I have a curiosity question that maybe someone can answer. Were Trainmasters ever used on the Los Gatos commute trains? Those would be trains 129 and 132 that went over to Los Gatos, or later Vasona.

The photos that I have seen of these trains always had a single GP9 (except I've seen one photo of 129 with an SD9 and a string of harrimans). I assume that was due to the lighter rail on the branch.

However, these a photo caption of Trainmaster #3033 (in the Diesels of the SP book, vol. 1) that mentions the rear train number indicators on that unit were illuminated too due to its assignment on the Los Gatos branch (I believe the unit ran in reverse on the deadhead move from Los Gatos to San Jose, before the spur into downtown Los Gatos was abandoned in 1959).

Did they assign a Trainmaster to the Los Gatos trains in the late 1950? (The commute trains to Vasona/Los Gatos were discontinued in January 1964 when the portion through Los Altos was abandoned). Similarly, I've read that the lighter 4-6-2 Pacifics were assigned to the Los Gatos trains rather than the heavier 4-8-2 and 4-8-4 units. However, I once saw a photo in the old Western Railroader magazine of a GS4, still in steamline cowling and paint, pulling 132, the Los Gatos train, out of San Francisco. Likewise, the would contradict other references that say that lighter locomotives only were used on the Los Gatos branch.

Thanks in advance.