1:32 Southern Pacific P-8 Class 4-6-2


Constructed by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1921, Southern Pacific’s fifteen P-8 class 4-6-2s #2461-2475 were obtained primarily for passenger service over the Ogden-Carlin segment of the railroad’s famed “Overland Route”. Over the route’s maximum gradient of 1.5%, a single P-8 was rated for a trailing load of 875-tons, approximately an elevencar passenger train. The P-8s thrived in this service until delivery of the larger, more powerful Mt-class 4-8-2s in the late 1920s. Most P-8s were then transferred further west for service between Oakland and Sacramento, along with the demanding Peninsula commute service between San Francisco and San Jose. Espee’s P-8 class 4-6-2s lasted until the mid-1950s, at which time they were replaced by diesels and retired.
Two Southern Pacific P-8 class locomotives were saved. SP #2467 was donated to the City of Oakland in 1960 and placed on display at Harrison Railroad Park. In April 1959, SP #2472 was donated to the City of San Mateo and placed on display at the Fairgrounds.
In the early 1990s, the Pacific Locomotive Association acquired SP #2467 and began its restoration. Completed by July 1999, the locomotive made its operational debut at Sacramento’s Railfair in 1999. SP #2467 is currently on loan for static display at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.
In 1976, a group of volunteers began work on full restoration of SP #2472 back to operable service. In the early 1990s the locomotive was used on several local excursions. In 1992, SP #2472 was doubleheaded with SP GS-4 class locomotive #4449 on excursions operated for the National Railway Historical Society convention. Today, the locomotive operates at the Niles Canyon Railway
Specifications
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1:32 Scale / 45 mm Gauge
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Brass & Stainless Steel Construction
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10 ft. (3 M) Mini. Radius
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Length: 35.02 in. (889.6 mm)
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Width: 3.75 in. (95.25 mm)
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Height: 5.95 in. (151.06 mm)
Features
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Alcohol / Butane fired
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Two cylinders
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D-valve
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Safety valve
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Walschaerts valve gear
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60 PSI working pressure
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Check valve
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Axle water pump
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Hand water pump in tender
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Lubricator
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Ceramic burner
Models
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AL97-035 SP P-8 4-6-2 #2467, Butane Fired
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AL97-037 SP P-8 4-6-2 #2472, Butane Fired
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AL97-035A SP P-8 4-6-2 #2467, Alcohol Fired
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AL97-037A SP P-8 4-6-2 #2472, Alcohol Fired
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AL98-035 SP P-8 4-6-2 #2467, Electric
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AL98-037 SP P-8 4-6-2 #2472, Electric