I am trying to figure out where SP assigned the GE 70 tons.

The first 10 - 5100-5109 were all intially assigned to Oregon and not built with mu though GE later supplied kits for SP to retrofit some of them. The story is that they were bought to replace the 4-8-0 and small 2-8-0 classes. Early photos show them switching in the Portland area, but I don't know for how long. They were also assigned to Albany and Eugene, where they worked the eastside branches, and probably local switching. According to a retired SP engineer, they would later mu three of them and run 100 cars out of Eugene up the main to Albany where they would run around their train ant take some of the sars east up the branch. The end of the Coos Bay branch was also a regular haunt. The initial assignment to Oregon may have been in part for tax reasons?

Subsequent orders were for 1 or 2 at a time up to 5120 (5114 was the second GE demonstrator) built with or without mu. Trains 381/382 "Gila Tomahawk" to Bowie in Arizona had one assigned. Was their a second one for backup and what was it assigned?

Some of the initial and later units were rotated through the San Diego and Arizona Eastern where they did local switching and worked the branches to Coronado and El Cajon allowing them to retire steam. Also assigned to work the coach yard in Oakland, and on the Oakdale local. Photos show them at Taylor engine facilities, but have never determined if these were units there for shop work or there was a regular assignment. Records show some leased for a while to NWP, but which end did they work?

It looks like the 70T got bounced around quite a bit, and I'm not sure many of their assignments lasted that long. In Oregon, they were long associated with the end of the Coos Bay branch, and the Eastside branches. By the mid 1970s these branches had been abandoned or able to use lightweiht SD9s. San Diego lost theirs by the late 1960s when the Coronado was abandoned and others upgraded to 75# rail allowing the SW1/SW8/Sw900 assignments.All the other assignments seem to be hit and miss for a few years.

If anyone has more or better info, I am interested.