Southern Pacific Lines

Coast Line Division 

“The Route of the Octopus”

 
 

General Information

  1. The Noon Daylight did not last long, and in 1949 it was replaced by the Starlight, an evening all-coach train that departed about an hour before the Lark. It lasted until 1958, when declining patronage caused management to combine this train with the Lark.


Starlight Timetable


1949 - Trains #71      canceled. (Oct. 4, 1949)    became Starlight.

  1.                                           # 72     canceled. (Oct. 4, 1949)    became Starlight.


     Starlight                  #94SF8:15 pmLA6:45 am‘49westward

     Starlight          #95LA8:15 pmSF6:45 am‘49eastward 20 min. allotted by timetable for station stop


Starlight History Timeline

1949

  1. Trains #71 #72 became Starlight.

1953

  1. #94 and 95 was the Starlight. The Starlight operated in the middle of the night on the Guadelupe subdivision.

1955

  1. Starlight renumbered to #90/91. The "Starlight" was officially dieselized in January, 1955.

  2. If an inbound Coast Mail had a bad order car, there was time to pull the car off the arriving Coast, turn and clean it and then add it to the departing Starlight.


1955 - Trains

  1. Coast Division Timetable 170, effective April 29, 1956 has

  2. 94 Santa Barbara time as 3:00AM and 95 Santa Barbara time as 9:15PM.


  4. Coast Division Timetable 171, effective September 30, 1956 has

  5. 94 Santa Barbara time as 5:36AM and 95 Santa Barbara time as 11:20PM.


  7. Coast Division Timetable 172, effective October 21, 1956 has

  8. 94 Santa Barbara time as 4:00AM and 95 Santa Barbara time as 10:15PM.

1957

  1. On July 15, 1957 the Lark and Starlight were combined.



Starlight Train Consist

Starlight Steam Motive Power


Starlight Diesel Motive Power


Starlight Passenger Car Equipment

Sleeper assignments for the Starlight

  1. SP Equipment Circular 14 shows the following sleeper assignments for the Starlight.

  2. Sleepers ran on the rear of the train, every day except Saturday.

  3. March 31, 1950 - none

  4. Sept 24, 1950, Jan 25, 1951 & Nov 1, 1951: 8-5 HW sleeper

  5. June 1, 1952: an 8-5 HW and a 12-5 sleeper

  6. March 1, 1953; June 15, 1954; Oct 1, 1954: a 12-1 and a 12-5 sleeper

  7. These last two sleepers apparently ran until the Starlight was discontinued. There is no mention of the Starlight in Equipment Circular 15 [issued Feb 1, 1955].


  1. The two 12-5 cars from the City of San Francisco, was assigned to the SP in later years and used them on specials, 2nd sections and for a while were assigned to what was then the overnight Starlight, a coach train between Los Angeles and San Francisco.


  3. However during the Korea war and for some years after, a lot military moved to/from Ft Ord and Camp San Luis Obispo. So the 12-5 would operate daily except Saturday, along with a heavyweight 8 section 5 Bedroom car. If all the space was not needed for Military, the 12-5 would be opened up for public sale.

  4. Jim Pattison

                                                                    http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,496260



1955

  1. A 1955-early ‘56 Starlight consist would include articulated chair car pairs that were originally built for the Daylight, along with a Coffee Shop and Tavern Lounge which also came from the early Daylight.


  3. Presumably the PCM articulated chair cars and Tavern should fit reasonably well into my Starlight consist. That just leaves you to find a Coffee Shop, some baggage/mail cars, and a 12-5 sleeper. The correct 12-5 is from Coach Yard, although you could use an old AHM 12-5 if you're not too particular.


Modeling Starlight Passenger Car Equipment

BLI

  1. Use BLI skirted 1941 models for the 1941 Starlight Trains.


  1. Use BLI de-skirted 1953 models for the 1954-1955 Starlight Trains.




Specific Equipment Used on the Starlight

12-5 Sleeper

  1. The streamlined 12-5 sleeper as was found on the Starlight in the mid-fifties.

  2. It was mostly or all coaches and chair cars (a tavern or other food-service car). The SP presented the train that way, and public timetables always showed the car as all-coach; but in fact there were almost always sleepers on the rear end.

