Southern Pacific No. 4245

Southern Pacific No. 4245 was a class AC-11 4-8-8-2 "Cab-Forward" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in November 1942 and was amongst the last steam locomotives delivered to the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP). It was used mostly on freight service, but - like the rest of its kin - was used on passenger service as well and occasionally hauled excursions. 
In January 1952, No. 4245 was used in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the snowbound City of San Francisco passenger train, which was trapped in 12-foot drifts by a heavy blizzard at Yuba Pass, 17 miles west of Donner Pass and 5 miles east of Emigrant Gap in the Sierras. Attempting to reach the stuck train with snow fighting equipment out of the SP yard at Norden, CA, the big AC-11, along with the steam-driven rotary snowplow it was pushing, SPMW 7208, were hit by an avalanche, derailing and becoming trapped as well. Later, the pair were hit by a second, larger avalanche, which overturned the plow and its tender, killing No. 4245's engineer, Rolland "Rolly" Raymond, who at that point had been outside standing next to it, becoming one of only two casualties in the incident. The second SP worker to die, Jay Gold, succumbed to a stress-induced heart attack from the physical exertion of the rescue effort. 
No. 4245 was repaired after the incident and returned to service. In the mid-1950s, No. 4245 was eventually withdrawn and was sold for scrap. 
== Gallery ==
File:9604448750 c68b830f24.jpg|A model of what No. 4245 looked like
File:FB IMG 1673125197018.jpg|4245 trapped in the snow after derailing at Yuba Pass. January 1952
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Articulated locomotives
Category:Southern Pacific locomotives
Category:American locomotives
Category:Baldwin locomotives
Category:Cab forward locomotives
Category:Built in 1942
Category:Eight-coupled locomotives
Category:4-8-8-2 locomotives
Category:4-8-8-2 steam locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:Unique locomotives
Category:United States
Category:Locomotives
Category:Cab forward steam locomotives
Category:Mallet locomotives
Category:American steam locomotives
Category:Prototype locomotives