Southern Pacific 4443: Fresno Flyer | Oakland - Fresno

Southern Pacific 4443: Fresno Flyer | Oakland - Fresno | March 24, 1957

Рет қаралды 14,957

Жыл бұрын

On March 24th, 1957, the California-Nevada Railroad Historical Society sponsored an excursion from Oakland to Fresno and return, making a circle trip out of the two valley mainlines. Power for the trip was a classic Southern Pacific GS4 4-8-4, and ran out to Tracy via Niles Canyon and Altamont Pass before heading to Fresno on the West Side Line by way of Los Banos. Once at Fresno the consist was turned and returned to Oakland on the Fresno Line by way of Merced. The train is chased out of Oakland, and is followed all the way to Fresno after leaving the Mole, and is photographed through Niles Canyon and on Altamont Pass. In addition to the regular trackside views there are also 3 photo runbys, two of which are running rich on the oil!
This video is comprised of 8mm and 16mm movies from 4 different railfans, and shows SP steam winding down on a high note with the show put on by the GS4!
Enjoy your trip down the valley on the Fresno Flyer!

Пікірлер: 54

@nikhilmurthy7096 Жыл бұрын

11:13 and 11:56. Note the train indicator boards changed from "X4443" to "51"! This indicates that the Oakland to Fresno portion via the West Valley Line through Los Banos was run as an "Extra Train" and the Fresno to Oakland portion via the San Joaquin Valley through Merced was run as the "San Joaquin Daylight."

@denizen9998 7 ай бұрын

They are such a complicated marvel of engineering and artistry only to end up with the cutters' torch.

@thomasavensjr.2790 Жыл бұрын

I really enjoy observing these farewell to steam operation special excursions, it's a shame that SP 4443 was scrapped but at least SP 4449 and 4460 still remain in existence. The black/ silver paint scheme on the SP Mountain types and the GS class 4-8-4 types was attractive to see in passenger hauling service.

@geohig01 Жыл бұрын

Outstanding video - my father took me to see this train. What wonderful footage and memories for me.

@santanagarza1313 Ай бұрын

Dang! One of 4449’s fallen sister 4443 does a great excursion from Oakland to Fresno ❤

@ilikeminecraftgaming9331 9 ай бұрын

Nice to see a GS-4 beside 4449!

@berkeleygang1834 Жыл бұрын

Another fine production. Thanks again from making these films available here on KZfaq. Keep up the good work!

@bob_beingessner Жыл бұрын

Great production, Hunter. Brings back memories of the west valley line; we lived in Los Banos in the '60s while working on construction of San Luis Dam. Now not even the rails run through there. Got a kick out of the heavy oil smoke during the runbys!

@HunterLohseRRVideos Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it Bob! I loved hearing all your stories of the stuff you used to do kicking around trackside in the 50s and 60s whenever you’d come into the store when I was there!

@alwaysbearded1 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this production. I still remember the gas tanks in Oakland that appear at the beginning. One of my early memories. Thought the run would have originated at the Wood St. Station. The station was heavily vandalized and fragments of the platforms still exist including a portion now preserved in a housing development located next to the station. Soon all the land around there will be redeveloped and I hope at least the station will be properly reused. That station is another of my early memories, going there to pick up my grandparents who would travel from Buffalo NY to visit.

@donharsh1503 Жыл бұрын

Awesome locomotive and watching enjoying too AWESOME VIDEO ❤❤

@danielboone3770 Жыл бұрын

😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩 A wonderful production.

@johnfitzgerald1192 10 ай бұрын

1:53 That's a nice scene for a model set.

@TrainLordJC Жыл бұрын

Wonderful video, great footage showing the heyday of SP steam. Seeing those classic cars on the roads was an additional bonus. Greetings from South Australia and I have subscribed to your channel.

@2quintly 3 ай бұрын

Great stuff, I bet the poor fireman was "sanding the flues" after those photo run-bys. I'd also guess the narrator wasn't even born when this event happened, although I must give him credit for knowing steam engine terminology well.

@jamesharness6478 Жыл бұрын

Excellent! Thanks for posting!

@BruceFJRay Жыл бұрын

What a great video. Thank you.

@lazzy._.looserlol9321 Жыл бұрын

Please!!!!!!! like I’m begging you!!!! Upload more Fresno train videos!!!

@jacksalvin364 Жыл бұрын

Extra 4443 East: The Fresno Flyer.

@SuperFoxyRailwayProduction6702 Жыл бұрын

I remember that 4443 had a movie before been retired and scrapped.

@tracksofnyc Жыл бұрын

Yes it's in the video toward the end Sinatra and Kim Kovach

@ShinGhidorah17 10 ай бұрын

@@tracksofnyc It’s actually at the beginning.

