Tidewater Southern GE 44 tonner 735, the first diesel owned by the railroad, has been donated to the Feather River Rail Society
, contingent upon being able to move the locomotive from Kansas City to Portola, CA. We need to raise $15,000 (NEW: we have pushed the cost down to about
$12,000! That is our new target!) to transport the 735 back to California for preservation at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola. We have only a few months to make this happen or the locomotive will likely need to be
scrapped on site. PLEASE help us return this save this historic engine!
The 735, built as TS 135 in 1946 by General Electric, served the TS longer than any other diesel. It also spent time on sister road Sacramento Northern, where it was the only diesel to ever work over the Oakland Hills line. While it replaced one of the Tidewater's steam locomotives, its main job during its early career was being part of the unique TS operation of pulling steam trains down Modesto's Ninth Street. In this capacity, it served alongside electric steeplecab locomotives 100 and 106 until their retirement in 1948. The end of steam power in late 1953 finally closed the book on this unusual service.
Help save Tidewater Southern's very first diesel locomotive!
Aurora Siding - 1947. Guy Dunscomb photo, Martin Hansen collection
Aurora Siding - 1948. Guy Dunscomb photo, Martin Hansen collection
Modesto - 1977. Jim Bruce photo
Jacumba on the SD&AE - 1980. Steve Gartner photo
Stockton Roundhouse - 1953. photographer unknown
TS 735 History The service history of the 735 is an interesting one. In addition to pulling trains for the
Tidewater and spending time helping the SN, the storied Virginia and Truckee Railroad looked at purchasing the little engine in 1948 to replace its steam power. When the Western Pacific introduced its famous silver and orange Zephyr
colors, the 735 was the first switcher to be repainted. Remarkably, it still wears these colors today, the last WP family locomotive to operate in original orange and silver. The coming of larger freight cars in the 1950's put a strain
on its 380 horses and later years would sometimes fine it running in multiple with a leased SN 44 tonner. The general rebuilding of the line in the 1950's and 60's and increasing tonnage trains rendered the 735 obsolete on the
Tidewater. It was retired and sold to Pickering Lumber on April 8, 1967, ending a little over 20 years of service for the railroad. While working for Pickering in Standard, California, it switched cars coming off the Sierra
Railroad and pulled at least one excursion train. Around 1977, it was sold to Pacific Railroad Contractors and reportedly worked on the construction of the SP's Alhambra subway in Los Angeles and rebuilding of parts of the San Diego and
Arizona Eastern in the late 1970's. Its whereabouts during the 1980's are undocumented, but the unit surfaced in the late 1990's at the A&K Railroad Materials yard in Kansas City, Kansas.
Donation and Movement A&K has graciously donated this historic locomotive to the FRRS, however we must move it within the next few
months. As it has plain (friction) bearing trucks, the move must be made by flatcar or flatbed truck. Current estimates place the total movement cost around $12,000. The locomotive is not operational and is suffering from years
of deferred maintenance, however it still wears its silver and orange paint and even sports one of the orange and black striped awnings added to it by the Pickering. The goal is to effect a cosmetic restoration in Portola and later
evaluate it for possible operational restoration. To save this California classic, we need your help. Donations to the 735 Fund can be sent to the Feather River Rail Society – TS 735, P O Box 608, Portola, CA, 96122, or via our on-line
donation system using the button above. NOTE - For those who have been following our attempt to preserve RS1 Tidewater Southern 746 / Central California Traction 80, we have not abandoned that goal, but the timeframe for saving the 735
means that we are putting that effort on hold for now.
TS engineer Sy Black catches a quick snooze in the cab of 44 tonner 735.
Ted Benson photo
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