three steamers (the third would re- main as back-up power and to cover the line when the diesel was away for maintenance). The railroad ordered a 51-ton, end-cab design similar to GE models built for some customers in Latin America. They were equipped with a 450 h.p. Caterpillar V12 diesel. SP No. 1 was delivered to the rail-
road in September of 1954, and on Oc- tober 12th, it arrived aboard a stan- dard gauge flat car at Owenyo, the site of the Keeler Branch’s connection to the rest of the world. At a dedication ceremony four days later, the diesel was christened “Little Giant” a name chosen through a contest that generat- ed more than 500 entries - using a cardboard bottle filled with “Owens Valley champagne” (otherwise known as talc, which the line hauled from a mine in Keeler). The diesel’s career on the SP was short-lived, however, just six years. In April, 1960, the SP abandoned the Keeler Branch, and No. 1 was leased to the company that scrapped the line. Interestingly, in those six years the diesel wore three paint schemes, as the harsh desert climate was brutal on the paint. In addition to its as-delivered Tiger Stripe scheme with aluminum ends, No. 1 also wore a simplified black and orange scheme, and the SP’s Lark Gray and Scarlet. (For a more complete history of the
Keeler Branch, I highly recommend two recently published books from the Southern Pacific Historical and Tech- nical Society (
www.sphts.org): South- ern Pacific’s Slim Princess in the Sun- set 1940-1960 by Joe Dale Morris, and Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge Loco- motives and Freight Equipment by Robert A. Bader. I reviewed both of these for RMC and they would make a great starting point for a layout.) Following the scrapping of the Keel-
er Branch, No. 1 was stored for about a year, then sold to a locomotive dealer in Texas, who in turn sold it to a min- ing company in northern Mexico. The engine was later converted to standard gauge by pushing its wheels out on its axles. Like the prototype, this O scale mod-
el has sideframes set at the standard gauge width with the wheels tucked further in on the axles. And, like the prototype, this model looks like a GE 70-tonner that’s had a safe dropped on its cab. (Remember when that hap- pened to cartoon characters?) That said, it towers over the typical narrow gauge boxcar, making its multi-gauge utility obvious. Detailing is up to the usual fine standards from this importer. I partic- ularly like the nose-mounted classifica- tion lights, the louvered hood doors and the cab interior. Cab doors oper- ate, with spring mechanisms to keep
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ppw-aline.com visa/mc Fully illustrated Catalog $4.00- Send to P.O. Box 2701 Carlsbad, CA 92018 89
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