam activity from the early diamond stackers to giant cab forwards and the fabled Oaylight locomotives. Photographers and collectors featured in this book include Ralph W. Demoro, D. S. Richter, Vernon J. Sappers, Waldemar Sievers and Ted Wurm. The book includes data on Southern Pacific steam locomotive types, and a lengthy general history of the railroad's steam operations in the San Francisco Bay Area that serves as the center of this look at steam-powered railroading. SPECIAL PREPUBLICA TlON OFFER This offer expires November 1, 1978 $15.00 Plus tax, of course, in California * Hardbound with a full-color dust jacket and 136 big 8'hx11" pages * Over 160 steam photographs * San Francisco Bay Area track map * SP Bay Area history * Locomotive data * CHATHAM PUBLISHING COMPANY Post Office Box 283 Burlingame, California 94010 Use convenient order blank on back cover. You may. of course, charge all of your book orders. BEARCAT® SCANNERS BEARCATTING PUTS YOU THERE BEARCAT® The incredible Bearcat® radio scanners bring railroad radio action right into your living room, den, automobile, SCANNERS whatever. Hear all the ra ilroad radio activity in your area THE IDEAL MODELS FOR tonight - do not wait another day. Both crystal and new ALL OF YOUR crystalless programmable integrated circuit models are RAILROAD RADIO now available for immediate shipment. LISTENING ACTIVITIES Two small hand-held models al low complete freedomof Bearcat Hand Held . ... $9 9. 95 movement in both four-channel and six-channel radios. Model BC SP-H/L Two programmable crystalless models allow unlimited 4-Channel crystal scanner scanning capability, including search features and Bearcat Four-Six ..... $1 49.95 operation on both home and automobile voltages . Model BC Four-Six New 6-Channel crystal scanner Send SSAE for brochure - Telephone charge orders shipped the same day. Shipping charges: for both shipping and insurance costs, at $6.00 for programmable Crystal certificates ..... $4 .50 models and $2.50 for hand-held crystal models. Radios are shipped United Parcel Service: a street address is required. California residents add sales tax to your orders. With radio ............. $4 .00 OPTIONAL ITEMS FOR HAND-HELD MODELS Bearcat 250 .... .. ... $3 39.95 Battery charger/AC adaptor unit: $15.95: New 6-Channel model comes with Programmable - no crystals rubber antenna, flexible rubber antenna for 4-Channel model is $7.50. New 50-Channel crystalless ORDER FROM Bearcat 210 ... ...... $249.95 CHATHAM PUBLISHING COMPANY Programmable - no crystals Post Office Box 283, Burlingame, California 94010 10-Channel crystalless 2 AUGUST, 1978 Pacific No.202 lie s AUGUST, 1978 VOLUME 18 NO.8 KARL R. KOENIG • EDITOR HARRE W. DEMORO ... ........ EDITORIAL STAFF TOM GRAy ............. .. .. PRODUCTION STAFF HAROLD C. KOENIG .. ........ EDITORIAL STAFF JO HN PARSON ... ... ..............OFF ICE STAFF D. S. RiCHTER .. ............... EDITORIAL STAFF GARY VIELBAUM ........ .. ... STAFF LIBRARIAN Kenneth M. Ardinger ....................Contributing Staff Edward M. Berntsen ......... ............Contributing Staff George R. Cockle .........•.............Contr ibuting Staff Doug E. Cummings ......................Contributing Staff • • • To m Eikeren kotter .......................Contr ibuting Staff ITherenside is a story thatChatham circulates among magazine editors, in any field, Robert L. Hogan .........................Contributing Staff not just railroading publications, that readers never seem to notice Don Jewell .............•................Contributing Staff comments on how best to submit material. Why not help lay this rumor Joe McMillan ............................Contributing Staff to rest once and for all? Ken Meeker .. ...........................Contributing Staff Peter J.Replinger .......................Cont ributing Staff Do not send NEWS any photographs for our possible use PACIFIC Virg il C. Staff ............................Cont ributing Staff without your full name and address on the back of each and every view, F. Hoi Wagner, Jr .. ......................Contr ibuting Staff and please provide a full caption - especially your reasons for thinking J. Harlen Wilson .........................Contr ibuting Staff the topic is a news photo if that is the reason for sending it. Working conditions have been known to increase the pressure to the point that even photographs of obvious news value are not recognized as such and C'1X ©Contents Copyright 1978 without the caption your view could be filed or returned in error. And, speaking of returns, please be sure to include return postage so ALL RIGHTS RESERVED we can send back to you material we are unable to use. We can not IN THIS MONTH'S PACIFIC NEWS return black-and-white prints that we have pu blished, but once McKEEN .. ............. ......................... 