SP’s public advertising

In the 1950s, Southern Pacific, like a number of major U.S. corporations, undertook to publish what is called “institutional advertising.” This means advertising on behalf of the company, not to prospective customers or purchasers so much as to increase reputation with the general public. Accordingly, such ads appeared in general circulation magazines such as Time Magazine or the Saturday Evening Post.

One example, likely intended to publicize the American West and California in particular, using SP’s new “Golden Empire” graphic,emphasized the major categories of crops and products produced there. The SP’s ad agency at this time was Foote, Cone & Belding, an agency well known in the 1950s for creative advertising. Note the inclusion of the diesel locomotive, indicating modernity.

Similarly using recognizable railroad components, a message like the one shown above was rendered using track elements and, again, bright colors.

Another example, this one using the popular “flipper” toy of the time, emphasized the railroad’s capability and modernization, again with the white background and uncluttered look:

Note here that the new streamlined passenger trains were mentioned. Another ad with this aspect included is this one: 

Another ad which trumpeted modern thinking at SP, again in colorful graphics:

Finally, some ads did focus on freight transportation, and note the major role stated for SP’s relatively new piggyback service, as well as its Pacific Motor Trucking subsidiary:

All these ads may well have appealed to freight shippers or passenger train travelers, and perhaps more importantly to those looking for new plant locations, But clearly they are largely aimed at the visibility and reputation of the advertiser. 

To me, this is an interesting sidelight to SP in the 1950s, revealing the way it wanted to be viewed by the public, and of course emphasizing what it saw as its strengths. Institutional as it may be, it is still an insight into the how the railroad viewed itself.

Tony Thompson

 

A few comments on chalk marks

Most modelers of freight casrs from earlier times are ware of the chalk marks that could be found on car sides. For the most part, these were switchmen’s marks and were not, nor should they be referred to as, graffiti. A photo I have shown several times, taken at Englewood Yard on the T&NO, depicts a yard clerk applying such a mark.

In the photo, he is writing with what is still known as “railroad chalk,” roughly an inch in diameter. White and yellow were widely used, but other colors, including blue, were available. Below I show a couple of sticks of this chalk. It is quite sturdy and unlike blackboard chalk, not easily broken. And the large diameter means that chalk marks made with this chalk were relatively broad, not like what we associate with blackboard chalk.

I have written about this topic in two previous posts, one from way back in 2011 (see it at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2011/11/chalk-marks-and-route-cards.html ).  The second one was a couple of years later and included a number of model photos with chalk marks applied. That post is here: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2013/04/more-on-chalk-marks.html .

Since many if not most prototype freight car photos do show at least a few chalk marks, we need to include them on our models. For years, there have been commercial offerings, both dry transfers (Clover House) and decals (Sunshine, Champ, Speedwitch Media and others), and these may meet your needs. But it is simple to write them yourself. A sharp artist’s pencil in white, gray or other color makes this simple.

But then comes the issue of what to write. You can just make something up, or a better option is consulting good, clear prototype photos, such as the photos in the superb series of books prepared by Ted Culotta, entitled Focus on Freight Cars (Speedwitch Media); Volumes 4, 5, 7 and 9 remain available (go to: https://speedwitchmedia.com/ ). Here’s one example, taken from the series Vol. 4, page 82. The car shown is SP 38017, part of SP Class B-50-19, a 1937 AAR box car.

Note that the message being conveyed is by no means evident, but swirls or slashes of chalk like this, and one or more numbers like this “17,” are very common in prototype photos. Note also two previous messages that are lined out, presumably superseded. Sometimes writing is fairly large, as in this photo of CCC&StL (NYC) 58392, from page 17 of Volume 4; this would be easy to imitate.

And as mentioned, it is quite common to find older chalk markings lined out, crossed out, or X-ed out. That’s well shown in this example from Volume 1, page 61, showing one end of SP 29889, a member of SP Class B-50-14. It was common for the chalk marks to be concentrated at either end of the car side, as you see here.

And sometimes it’s just a squiggle, maybe the clerk warming up his wrist, as in this photo of Seaboard 18735 from Volume 4, page 48. This was one of Seaboard’s 1932 ARA box cars. That’s a defect card holder right above the chalk mark.

All these prototype examples should provide lots of ideas about “what to write” when adding chalk marks to a model. As a single model example, below is a gondola on which I used a blue pencil (the classic editor’s “sky blue” pencil). This is an Ertl model I have posted about (see this link: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2024/10/small-project-maine-central-gondola.html ).

Tony Thompson

An SP steam switcher, Part 4

I began this series of posts with prototype information and photos, focusing on later classes of Southern Pacific 0-6-0 switchers, and discussed some related points, such as tenders. You can find that post at this link: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2025/02/southern-pacific-steam-switchers.html . 

