Southern Pacific Daylight Locomotives

by Robert J. Church

Daylight Loco. jacket

Among the signature steam locomotives of the Southern Pacific was surely the Daylight 4-8-4. From the earliest unstreamlined GS-1 Class, to the famous GS-4 (and preserved member of the class no. 4449), and including the Cotton Belt engines which came west in the 1950s, these were all distinctive SP power of the late steam era.

Southern Pacific steam locomotive authority Bob Church has prepared an entirely new book; this is far more than a revision of his 1967 volume of 130 pages, Those Daylight 4-8-4's. The new 436-page book updates or replaces some previous photos and adds many new ones, both black and white and color; the old book had 174 photos, the new one has 731. Much new information regarding mechanical design, problems and improvements, and operations over each route, has come to light and has been included in this new book. Official diagrams of each class, and HO scale drawings of all locomotives and tenders are also included, as are color drift panels. Arnold Menke has contributed another of his magisterial chapters on tenders.

The late Ted Rose created the cover painting, entitled "In the Clear," showing the Starlight trains meeting at Chorro siding on the Coast Line. Complete, detailed and authoritative, this book will appeal to all enthusiasts of the history of Western railroading and of Southern Pacific in particular.

Also available: the Table of Contents of the book.

Particulars: Southern Pacific Daylight Locomotives, by Robert J. Church
List Price: $70     Size: 424 + xii pages, 8.5" x 11"; 731 photos (13 in color); 39 drawings, bibliography, index
ISBN: 1-930013-11-6     Publication date: July 1, 2004
Distribution: Western Star Distributors, Lompoc, CA; or direct from publisher.