4 reproduction and file needs for color work are completed your slide WESTERN FOREST INDUSTRIES ......, , ..... , " 5 used in PA CIFlC N EWSwill be on its way home to your collection. We SOUTHERN PACIFIC AUGUST 1ST ROSTER . 6 do receive many slides we can keep, however, so if that is the case please A VISIT WITH AMTRAK'S PLANNERS ........... 10 be sure to tell us. We file them all for future needs and certainly UPGRADING UTAH'S HEBER CREEPER ........ 12 appreciate the opportunity to have a selection of color photography at RAILROADING COLUMNS ........... .... ... .. 14 hand for research work. CAMERA CAR PHOTO SECTION ............... 19 What is the quickest way to get a photograph published in this SHORT STUFF ................................. 25 SP AG REES TO TALK COMMUTES .... .. , ... .. 26 magazine? Send us an 8x I 0 print of a newsworthy railroad scene west of NEWS PHOTOS ................................ 27 the Mississippi River with your name, address and a complete caption EXCURSIONS/CLASSIFIED ..................... 30 on the back. You'll probably be in the very next issue. Without the BOOK REVIEWS/LETTERS ..................... 31 caption, name or address the chance will be lost, fo r experience has shown that in spite of our greatest effort when we need any SUBSCRIPTIONS BY DIRECT MAIL accompanying letter for caption or photographer data it seems In United States, Canada and Mexico: $10.00 for one impossible to match paper with photograph. If your name and address year, $18.00 for two years. SIngle copies $1.00. Foreign: is only on the envelope you use to send the material to us, please $11.00 per year. Foreign - only - First Class and Air consider that envelope and contents are separated forever at our mail Mail rates are available upon a specific written request. desk on their way in the door and your chance for either return or CHATHAM PUBLISHING COMPANY publication is lost. Post Office Box 283, Burlingame, California 94010 USA You will quickly notice that this issue has quite a spread of interesting • articles on western railroading, ranging from new locomotives and ALL PHOTOGRAPHS (ONLY) ARE PAtD FOR UPON PUBLICATION rebuilt track in Utah to Amtrak planning for those new Superliner cars ARTICLES IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE CONTRIBUTED BY ITS READERS that keep being postponed for long-haul passenger trains here in this PACIFIC NEWS is published monthly by the Chatham Publishing Company. 1012 Oak Grove Avenue, Burlingame. California 94010. West of ours. From main line Southern Pacific to a six-wheel Plymouth (415) 348-033l. Printed in the U.S.A. Second Class postage paid at on Canada's Vancouver Island this issue is full of railroad adventure Burlingame, California 94010. PACIFIC NEWS assumes no responsibility for the safe return of editorial or advertising material. Acceptable that our authors are willing to share. Won't you share a story or a news photographs are filed for potential future publication and are paid for upon use. Advertising rates are available on request for rate card. report in an upcoming issue of PACIFIC NEWS? We can not do it • alone from Burlingame; your help is essential. -Karl R. Koenig CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Post office does not regularly forward 2nd Class COVER: At Stege, milepost 13.1 northbound out of Oakland, Mail and PACIFIC NEWS will not replace copies not forwarded and destroyed by the post office - replacement copies, and post office California, two of Southern Pacific's Morrison-Knudsen TE70-4S notification charges, will be billed. Please allow PACIFIC NEWS at least units hustle freight this past March 9. (Vic Neves) four weeks for any address changes to insure uninterrupted mail delivery. PACIFIC NEWS 3 C. G. Hcimerdinger. Jr. collection development of the gas-electric car in time ended the market for the McKeen Motor Car and after less than two decades of production the final car was built for McKeen's last customer. Southern Pacific, which during the early 1900's was part of the Harriman-controlled railroads, along with Union Pacific, obtained thirty-nine McKeen cars for its Pacific Lines between 1908 and 1911. The cars were heavily used on branch lines, as well as on lightly-traveled main line runs where the cars were McKeen • • • welcome relief from conventional steam-powered passenger trains. Along Southern Pacific's routes, the development