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Southern Pacific Steam Power

Pictures on these pages are N scale models of the Southern Pacific Steam Locomotives I have.
Prototype basic historic informations are desumed from sources listed above.
If some of you found errors or have additional informations,
please contact me via e-mail, and I will provide page update and credits.
Last upd. Nov-2009

AC Class - Cab Forward 4-8-8-2

AC12 # 4275 and AC12 #4280 ( Intermountain )

Cab Forwards were a distinct trademark of the Southern Pacific. They were sometimes also called "Cab-in-fronts" or "Backup Mallies" (even though, technically, only some of the first classes were true mallets). To be a true Mallet locomotive, it must be articulated and be a compound, i.e. the steam is used twice in separate cylinders.SP lingo was that all articulateds were known as Mallets regardless of whether they were simple or compound.
The AC's were built as simple expansion locomotives, so the 'A' designation in the class descriptor.
On the SP, a 2-8-0 was known as Consolidation, hence the 'C' in the x-8-8-x drivered locos and the 2-6-0 were known as Mogul's, hence the 'M' in the x-6-6-x locomotives.

According to the diffinitive book on Cab Forwards (Cab Forwards- the story of Southern Pacific articulateds by Robert J.Church), no other railroad in the world had locomotives like them.

Designed as a clever solution to a difficult problem,they came to symbolize the Southern Pacific difficult to operate territory.
While the cab-ahead design was initiated for service on Donner Pass, they where not limited to Sierra service and roamed all SP's Paicifc lines used in both freight and passenger service.

The last articulateds, built during WWII, where the last new steam locomotives purchased by SP.

Source for classification and historical info used

On Line References :

• SPH&TS Society links page : http://www.sphts.org/resources/links.php
• Richard.A.Percy site : http://espee.railfan.net/sp_steam_articulated.html
• Southern Pacific CAB FORWARD Type Locomotives : http://www.steamlocomotive.com/cabforward/
• List of preserved Southern Pacific Railroad ... : http://wapedia.mobi/en/List_of_preserved_Southern_Pacific_Railroad_rolling_stock
• Google Book "Perfecting the American steam locomotive" by J. Parker Lamb : http://tinyurl.com/yfv2oml
• On the David Coscia's web site: http://webpages.charter.net/altalair/rrindex.html are 1949 to 1954 roster ( scroll down to find "Pacific Lines Steam Rosters" graciously provided by Barry Anderson and Fred Stindt )
• Yesteryear depot picures: http://www.yesteryeardepot.com/sp37.htm
• Wikipedia - Cab forward : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cab_forward
• Southern Pacific Cab-Forward's Steam Photo Roster : http://www.northeast.railfan.net/steam24.html
• SP steam Locomotives caracteristics : http://orion.math.iastate.edu/jdhsmith/term/slussp.htm

OFF Line References ( sometimes called "Books" ) :

• Cab-forward, the story of Southern Pacific articulateds - Robert J. Church. - Published 1982 by Central Valley Railroad Publications
• A Century of SP Steam Locomotives - Guy L. Dunscomb
• Southern Pacific Steam Pictorial - Guy l.Dunscomb, Donald K.Dunscomb, Robert A.Pecotich Vol.1 & Vol.2
• SP Co. Steam Locomotive Compendium - Diebert & Strapac
• Steam Locomotives Cyclopedia- Vol.1- Model railroader - Linn H.Westcott
• Southern Pacific AC Class 4-8-8-2 Pictorial Volume __ - Jeff Ainsworth - Monte Vista Publishing
• Those Amazing Cab Forwards - George Harlan- Kalmbach Pub Co - 1983-06

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