Welcome

I’ve wanted to make a Santa Fe heavyweight passenger train for some time so I’ve been slowly acquiring cars, parts and research material for several years. Recently, I’ve done more research and decided to model the California Limited as it was in 1939 arriving/departing Los Angeles. The consists of the Chicago-Los Angeles train varied as cars were dropped and added at various points. The train was so popular that it often ran with multiple sections so it is entirely possible that a train with just about any car similar to those listed on the June 11, 1939 consist list 1-Z would be correct.

1938 California Limited. Detail of Santa Fe photo from the William K. Barham Collection, courtesy of the Pacific Railroad Society. Published on Pp. 22-23 of Dining and Beverage Service Cars of the Santa Fe, SFRH&MS.

See the Santa Fe California Limited brochure, dated Dec. 15, 1939 here.

At the top of the page are links to the various cars in the consist. These show my reference information and progress in model building. As you can see there are still questions and blank spaces. If you can help with corrections, information or reference material, please add a comment.

Santa Fe car colors (not Pullman)

A. Sides, end, steps, battery box covers: gloss A.T. & S.F. Coach green

Formulas— Polly Scale : 4 parts Great Northern Empire Green, 1 part Reefer Yellow (Andy Sperandeo

Scalecoat: 1 part Pullman Green, 1 part Coach Green (John Miller at atsfrr.com)

Others: see http://atsfrr.com/resources/Sandifer/Pass/CoachGreen.htm

B. Roof: Flat black

C. Center sills, air tanks, brake cylinders, water tanks (some cars): black

C. Trucks and underbody except as above: semi-gloss A.T. & S.F. Truck Brown

D. Interior:

E. Window shades: Brown per P. 13,  Santa Fe Painting and Lettering Guide, Hendrickson (C.H. note: LaserKit #382 buff should be OK)

Great reference material from old publications

1938 Cleaver heater trailer

Here’s a photo of something that shows why I like the late ’30s time period. It’s a streamlined Cleaver car heater trailer. It was used to connect to a railroad tank car containing viscous fluid such as heavy road oil. As long as the liquid was thin enough to drain from the car, the car heater would raise the temperature to as high as 350 degrees F before pumping it into a tank truck.

The photo and a description were in “The Highway and Street Manual” 1939 Edition published by Public Works Magazine. It’s an annual publication compiling the latest in road construction equipment, material and techniques. I bought it from a seller on ebay.com for about $10 including postage. The 98 page booklet contains a wealth of photos and information about the subject. Often, I just copy photos from ebay listings without buying the item. By searching for, say, 1939, I’ve found a lot of interesting stuff in the past ten or so years.

My specialty is southern California in 1939. If you are looking for something in this time period, I may be able to help. You can post your request by clicking the “comments” link below.

1930s images for reference

For the past several years, I’ve been swiping photos and documents off the internet that relate to the time (1939) and locale (greater Los Angeles, California) of my Las Palmas module. Those items also include mass-produced or published items that reasonably could have been in L.A. at the time, such as motor vehicles, magazines and pop culture items. I’ve amassed several hundred, perhaps over a thousand, such images that I’m willing to share for your personal use. Want to know what the cover of Superman comic #1 looks like? How about a 1936 tow truck…or a traffic signal…or a crew loading automobiles into a double-door auto box car? Maybe a Pacific Electric 1506 steam loco? Perhaps the most useful ones are signs from the era such as Crosley Radio, Pabst Beer, Packard automobiles, and everyday street signs like “Dead End” and “School Zone.” Leave a comment with your request for one or two items and I’ll post them here for you and others to enjoy. Here’s a 1939 safety poster.

Charley