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3005
1965 to 1977

In 1965, S.P. undertook a general renumbering of all Diesel Electric locomotives. The reasons behind this operation have been admirably covered in the S.P. Motive power Annual by Joe Strapac. Suffice it to say that the 4 torpedo boats were assigned numbers in the 3000 series with the 5623 becoming the 3005. She would wear this number for 12 years.


Robert J. Zenk says, "I was vestibuling just about the whole way from Oceano that day. But this was from the rear seat of the Parlor-Observation. It was SP 2951 that day, the 1937-built car.  I was on board number 98 as it met 99 on April 7, 1968.  Number 98 had E9 6050 and FP7 6451 ... this was the day of the last "Larks", and ridership had been up all week.  3005 was led by another museum survivor, E9 number 6051 which currently is at home at CSRM in Sacramento".  Bob Zenk Photo.

On April 24th, 1971, just 6 days before S.P. passenger service to Monterey terminated forever, Dudley Westler decided that he should go chase the Del Monte. Thank you Dudley! This railfanning trip yielded photos of a double header with the 3002 and 3005 coupled to an unusually long train. The Del Monte was normally 3 cars but in these photos, we have 5 with what appears to be one of the S.P. PV fleet on the rear. The 3005 does not carry the train number in her boards because in 1967, the S.P. discontinued the use of train numbers for all but commuter runs. Left to right, the photos are: loading passengers at the Monterey station, coming through the cut behind the houses at Seaside, paralleling the Monterey highway at Marina, and crossing the Salinas river at Castroville. All photos by Dudley Westler.


In March of 1971, Drew Jacksich caught the 3005 crossing the so called "earthquake bridge" at Logan.  It is my understanding that the SP had it rigged with sensors to detect any movement from an earthquake on the nearby San Andreas fault.


Rod Ciganovich spent a lot of time in San Francisco, shooting the commute power. Thanks to him, we have many color images of the 3005/3189. A close look at the end of the locomotive reveals that the tight-lock couplers have been replaced with standard type "E" couplers but the frame has yet to be modified for the "switching step" rule.


At the 7th street yard, 3005 is in company with 3200 and another veteran. The 3200 was the first of 10 passenger version of the venerable SD45, known as the SDP45. They were purchased in 1967 to supplement the fleet of tired ALCo PA's and EMD E's but when AMTRAK took over in 1971, they were transferred to the commute pool. Photo by Rod Ciganovich on 03/15/1975. 


Alan Shifley took the left photo at the Monterey station in 1969.  He was one of those fortunate few who could travel free on a family pass as his father worked for Pacific Fruit Express and later, Southern Pacific.  The center photo takes us to San Francisco as the Del Monte prepares to leave the City in September, 1968.  These were the days when the Del Monte was combined with a commute as far as San Jose.  There, one locomotive and all but 3 cars were dropped off for the return trip to the City while the Del Monte continued on.  The other photo was taken from a favorite hangout across the tracks from the Lenzen Avenue roundhouse in 1975.  From this spot, he could watch the evening commute fleet come in, the engines be turned on the turntable and put on the ready track in preparation for the next morning.  In 1975, the Del Monte was 4 years dead and San Jose was as close as the 3005 would ever again get to Monterey.


Drew Jacksich caught the 3005 and its short commute train 151 in May of 1971 at the Santa Clara station.



The westbound Del Monte has in tow three commute cars at Millbrae on April 9, 1971.  One of these cars appears to be the ex-St.Louis Southwestern car they outfitted with lots and lots of seats for local SF Peninsula service and worked the commute pool for a while.  The S.P. needed to retire some of the subs and thought it might be a good idea to use these surplus still-painted daylight lightweights but the story was that the riders did not like them.  There was likely more to that story like costs, or something.  Karl R. Koenig photo.


On April 11, 1971, Karl captured 3005 and the eastbound Del Monte south of San Jose at Coyote.  Notice the open space in the photo.  Soon, in 2000, this will be the home of Cisco Systems and will be just another wall to wall extension of Silicon Valley.  Karl R. Koenig photo.


Departing the depot on April 23, 1972 at Burlingame, 3005 is eastbound with two car commuter #114 consisting of 1 sub for smokers and one gallery car for every one else.  Karl R. Koenig photo.


While in Roseville in May of 1972, probably for an annual FRA inspection, 3005 was caught by Steve Schmollinger on the ready track coupled long hood to long hood with commute geep 3000. 


Easing to a stop on February 23, 1973, eastbound at the Broadway depot with a 3 car train 114 commuter composed of all double-deck gallery cars all in the new single-color gray paint.  Karl R. Koenig photo.
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From George Ellwood we have this image of 3005 in San Francisco. Close examination reveals that the equipment trust plate is in place on the frame, below the compressor access door. The plates were 14 X 8" with 6 screw holes and made of brass. One was mounted on each side of the frame. Do you have one we could copy?


Robert Dengler shot these interesting overhead views in Santa Clara in June of 1972. The 3005 carries the standard Nathan P3 air horn, as she did for most of her life. Note that the S.P. painters were not very concerned with a crisp line where the red meets the gray on top of the ends. I guess they never counted on photos like these.


Craig Walker got this beautiful shot of 3005 with stablemate 3007 in San Francisco on August 26, 1975.  They both  look as though they had just emerged from the paint shop within the hour.




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