| Double Diesel Locomotive.
Double unit American Locomotive Company (ALCO) class PA-1 heavy diesel locomotive. Diesel electric propulsion. Southern Pacific Railroad Daylight paint scheme.
sOURCE: WWW.MAERKLIN.DE
Trains in California. The Southern Pacifics Daylight concept first appeared in 1937 with the Coast Daylight train between the railroads home town in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The cars were painted with broad bands in gleaming orange and light red on a dark background; the marvelous Golden State class steam locomotives were painted in a similar fashion. Other trains in the Daylight series followed such as the Sacramento Daylight, the Noon Daylight or the overnight train Sunset Limited. From 1953 on, the GS-2 to GS-5 Northern locomotives (4-8-4 wheel arrangement) as the motive power for the Daylight trains were replaced by diesel locomotives. In addition to the EMD E and F type locomotives, the majestic ALCO PA engines were the chief motive power for the trains. Over 60 of this locomotive design were finally delivered for the SP and its subsidiary companies in the Daylight colors. Locomotives for other trains also ran in this design, which was brand identification for the Southern Pacific well into the Sixties. After that, these locomotives were given a simpler but striking red-gray paint scheme. With the reorganization of national passenger service by Amtrak, several Daylight trains were still run after 1971, but only in the silver standard design and, most importantly, without the famous ALCO PA locomotives. Amtrak did not take these great machines into its motive power roster of passenger locomotives. The Southern Pacific used part of the PA series in freight service and traded part in towards new locomotives. |