@cathrynm Жыл бұрын

SP. Rest in peace.

@Bri-rb5lq 10 ай бұрын

Like the black livery

@Bri-rb5lq 10 ай бұрын

❤

@billimplom6610 Жыл бұрын

I was a 11 year old kid living in Walnut Creek Ca. saw lots of SP steam . untill the end in 1957. that's when I saw the last steam engine roll by my grammer school.

@JungleYT Жыл бұрын

*Researched 4443... Sadly it was sold for scrap in 1958. Was hoping this was the black GS on display in St. Louis, Missouri, but that's GS-6 4460, that also pulled last steam powered SP train in 1958*

@lynn4205 Жыл бұрын

Strange, that whole run this old girl did and NO DERAILMENTS !!! MUST BE SLEEPY WAS SLEEPIN.

@kaseyleitchnextgen3281 Жыл бұрын

Scrapped a whole year after its appearance on Pal Joey.

@nathancorcoran5347 Жыл бұрын

Honestly, if they have preserved Southern Pacific 4443, it could’ve been displayed at the Amtrak-Caltrain San Francisco Train Station.

@mikehawk2003 Жыл бұрын

Amtrak never used it barring a small window of time in 1971. SP only put locomotives on display at the request of a city or organization, so I don't believe putting one on their own property would make much sense if they could just make money off it scrapping it.

@nathancorcoran5347 Жыл бұрын

@@mikehawk2003 But it’s true.

@mikehawk2003 Жыл бұрын

How so?

@nathancorcoran5347 Жыл бұрын

@@mikehawk2003 Because there are some space for a large locomotive to fit there. And since the SP has used that same station before.

@mikehawk2003 11 ай бұрын

@@nathancorcoran5347There wasn't any space at 3rd and Townsend St. Station. All of the property was filled up by tracks or buildings. The track that was used to display 4449 in 1975 was still being used until 1971 for the Daylight and Lark trains. The SP President at the time was a very money-efficient man, and made it clear he was not interested in preserving any steam locomotives on SP property beyond very few exceptions.

@barksatyoubarks Жыл бұрын

Hi Hunter, excellent video!! I live in Fresno and I was hoping I could ask how you got a hold of some of the footage of the Fresno depot. I'm working on a video project about the Belmont Subway a little to the north of the SP depot in Fresno, and those clips would be amazing if I could use them. It's really hard to find footage of the depot still in use. Thank you!!

@HunterLohseRRVideos Жыл бұрын

Contact the archives at the Western Railway Museum, as that is where those films were sourced, and personally, I’d say if you are doing a project like the Belmont Subway what we have in photos and diagrams is most likely better and would be more conducive to your project than any of this footage

@captvictor Жыл бұрын

man, fantastic trip, wonder how much of the Audio track was live?

@HunterLohseRRVideos Жыл бұрын

None, all post production, home movies at this time were traditionally silent

@alwaysbearded1 Жыл бұрын

@@HunterLohseRRVideos Does that explain steam whistles and what sounds like a ship whistle from the same loco?

@HunterLohseRRVideos Жыл бұрын

@@alwaysbearded1 No that is prototypical, GS4 locomotives had a steam whistle and an air horn

@alwaysbearded1 Жыл бұрын

@@HunterLohseRRVideos Cool, must have had an impressive air reservoir for such a large air horn. (kidding, I know all the sound was post production just like my dad's old 8/super 8.)

@danosf Жыл бұрын

@@alwaysbearded1 They used the same type air horn (Leslie A-200's) as was used on E and F units from the '40s through the early '50s. SP usually used the air horn at crossings with steam engines that had them.

@SuperFoxyRailwayProduction6702 10 ай бұрын

8:55

@JOEMAMA_534 7 ай бұрын

SP 4455's whistle, recorded going into a tunnel.

@RobDaCoolE1 Жыл бұрын

The whistle sounds like a up challenger

@HunterLohseRRVideos Жыл бұрын

It isn’t, all of these sounds are SP steam

@JOEMAMA_534 3 ай бұрын

Most of what you hear is from either 4449 during AFT or from the cab of 4455 in 1957

@DovregubbenProductions-vn3vy 11 ай бұрын

Strange. It didn’t blow its whistle at all. Just it’s air horn.

@DovregubbenProductions-vn3vy 11 ай бұрын

9:00 oh I was wrong.

@thealexshow2890 10 ай бұрын

2:06 it also blow it hear

@genepoon8905 10 ай бұрын

Air horn instead of steam whistle was standard procedure on SP engines so equipped. But often on excursions, the steam whistle was operated for the fans.