I followed that with describing the mechanism work on the M.B. Austin HO scale brass model I have, along with a couple more prototype photos. (That second post is here: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2025/04/an-sp-steam-switcher-part-2.html ). The work was done by Mark Schutzer.

Finally, I showed the remainder of Mark’s work on the model, the new, much larger boiler weight and the sound decoder and speaker in the tender. The post describing and illustrating those steps is located here: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2025/04/an-sp-steam-switcher-part-3.html ). Next I touched up the paint, which was quickly completed, and then turned to lettering.

As most SP modelers know, we have a superb reference document for painting and lettering of SP locomotives, in the Southern Pacific Painting and Lettering Guide, Locomotives and Passenger Cars, by Jeff Cauthen and John Signor, 2nd edition, SP Historical & Technical Society, Upland, CA, 2019. I have relied on the information in this book in lettering my 0-6-0 model.

The overall locomotive and tender were black, with an aluminum-painted boiler front. In 1947, SP adopted a gray enamel, Lettering Gray, for all locomotive lettering (except Daylight steam locomotives). Any model lettering for non-Daylight locomotives that is white or silver is incorrect from 1947 onwards. This has been well understood by decal makers, including Microscale, Foothill Model Works, and California Locomotive Works.

Here is a prototype photo which illustrates the locations of lettering elements (photographer unknown, Bob Brown collection, courtesy Clark Bauer). This is a Class S-10 engine at Bayshore, but lettering was the same on the Class S-12 engine that I am modeling. You can see the tender capacity data at the lower front of the tender, and engine class data under the cabside numbers. As was usually done, the road name on the tender is on the water compartment.

The points to be recognized in lettering a locomotive like this with a relatively small tender (7000 gallons of water) is that the road name on the tender after 1946 was only 9 inches high. Cab numerals, however, were to be 15 inches for all locomotives (again, except for Daylight schemes), and tender rear numerals 12 inches. I have used a mix of Microscale (set 87-105, SP Light Steam), and Foothill Model Works (sheet FMW-600, SP Steam), the latter using the excellent artwork of Charles H. Givens. 

Here is a front view of the model, showing the engine number lettering on the front number plate and on the (illuminated) sides of the headlight casing. Here the model has a coat of clear flat but is not yet weathered.

In addition to lettering, there is also some detail painting that is needed. Most SP steam locomotives had injectors and certain hot water and steam line valve handles painted some kind of red, which typically oxidized to a brownish-red color. I used Tamiya “Hull Red” (XF-9) for this. 

Smokebox sides and stacks were painted with a graphite mixture, which gradually darkened and got dirty in service, but is usually evident in photos, as in the example above. I used Floquil “Graphite” for this. Smokebox fronts were painted aluminum, and number plates were black with aluminum numbers.

Cab window shades were canvas on an adjustable steel rod frame. When new, they were a khaki color, but of course got dirtier and dirtier until replaced. I used Tamiya “Deck Tan” (XF-78) for the base color, then used Pan Pastels to dirty it.

I also installed a cab apron in the model. What’s a cab apron? Prototype background and modeling techniques were described in a previous blog post (consult it at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2022/07/modeling-cab-aprons.html ). My first step in adding this part was to add a cab floor. The model had none, because the original mechanism had the open-frame motor extending back into the cab, with an appearance something like this (not my model).

 With the new mechanism (see my “Part 2” post, linked in the top paragraph, above), this space is empty. I made a new floor from cardstock, and used the same material for a new apron (I have used styrene here in other locomotives). This effectively conceals the relatively large gap between engine and tender that is conventional in model locomotives. 

Here is a rear view of the engine, switching on my layout at Shumala, showing the tender lettering, including the “7000 gallons” legend at the bottom rear of the tank and the capacity data at lower front corner of the tank. 

The model was lightly weathered using acrylic washes (see the “Reference pages” linked at the top right of the present post). But as that is a somewhat separate topic, I will conclude this post here.

Tony Thompson

An Athearn “Blue Box” tank car, conclusion

I began this project under the inspiration of a new decal set from National Scale Car, set D-245 for Shell Chemical Co. tank cars. The set can do two cars, one of them an anhydrous ammonia car. 

The size of that car was quite similar to the Athearn “Blue Box” tank car that Athearn terms a “chemical” car, though there is no such category; it is simply a model of a high-pressure insulated tank car of about 11,000 gallons. I showed the prototype photo in the first post (see it at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2024/07/reworking-athearn-blue-box-tank-car.html ).

In the succeeding posts, I described my upgrades to the deficiencies of the Athearn model, most recently showing all the parts ready for assembly (covered in my post at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2025/04/an-athearn-blue-box-tank-car-part-4.html ). 

