After the inaugural run, the trains became very popular and ridership skyrocketed.  Within a few years the Coast Daylight had the highest ridership numbers in the country.  Almost every day the trains operated at full capacity.  SP placed an order for more streamlined cars and when they received the new equipment in 1940 they turned the Coast Daylight into the Morning Daylight which ran with 14 cars.  The older 1937 cars from the Coast Daylight became the mid-day train called the Noon Daylight.  Also streamlined was the Sunbeam (Texas Daylight), the San Joaquin Daylight which ran through California's Central Valley between Oakland and Los Angeles, and the Lark which ran between San Francisco and Los Angeles at night.

With ridership still booming, by May 1940 SP found it necessary to order 51 more cars, 22 for the Morning Daylight and the rest for the Lark, Noon, and San Joaquin Daylights.  Like the Morning and Noon Daylights, the Shasta Daylight became a popular passenger train in northern California.  Starting in 1949, the Shasta Daylight began operating between Oakland California and Portland Oregon with beautiful country and mountain scenery.

In the 1950s train ridership started to decline.  More people were driving cars, flying with the airlines, or even riding rival passenger trains like on the Santa Fe.  On January 7, 1955 the steam era ended for the Coast Daylight and all trains were pulled by diesel engines.  Though the diesels were more efficient, popular opinion felt they just did not have the appeal like a steam engine.

As ticket sales continued their downward spiral, the Daylight trains became shadows of what they had once been giving way to shrinking consists and spartan amenities.  Whenever possible, the trains were discontinued by the SP.

In the 1960s SP just could not compete with automobiles and jet airliners.  Most people found that they could get to where they were going faster with other transportation than riding on a train.  When you included the increase of freight being hauled by trucks on freeways and the US Postal Service discontinuing moving mail by train, all of these factors caused SP's passenger trains to deteriorate to new lows.  SP's new trend was trying it's hardest to get out of the passenger train business.

Finally on May 1, 1971 Amtrak took over the few remaining SP passenger trains.  The Coast Daylight became the Coast Starlight and today runs daily as trains 11 & 14 between Los Angeles and Seattle Washington.

One would have thought that the Coast Daylight trains would have faded into history, but that was not the case!  Back in April 1958, after an active career of 17 years, SP steam locomotive No. 4449 was withdrawn from service and given to the City of Portland, Oregon to be placed on static display in the city’s Oaks Park.  There it sat rusting away for many years.  In 1973, the American Freedom Train Foundation was formed and the main objective of the organization was to assemble an exhibition train that would tour the United States to commemorate its Bicentennial.  In 1975 they chose No. 4449 and the engine was overhauled and refurbished from inside and out.  It was painted red, white, and blue and hauled the special 1976 American Freedom Train carrying historic American artifacts throughout the Western and Southern states.

After the Bicentennial, No. 4449 returned home to Portland and was placed in storage.  Future operations seemed remote.  However, in 1980 came an announcement that a Railfair, the first in the U.S. since 1949, would take place the following year to celebrate the grand opening of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California.  Through the joint efforts of the California State Railroad Museum, the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, the City of Portland, Oregon, and the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, it was agreed that No. 4449 would be restored to it’s original Daylight configuration with red, orange, and black colors to participate in the Railfair.

Pulling a sold out excursion train, engine No. 4449 left Portland on April 25, 1981, bound for Sacramento.  For nine days, from May 2 through May 10, 1981, 4449 and other trains joined in the Railfair celebrations in Sacramento.  The Daylight train was a site to behold.

Since the Railfair, SP 4449 has pulled many excursion trains to many places in the U.S.  SP 4449 currently resides at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center and is always ready for new excursions through the Friends of SP 4449.  Make an effort to ride 4449.  You will not forget the experience!

If you enjoy railroad history and the Southern Pacific, please join the Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society.  It’s a great group and a great historical resource.

SPECIAL NOTE:  Steam locomotives still in operation in the United States must undergo a federally-mandated inspection every 15 years.  In 2013 SP 4449's certification expired, thus it had to undergo disassembly, inspection, repair, and reassembly. After 30 months SP 4449 was back in service and was able to pull the 2015 Holiday Express. Please visit the Friends of SP 4449 for up to date information.