SP 8912 leads a train in Palm Springs, California, in February 1981. The Southern Pacific (reporting mark SP) (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States.

In 1885, the Southern Pacific leased the Central Pacific Railroad until eventually merging with it in 1959. Through the years, the line expanded to more than 13,000 miles of rail covering most of the southwestern United States.

Southern Pacific 2472 is a P-8 class 4-6-2 heavy "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in 1921. No. 2472 is one of three surviving Southern Pacific P-8 class 4-6-2 Pacific locomotives, the …

Founded in 1865, the Southern Pacific (SP) was originally created as a rail line from San Francisco to San Diego. By 1868, it extended to New Orleans. In 1885, the Southern Pacific leased the Central Pacific Railroad, which was the western half of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.

What quickly became America’s first land holding company, the Southern Pacific Railroad (Southern Pacific) was incorporated in 1865 and would later lease the Central Pacific Railroad (Central Pacific). Central Pacific began construction of America’s First Transcontinental Railroad in Sacramento, California in 1863.

By 1900, the Southern Pacific system was a major railroad system incorporating many smaller companies, such as the Texas and New Orleans Railroad and Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad.

The venerable Southern Pacific railroad operates a core route of 7,500 miles of railway in 14 of the western United States, its territory forming a broad crescent from Portland, Oregon, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and up through the Midwest.

The history of the Southern Pacific stretches from 1865 to 1998 and ultimately provided rail transportation services in 13 states throughout the American West and Southwest. The Southern Pacific was represented by three railroads throughout its life.

Feb 4, 2022 · Until the supermergers of recent decades, Southern Pacific was one of the largest railroads in the U. S., ranking third behind Pennsylvania and New York Central in operating revenue and second behind Santa Fe in route mileage.

December 15, 1881: Southern Pacific (under the GH&SA RR) meets the Texas and Pacific at Sierra Blanca, Texas in Hudspeth County, Texas getting close to completing the nation's …