Southern Pacific 9

Southern Pacific #9 is a 4-6-0 oil-fired narrow gauge steam locomotive, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in November 1909.

Nevada-California-Oregon 9 Southern Pacific 9
SP (ex NCO) #9 on display at Laws Railroad Museum, Bishop California.
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 34035 Model 10-26 D 258 Build date November 1909
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0  • UIC 2′C Gauge 3 ft (914 mm) Driver dia. 44 in (1.118 m) Loco weight 88,000 pounds (40 t) Boiler pressure 180 lbf/in2 (1.24 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 16 in × 20 in (406 mm × 508 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 17,800 lbf (79.18 kN)
Career Operators Nevada–California–Oregon Railway Southern Pacific Company Numbers 9 Retired 1960 Disposition Display: Laws, California

It was originally built for the Nevada–California–Oregon Railway and was sold to Southern Pacific in the late 1920s. The engine worked the rest of its career on the SP narrow gauge, except a brief season in 1953 when the locomotive was briefly loaned to the Plaster City railroad operated by the United States Gypsum Company.^[1] The locomotive, along with sisters #8 and #18, were nicknamed "The Desert Princess" for riding along the western and eastern deserts of Nevada and California.

In 1954, there was a plan to purchase a new narrow gauge diesel from GE as SP #1, to replace numbers #9, #8 and #18. Whilst #8 and #18 were sold off, #9 was kept on as a standby locomotive to support diesel locomotive #1 in case of a breakdown.

The engine and the two others, #8 and #18, survived into preservation. Southern Pacific #9 is now on display at the Laws Railroad Museum in Laws, California.

The engine was also used in the 1948 film 3 Godfathers, starring John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, and Harry Carey Jr.;^[2] as well as cameoing the 1954 - 1957 TV western series Annie Oakley, starring Gail Davis.^[3]

See also

• Southern Pacific 8
• Southern Pacific 18

References

1. Steinheimer, Richard (1963). Backwoods Railroads of The West. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Co. p. 45.
2. "3 Godfathers 1948". Moreobscuretrainmovies.movie.blog. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
3. "Annie and the Brass Collar 1954". Moreobscuretrainmovies.movie.blog. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2021.

External links

• Laws Railroad Museum