San Francisco Overland

San Francisco Overland
Southern Pacific’s #27 & 28

The Overland was one of the longest-running trains on the ESPEE. Numbered trains 27 and 28, they always carried several head-end cars. In the period of 1953-54, head-end cars from other roads, such as NYC, CBQ, WAB and CNW are listed on the Oakland Yardmaster’s Switch List records, which we’ve seen from the SPH&TS.

We also find coaches for Wabash and CNW, and sleepers from Pennsy, NYC, CNW and Wabash, with some of these noted as ‘Extra Tour’ indicating that was not the norm. Pennsy and NYC were the norm however, with those lines typically being carried on alternating days.  ESPEE even had their own cars from other trains such as Daylight (red) and Golden State (silver) cars. To add to this eclectic line-up, some of the cars may have been older heavyweights, and you’d have what I think is a wonderful train of unpredictability. The colors seen on this train was a rainbow of America’s railroads.

RailSmith production will follow this general format, and as you see by the consist below, a variety of roads and color will follow!