Tidewater Southern Notebook
44-Tonner 135 (nee 735)
   

Photograph Guy Dunscomb | Copyright ©1998-2013 by KPR Media Services

Tidewater Southern 44-Tonner 135 was captured by veteran lensman and Modesto resident Guy Dunscomb over the July 4th weekend of 1947. The venerable G.E. is hauling the Tidewater's sole remaining steam locomotive, No. 132, and its train down Modesto's Ninth Street. 
 

Tidewater Southern 135
  • First diesel-electric on the property 
  • Builder: G.E. 
  • Built: 1947 
  • Horsepower: 380 
  • Dispostion: Renumbered to TS 735, then sold to Pickering Lumber 1967. 
  • By 1946 Tidewater Southern's two electric steeple cab locomotives were tired and worn out. They were also underpowered as train lengths and weights began climbing upward in the post-war Central Valley. The answer was to place an order with General Electric for a one of their popular 44-ton diesel-electric locomotives. 

    The City Of Modesto restricted the use of steam power within city limits by banning its use on city streets. Management's creative solution was to use one of their electric steeple cabs, and later diesel-electric locomotives to haul the silently simmering steamer down the length of the pavement.
     


    From Black To Yellow


    Ken Rattenne
    Three former MKT GP40s slow their grain train as they prepare to leave the Southern Pacific main line for the former Tidewater line at Modesto Junction (SP milepost 114.8). 

    At of the beginning of 1999 Union Pacific was still operating trains down 9th Street, much to the chagrin of Modesto City Fathers

    By then the massive grain trains had more or less been moved off 9th Street, using their former Southern Pacific Fresno Sub main line between Lathrop Junction (near Manteca) and Modesto to navigate to the TWS mainline.

    However, local jobs out of Stockon still used the original line as far as McHenry, including (on occasion) Modesto street trackage. Due to  traffic congestion that clogged the Fresno Sub line, UP officials had decided to keep the original Tidewater route intact and active. 

    The City of Modesto had claimed publicly that all trains would be gone from 9th Street by the end of 1997. The last train didn't run until into 2000.