Southern Pacific Class M-6

The Southern Pacific Class M-6 was a class of 2-6-0 "Mogul" type steam locomotives with 76 examples built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works and the other two examples built by Southern Pacific themselves which brings the total to 78 examples. They were given road numbers 1725-1769 and 1780-1803. 
==History==
Between 1882 and 1930, the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) had purchased a total of 438 distinctive M-class 2-6-0 "Mogul" type steam locomotives for themselves and their subsidiary companies, such as the Texas and New Orleans Railroad. One class out of all of the 438 distinctive M-class steam locomotives, were the Class M-6, Southern Pacific built two examples for themselves, while the Baldwin Locomotive Works had built an additional 76 examples and delivered 76 to the Southern Pacific.
Withdrawal of the class occurred in the 1950s and all but four examples were scrapped.
==Survivors==
=== No. 1726 ===
***COMING SOON***
===No. 1744===
Main Article: Southern Pacific No. 1744.
====Revenue Service (1901-1958)====
No. 1744 was constructed in November 1901 and was rebuilt in 1912 as the 20th member of the class M-6 it was delivered to Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in November 1901. When Southern Pacific started dieselizing their system and all of the M-6 were withdrawn, No. 1744 was among the last steam locomotives on the railroad to be removed from revenue service, as it pulled its last revenue freight train for the SP in Sacramento on September 24, 1956.
Between 1951 and 1958, the SP's president Donald J. Russel made an approval that Southern Pacific could use their steam locomotives for a series of "Farewell to Steam" excursions. They selected multiple steam locomotives that were still on their active roster for the fan trips, including No. 1744, 1896-built class T-1 No. 2248, P-8 No. 2475, GS-4 No. 4443, GS-6 No. 4460, SP-2 No. 5011 and AC-11 Cab forward No. 4274.
On May 4, 1958, No. 4460 was assigned to pull the Oakland-Sacramento Senator plus an extra string of Harriman type passenger cars for an excursion over the 34-mile Sutter-Basin branch North of Sacramento. As the train approached Davis, it was handed over to No. 1744, which pulled the train on the rest of the journey to the end of the little-used Knights Landing branch, a signpost lettered "Josephine", where until that time, there had never been a passenger train in that area. That was the final time that No. 1744 was operated by the Southern Pacific, before its fire was dropped out of the firebox for the last time.
====Excursion Service (1980-1989)====
On April 22, 1980, No. 1744 was purchased by the New London and Village Incorporation, and was moved by truck all the way to Heber City, where it was given a major rebuild and restoration in the shops. In the Labor Day weekend of that year, No. 1744 was back under steam and was ready to operate on the Heber Creeper Tourist Railroad. There, No. 1744 would operate alongside some other active steam locomotives, including Union Pacific 2-8-0 No. 618, Sierra Railway 2-8-2 No. 36, and Santa Maria Valley 2-8-2 No. 100.
No. 1744 would also perform some famous doubleheaders with the other locomotives, which would also only happen on Labor Day weekends. As the decade progressed, however, the Heber Creeper was running into some financial trouble, and they slowly struggled to operate any more trains. No. 1744 made its last run in Heber on December 3, 1989, when it pulled the Santa Claus Express, and its fire was dropped once again.
====Excursion Service (2000-2001)====
No. 1744 was test fired over FW&W trackage on September 9, 2000, and throughout the rest of the month, it was used for multiple test runs while pulling passenger cars, until it was approved for usage by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on September 30. It was subsequently moved on a flatcar to New Orleans, Louisiana in November of that same year.
It was retired from service for a third time on May 12, 2001.
====Excursion Service (May 2007-October 2007)====
On May 9 of the same year, No. 1744 was moved to Alamosa, Colorado, and it had operated on a test run pulling ten loaded boxcars, 13 days later on May 22. Beginning on May 25, No. 1744 had pulled excursion trains on the Scenic line between Alamosa and La Veta, and it would also often travel South-bound to Antonito where passengers could connect with the 3-foot gauge Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, however, it was somehow retired again in October 2007.
====Present day====
As of today, No. 1744 is currently undergoing a 5th restoration to operating condition and specifically for the Niles Canyon Railway.
=== No. 1765 ===
***COMING SOON***
===No. 1785===
No. 1785 was retired in 1957 and donated to the City of Woodburn, OR. It is on static display near the junction of E Cleveland St & Ogle St.
== In Films ==
* No. 1744 is featured in the 1959 "This Earth Is Mine", starring Rock Hudson, Jean Simmons, Dorothy McGuire, Claude Rains, and directed by Henry King where it is filmed in the opening scene and it happened one year after No. 1744 was retired.
==Stock list==
***W.I.P***
Image 	Loco No.	Build date	Manufacturer 	Status
 	1725 	- 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	Scrapped
Frameless	1726 	- 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	On static display at the Dunsmuir City Park and Botanical Gardens in Dunsmuir, California
 	1730 	- 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	Scrapped
 	1744 	November 1901 (Built)
1912 (Rebuilt)	Baldwin Locomotive Works	Undergoing a 5th restoration to operating condition.
 	1746 	- 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	Scrapped
 	1748 	- 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	Scrapped
 	1758 	- 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	Scrapped
 	1759 	- 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	Scrapped
Frameless	1765 	- 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	On static display at the Lomita Railroad Museum in Lomita, California
 	1768 	- 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	Scrapped
150px 	1785 	1901 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	On static display in Woodburn, Oregon.
Category:2-6-0 steam locomotives
Category:Baldwin locomotives
Category:American locomotives
Category:Built in 1901
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:American steam locomotives
Category:United States
Category:Compound locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Southern Pacific Class M-6
Category:Locomotives
Category:2-6-0 locomotives
Category:Southern Pacific locomotives
Category:Southern Pacific M Series