Southern Pacific 2479 Steam Locomotive

11/30/2025

From Christopher Hauf …

With many people passing through our Brightside yard on our Train of Lights, some may have noticed the very large steam locomotive tender next to our steam shop. Before today, you may have not have known what locomotive it goes to. While we do need to repaint the tender, we decided today to add back its original SP tender number so there would be no guessing what locomotive it goes to. Southern Pacific Railroad #2479 is one of several restoration projects you can donate to this coming via our website. We hope you will help us get the 2479 steam, but for now, the it can proudly wear its number again.
11.29.2025

11/26/2025

While many departments slow down at the end of the year especially given Train of Lights, it is a time for our Steam Department to accelerate with the operating season past and time to focus on restoration and maintenance. Last weekend, a crew continued the work to remove the tubes from Southern Pacific Railroad #2479 as part of the required boiler work on the locomotive. Want to support these efforts? New volunteers are welcome as are donations. We will leave links to both in the comments.
11.22.2025

11/09/2025

Congratulations to the Alaska RR 557 group. They have been working on this restoration for many years. While reassembly work is still required to get her moving, the whistle’s shrill is a milestone.

10/29/2025

This is one of our favorite historical images of #2479 backing onto the San Jose Roundhouse turntable. It was taken by Gene Deimling in June 1955. With the locomotive, turntable and roundhouse components now owned by the Niles Canyon Railway , this image has taken more significance as sitting on the garden tracks, seen behind #2479's tender is NCRy's very own GP-9, SP #5623! Equipped with a boiler for providing steam heat to the passenger cars, #5623, a couple of similar GP-9s, and a fleet of FM trainmasters would replace the commute steam power, including the #2479.

With financial support, we will be able to recreate this scene in Niles.

09/07/2025

Today’s fairgrounds accomplishment was loading critical components for both the turntable and water tank from the San Jose Roundhouse. First the ring rails for the 80 foot table followed by the air motor. Lastly the eight support legs, piping and misc strengthening bars for the 65,000 gallon water tank. All are going to the Niles Canyon Railway.

08/31/2025

Every week, clearing the fairgrounds site has evoked memories of 2479’s restoration and, most importantly, other volunteers. Today, we loaded a scrap metal bin - this will be the third over the past couple of years. First to go were the remaining old boiler tubes and flues which were removed three decades ago. Over these years, the old tubes have been repurposed as structural supports for sheds, staircases etc. One of the most utilized boiler tube fabrication was a table that doubled as a platform alongside the locomotive. Also tossed, into a different bin, the plywood steam dome cover. Memories.

08/10/2025

With all 2479’s components off the fairgrounds site, the focus turns to relocating San Jose Roundhouse material to Niles. Currently, we are loading the rails leading to the five 80’ stalls. In unsacking these rails, we exposed the turntable ring rails.

Looking forward to seeing 2479, 1744, the Krauss-Maffei, and other former Southern Pacific equipment using the San Jose Roundhouse turntable in Niles!

08/05/2025

Today a milestone was reached…a 40 foot container of remaining components left the Santa Clara County fairgrounds for the 30 mile trip to the Niles Canyon Railway. The container was filled with 2479’s superheaters, piping and an assorted collection of components. This is the first time since September 1958 when the she arrived at the fairgrounds, that neither the locomotive nor a part of her is on the fairgrounds. Only her mainrods and pistons remain in San Jose- these components are stored inside the trolley barn at History Park. A bitter sweet moment.

07/24/2025

Looking forward to reinstalling 2479’s cab. The photographer captioned this image with “Re United..sort of.”

07/24/2025

At long last, 2479’s cab has been moved to Brightside on the Niles Canyon Railway. We had trailer space in a load headed toward Niles proper and decided to go for it. At any rate, we looked forward to reinstalling the cab on the locomotive

06/08/2025

To gain access to one of the remaining rail stacks at the fairgrounds, we relocated 2479’s old flues and tubes. These were removed from her boiler in the mid nineties. Over the years (decades!) this material has been reused in various on-site projects … stairs, tables, roof structures, etc.

05/18/2025

2479’s bell was relocated to Niles Canyon today. The bell’s patina includes hundreds of dings, the result of rock throwing vandals at the fairgrounds.