Installing Kadee #158 couplers, adding trucks with InterMountain wheelsets, and temporarily putting together the rest of the car (except for the handrails, which will be added after decal application), the car looked like this:

The decals are well designed and taken directly from the prototype photo, and accordingly are quite easy to apply in the correct locations. Here is the car with the decals applied and protected with a coat of clear flat.

Next, I assembled the handrails, then added the dome platform with ladders, in the position shown in the upper photo above, attaching them with canopy glue.

A drawback to the use of the Broadway Limited tank car platform and ladder is that it is for a smaller (6000 gallons) tank car, so not only are the ladders too short, but the ladder rungs aren’t correctly located — note that there is not a rung at the level of the handrail, and there is one right below the handrail which should be removed in favor of a new one at the handrail level.

The ladder stiles are matched by styrene scale 1 x 3-inch strip, and the rungs by 0.015-inch styrene rod. I attached both with canopy glue, and when glue was set, painted them black.Then I lightly weathered the car, using washes of acrylic tube paints, as I’ve described and illustrated in the “Reference pages” linked at the top right corner of this post.

The car was now ready for service, and I’ve spotted it at its natural destination, the Pacific Chemical Repackaging Company in my layout town of Ballard, delivering a load of anhydrous ammonia. 

This has been an interesting project, yet another upgrading and conversion of one of the Athearn “Blue Box” tank cars, taking advantage of its accuracies and correcting its inaccuracies.

Tony Thompson

ProRail 2025

This year the annual ProRail event (Prototype Railroad Operations) was held in the Minneapolis area, and was well organized and managed by Rich Remiarz and Joe Binish. Despite some last-minute crises such as layout owners having to back out for medical reasons, substitutes were found, and everything ran pretty smoothly. By Sunday’s last layouts, many people were mentioning how much they had enjoyed an excellent week.

I participated in seven operating sessions, a full but fun program. Below I’ll make brief remarks about each layout, simply in chronological order as I worked on them. Of course a photo or two can’t do justice to large and complex layouts, so I am just offering some flavor.

The first layout I operated on was  Dave Zuhn’s State Belt, the waterfront railroad in San Francisco. Though the layout is very much still a-building, Dave’s progress gave us a very nice session. I liked several of the things he is doing with the challenge of railroading that is not just urban but right downtown. 

One idea he is using well is to represent the large buildings (many of which still stand today), with black boxes, effectively giving you the perspective and challenge of street switching. These could always be replaced someday with accurate structures. Below is my conductor on the north end of the railroad, Jim Providenza, reviewing the paperwork.

The second layout of the day was that of Randy Nord, who has a truly large railroad under construction. Parts of it are already very impressive, such as the Milwaukee Road depot and coach yard you see here. In the background is some of the mushroom construction underway.

In the evening, we visited old friend Bill Jolitz, for one more experience on the San Joaquin Short Line and its famous (or infamous) Cojones Local. This time, I drew the Aurora Local, also a job requiring careful planning, with lots of reefers and other cars to switch. 

The next day I greatly enjoyed a return visit to Rich Remiarz’ Great Northern layout. It has much excellent scenery and really outstanding rolling stock. I drew the St. Cloud switch job, which was a challenge but a lot of fun. Below is the view from my operating area, showing Rich himself at left, talking to Henry Freeman, east end switch crew.

On Friday I operated at Jeff Otto’s immense Missabe Northern layout (DM&IR plus Great Northern and Northern Pacific), with heavy ore operations, including a full and busy Proctor Yard, several mines, and two impressive ore docks (each with an ore boat being loaded), which I show below. This is a dauntingly large railroad, but with a lot of fun jobs, and operation is obviously well thought out. I liked it a lot, and came by on Sunday morning for an additional half session before departing for the airport.

Saturday I visited one of my favorite layouts, Joe Binish’s Central of Minnesota (which is kind of the M & StL in disguise). I drew the 4th Street switch job, challenging in tight quarters and with lots of freight cars on hand. Talk about requiring planning! But it was really fun. Below you see a view down the 4th Street trackage, with Bill Sornsin at right (who was working in the yard, out of view at right),

This was an excellent ProRail,with not only outstanding layouts but good organization so everything ran smoothly. These are usually great events, and I’d say this one was no exception.

Tony Thompson

An SP steam switcher, Part 3

Back in February, I posted a summary of prototype information about Southern Pacific steam switchers, including the basis on which I chose the S-12 class of 0-6-0 switchers, home-built in SP shops, as the prototype class I thought was interesting to model. That post is at this link: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2025/02/southern-pacific-steam-switchers.html . 

I followed that post more recently with an introduction to the remediation of an old M.B. Austin Japanese brass import of one of these switchers in HO scale, focusing on the mechanism (that post can be found here: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2025/04/an-sp-steam-switcher-part-2.html ). As these brass engines were imported fully 65 years ago, it is understandable that the mechanism could be improved.