  3. Tony Thompson


  5. According to Ryan and Shine's Night Trains of the Coast Route, 2/21/52-5/14/56 consist included a LW 12-5.

  6. Tony Thompson


  8. The Starlight DID have sleepers in its consist according to Dennis Ryan, author of Southern Pacific Passenger Trains, volume 1. On page 129 he says "As availability of Pullman space on the STARLIGHT was never listed in public timetables, it is a little-known fact that this train carried regularly assigned pullmans for almost six years of its  operation.." On page 130 is a table giving the 1950-1951 consist that includes a heavyweight 12 section-1drawing room car and a heavyweight 8section-5 bedroom car. A similar table on page 132 for 1951-1952 shows 3 heavyweight and 1 lightweight sleepers. The tables noted that sleepers weren't on every train. For instance the second table notes sleepers weren't operated on Saturdays.


  10. All the information you need on these cars (SP 9250-9251), plus a plethora of great photos are in Vol. 2 of SPH&TS' Sleepers and Baggage-Dorms.


12-1 Sleepers

  1. The 12-1s were Plans 3410, 3410A, and 3410B.

  2. Jeff Cauthen

Reference

  1. According to Dennis Ryan, author of Southern Pacific Passenger Trains, volume 1, on page 130 is a table giving the 1950-1951 consist that includes a heavyweight 12 section-1 drawing room car.


  1. According to Ryan and Shine's Night Trains of the Coast Route, 2/21/52-5/14/56 consist included a heavyweight 12-1.

  2. Tony Thompson

Modeling 12-1 Pullman Sleeper / Coach

Branchline SP Pullmans Sleepers

  1. The Branchline SP 12-1 pullman cars are correct for SP Coast Line trains. According to the Car Assignment Database. Pre-1942,12-1 cars were used on coast SP trains Coaster, Lark, Starlight and Sunset Limited.

  2. Jeff Cauthen


8-5 Sleepers

  1. SP Equipment Circular 14 shows the following sleeper assignments for the Starlight.

  2. Sleepers ran on the rear of the train, every day except Saturday.

  3.    Sept 24, 1950, Jan 25, 1951 & Nov 1, 1951: 8-5 HW sleeper

  4.    June 1, 1952: an 8-5 HW


  1. According to Dennis Ryan, author of Southern Pacific Passenger Trains, volume 1, on page 130 is a table giving the 1950-1951 consist that includes a heavyweight 8 section-5 bedroom car.


  1. According to Ryan and Shine's Night Trains of the Coast Route, 2/21/52-5/14/56 consist included for a brief period there were two HW 8-5's. Pages 132-135.

  2. Tony Thompson


7-2 Pullman Heavyweight Sleeper

  1. Plan 2522/2522A/2522C

  2. The 7-2 sleepers were used on SP during the late 40's and early 50's.

   These cars were not equipped with A/C's.

   It appears the SP acquired about 10 units in 1949 with at least six of them going to SPMW within a short period.


    “Bexar”, 12 section, 1 drawing room Pullman Sleeper was seen in 1955 on the Starlight in SF.

    “Clover Home”, Pullman Sleeper was seen in 1955 on the Starlight in Oakland.  (see PT1-137).

  1. The 1938 cars , renumbered SP #9250 (Portsmith Square) & SP #9251 (Telegraph Hill) Sleepers were assigned to Starlight 1952, removed 1953 to SF Overland and then reassigned 1955 to Starlight.

Reference

Drawings

   There’s an article from Mainline Modeler with plans for the 2522C Pullmans.


  1. According to the Pullman Project website, there were several of the 7-2 cars purchased by SP in 1948, however in the SP Passenger Cars book vol.2, it does not list any.


 
Southern Pacific Lines Starlight Passenger Train
General Info Starlight Timetable Starlight History Timeline Starlight Train Consist Steam Motive Power Diesel Motive Power Passenger Car Equipment Specific Equipment Used
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