The Southern Pacific's San Joaquin Daylight

Interestingly, the San Joaquin Daylight did not originally start out as a streamliner and actually changed its name after becoming so in the early 1940s. The earliest history of the train dates back to one named the San Joaquin, an all-Pullman heavyweight serving Oakland and Los Angeles. As a semi-streamlined train the San Joaquin Daylight was adorned in the Espee's classic "Daylight" livery of red, orange, and black although it did not feature the classic 4-8-4 GS Class steam locomotives often used for power on many other of the Daylights. For roughly three decades the train was a regular staple, that also offered all-Pullman service for many years, along the Coast Line corridor between L.A. and Oakland. As rail travel lost its luster through the 1950s and into the 1960s the San Joaquin, as with many other streamliners, lost much of their top-level services. However, the train survived all of the way until Amtrak took over intercity passenger services in the spring of 1971.

The San Joaquin's original consist included two heavyweight cars, a baggage-RPO (Railway Post Office) and standard baggage (both of which were semi-streamlined and bedecked in matching "Daylight" paint) as well as two standard coaches, two articulated coaches (essentially two cars sharing a common truck), a diner, and a parlor-lounge-observation. For power the train utilized a Class P-10 4-6-2 Pacific that was also clad in matching "Daylight" paint. The SP was able to offer two trainsets for the San Joaquin whereas a single Pacific could power the train during its run. The consist for the original train last only about a year as in 1942 Southern Pacific was able to fully streamline San Joaquin Daylight, which is somewhat amazing considering with World War II ongoing severe restrictions were placed on new car and locomotive orders.

For the next 10+ years not much changed with the San Joaquin Daylight in terms of equipment or routing. Around 1950 the Southern Pacific began receiving orders of new passenger diesel locomotives such as American Locomotive Company's PA-2s and Electro-Motive Division's E8s and E9s. The San Joaquin received its first diesel power around 1954, which typically included any one of the three models all of which were adorned in vibrant "Daylight" paint. The train's final equipment upgrade occurred in 1955 when it received Espee's unique "three-quarter" dome lounges. Custom designed by the railroad itself these cars were somewhat similar to the Milwaukee Road's "Super Dome" or Great Northern's "Great Dome" with nearly the entire third level of the car a glass dome. Of course, this was the primary difference, the last 10 feet or so of the car was not domed.

By the 1960s all of the Southern Pacific's passenger trains were feeling the pinch of better airline service and the new interstate system. Around this time the company became increasingly disinterested in providing passenger services and as a result its trains suffered. Most of the famed streamliners by this time were either combined or discontinued and the "Daylight" livery had long since been shed for a much simpler grey and red paint scheme that was also used in freight services. Surprisingly, however, the San Joaquin survived as part of SP's fleet all of the way until the end, making its final run on April 30, 1971. When Amtrak began operations the following day the train was not retained. For timetable and consist information for the San Joaquin Daylight please click here.

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