With the mechanism re-done with can motor and new gearbox, attention was turned by Mark Schutzer, who had agreed to take on this task, to the model’s boiler weight. Especially with a small locomotive like an 0-6-0, weight is vital to tractive effort, yet the original weights in Japanese brass of that era were pretty small.

Mark cast a new lead weight, essentially of the inside diameter of the model boiler, and the full length of the locomotive, then machined the underside of it to fit over the motor and gearbox. 

In the photo below, you see the frame and new mechanism at upper right, the upside-down boiler with weight below it at bottom, and in the upper left area, the original boiler weight. The contrast with the new weight is considerable.

The view of the new weight in the photo above is a bit misleading: it shows the top of the weight. The boiler weight had to be machined to fit over the motor and gearbox, as mentioned; here is a view of the underside of the new weight (bottom), machined to fit over the new mechanism.

Finally, to show how the machined weight was assembled onto the frame and motor, it is posed here, though in actual assembly the weight fits into the boiler, which in turn is then assembled onto the frame. Note that the back end of the new weight is inclined to resemble a boiler backhead.

The next steps involved opening the bottom of the tender for the speaker, and placing the decoder and a keep-alive inside the tender, with mini-plugs to connect to the locomotive. Here is everything that is going into the tender. This is a Tsunami 2 TSU-1100 decoder.

With the tender buttoned up and all wiring complete, Mark was able to re-assemble and test-run the locomotive. Here is a screen shot from one of his videos of the testing. The engine runs very smoothly, even at quite low speeds. (all photos, this post, Mark Schutzer)

With the engine transformed into a good runner and fine puller, with all its added weight, I now turned to touching up paint and doing the lettering. But that’s a topic I will postpone to a future post.

Tony Thompson

My latest column in MRH

Again in the issue for April, Model Railroad Hobbyist’s “Running Extra” segment contains one of the multi-author “Getting Real” columns by me. This one is about Southern Pacific maintenance-of-way equipment, or as SP designated it, “MW.”

One reason for my having a particular interest in MW equipment is that I provided a spur track for it on my layout. At various places around the railroad, SP designated certain tracks as “outfit” tracks, meaning that the equipment of an MW gang could be located there during a work period, whether a track gang, signals gang, or bridge and building gang. 

This offers an interesting facet of layout appearance and operation: various models of MW equipment may be found on such a track from time to time, and not only may this equipment move to and from the outfit track, but also carloads of tools and materials (termed “T&M” by SP) can be set out and picked up there. 

The photo below shows the outfit track in my layout town of Ballard, and it contains, at left,  two boarding bunk cars, as they were called (one obviously converted from a Pullman car), as well as an empty ballast car being picked up at right.

Modeling of the cars in the photo above has been described in previous blog posts: for the conversion of the Rivarossi Pullman model, see: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2023/11/small-project-sp-boarding-bunk-car-pt-2.html ; and for the Class W-50-3 ballast car at right, you might wish to see: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2020/09/building-dry-creek-ballast-cars.html . The middle bunk car is described in the MRH article.

The cars in the photo represent two of the three types classified by SP. Those were “boarding” cars, meaning cars that employees (and in some case their families) would live, eat sleep or ride in; “roadway” cars, meaning cars carrying T&M for the gang’s work; and certain types of cars in revenue-service number series, mostly ballast cars, that could also carry revenue loads.

Below I illustrate an MW roadway car, which were usually revenue-service cars that had completed their lives in that service and handed down to the maintenance forces. Usually these were give modest repairs and repainted into an MW scheme, but sometimes they were simply “patch painted” with their new reporting marks, even leaving intact the railroad emblem from the previous paint scheme.

 Another topic of the MRH article was to describe modeling a few of the revenue-number-series ballast cars. I recently showed in a blog post my completion of paint and lettering for one of the “Bruce’s Train Shop” resin hoppers, sold assembled, as a representative of SP’s more modern steel ballast hoppers. Shown below is one described in a blog post (see it at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2024/05/another-sp-ballast-hopper.html ). 

Finally, I have enjoyed building the two Class W-50-3 ballast cars from Dry Creek Models, as I’ve described in blog posts. The most recent one was chosen largely so that I could build a load of rail for the car, as I’ve presented fully (see the post at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-rail-load-for-my-dry-creek-ballast-car.html ). 

I concluded my article by mentioning that these various MW cars can be included in the work of an operating session by using appropriate waybills to direct their movement, in many cases to and from the outfit track. My experience on many layouts I’ve visited is that MW equipment is simply a static display, maybe on a back track of a yard, and isn’t moved as part of operation. But it’s something I’ve enjoyed doing on my own layout.

Tony Thompson