Author Name: Robert J. Church
Title: Snowbound Streamliner - Rescuing the City of San Francisco in 1952
Binding: Hard cover with full color cover jacket.
Size: 8.75 x 11.75in., 168 pages
Publisher: Signature Press 1999
ISBN Number: 1930013019
Seller ID: SP109
During the first days of 1952, the Southern Pacific found itself battling a series of fierce winter snow storms that threatened all train operations. Eventually, even the huge rotary snowplows could not keep ahead of the record snowfall. The railroad's famed Sierra crossing at Donner Pass became blockaded and train movements were brought to a standstill. On January 13 one of the lines was cleared and it was decided to run a few priority trains across the summit. One of these trains was the flagship of the Overland Route, the streamliner City of San Francisco. As the engineer approached Yuba Pass, he hit an avalanche that had just occurred off the sheer granite escarpments of Smart Ridge. The engineer attempted to back the train out but could not break loose. The City was frozen in the icy grip of a horrific Sierra blizzard. It would be three long and frustrating days before the railroad could reach the train and rescue passengers who endured the ordeal under conditions of no power, no heat, and low food supplies.
This is a railroaders' story. It is an accurate and detailed account developed from numerous interviews and reports from railroad personnel which describe an incident that now stands alone in the annals of railroad history, and is supplemented by numerous unpublished photos from SP files. The story is of the massive and heroic efforts to get to the snowbound train, It's the story of crew that were actually manning the rotaries and of the officials directing the rescue. It provides an hour by hour detailed chronology of events and actions attempted from both Norden and Colfax. Also related are the experiences of those on the train. The account covers a 17-day period, starting a few days prior to the stranding of the streamliner, to the rescue efforts which disabled five rotary plows, one being swamped by an avalanche that killed an engineer. The narrative continues with the removal of the passengers, then the train, and finally all that was required to get both rail and communication lines back into service. It is a fascinating story of a Sierra winter at its worst and dedicated railroaders at their very best. Along with the author's own contributions, the book recounts the disaster in a series of short narratives given by key individuals involved--often recounting the same events, but from a different perspective.
Table of Contents: Dedication. Acknowledgements. Introduction 1. High Sierra Winters 2. Fighting Snow 3. Overview of Events 4. Prelude to Disaster 5. Rescue Efforts from the East 6. On the Train 7. Rescue from the West 8. Extrication of Train 9. Epilogue. Bibliography. Appendix. Index. 210 B&W photos; drawings and records, bibliography, index. Publication date: December 1, 1999. Retail $49.95.
Price = 40.00 USD
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