Inventory of the City of San Francisco Derailment Collection, 1939-1949
Processed by Dr. Blaine P. Lamb; machine-readable finding aid created by
Xiuzhi Zhou
California State Railroad Museum Library
111 "I" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 323-8073
Fax: (916) 327-5655
Email: csrmlibrary@csrmf.org
URL: http://www.csrmf.org/library.html
© 2000
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the City of San Francisco Derailment Collection, 1939-1949
Collection number: MS 39
California State Railroad Museum Library
Sacramento, California
Contact Information:
- California State Railroad Museum Library
- 111 "I" Street
- Sacramento, California 95814
- Phone: (916) 323-8073
- Fax: (916) 327-5655
- Email: csrmlibrary@csrmf.org
- URL: http://www.csrmf.org/library.html
- Processed by:
- Dr. Blaine P. Lamb
- Encoded by:
- Xiuzhi Zhou
© 2000 California State Railroad Museum. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: City of San Francisco Derailment Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1939-1949
Collection number: MS 39
Extent: 2 document boxes + 1 flat document box
Repository:
California State Railroad Museum Library
Sacramento, California 95814
Shelf location: Big Four Building or off-site storage. Please contact
the Library in advance of your visit.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Provenance
Gift of Brian Thompson, 1988
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. All requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Senior
Curator. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the CSRM as the owner of the
physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder,
which must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], City of San Francisco Derailment Collection, MS 39, California State Railroad Museum Library, Sacramento,
California.
Collection Description
Includes newspaper clippings, Southern Pacific records, instructions, arrival and departure times, notes, maps, scrapbook,
photographs and a poster. Organized by type of material.
Historical Background
The train, City of San Francisco, operated by the Southern Pacific, Union Pacific and Chicago and North Western Railroads,
was called "the largest, fastest, most beautiful, powerful and luxurious streamliner ever designed," when inaugurated on January
2, 1939. The train, which carried passengers between Oakland, California and Chicago, derailed on August 12, 1939, at a site
between Harney and Palisade, in eastern Nevada. The cars suffered tremendous damage, and there were many deaths and injuries
among the crew and passengers. Evidence found at the point of derailment indicated that it had been the result of sabotage.
Years of detective work by Southern Pacific and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, turned up much evidence and several suspects,
but no convictions were ever made. The identities and motives of the saboteurs remain a mystery.
Related Collection
Title: Photograph album No. 32
Box 1, Folder 1
Records concerning train speed on curves, instructions for engineers and personnel, operation of the train, arrival and departure
times, and visibility at the place of the derailment.
Folder 2
Diagram charts and graphs
Folder 3
Southern Pacific logo, map of Nevada and miscellaneous notes
Box 1, Folder 4
Southern Pacific, Bureau of News, Book 1, containing newspaper clippings dealing with the derailment
Folder 5
Southern Pacific, Bureau of News, Book 2, containing newspaper clippings dealing with the derailment
Folder 6
Southern Pacific, Bureau of News, scrapbook containing clippings dealing with the derailment
Box 1, Folder 7
Promotional photographs of the "City of San Francisco" showing interior and exterior
Box 2, Folder 1
Photographs of the general location and topography of the derailment site
Folder 2-4
Photographs of damaged equipment
Folder 5
Photographs of altered track which caused the derailment
Folder 6
Photographs of devices used to cause the derailment and of evidence which indicated that the derailment was intentional
Folder 7
Photographs of police, special agents, and individuals who attempted to apprehend the saboteurs
Box 3, Folder 1
Reward poster issued by the Southern Pacific for capture of the saboteurs
Folder 2
Oversized photographs of the derailment, with accompanying descriptions
