George Andrews Wrote:
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> I recall that Espee's " Torpedo - Boat " GP - 9's
> were ordered specifically for the Del Monte,
> wherein the larger fuel & water capacity allowed
> for a roundtrip from The City to Monterey. This
> allowed Espee to retire the servicing facilities
> in Monterey.

I know that's what Strapac has written, and maybe that was indeed the original reason, but there are some problems with that theory.

First off, when the units were ordered the train still ran to Pacific Grove where there were servicing facilities. After it was cut back to Monterey, boiler water was available at that location and it was installed by the locomotive fireman as part of his contractual duties. In addition, it was common to use not just the "Torpedo Boat" units on the train but also units with the small 800/800 combo tank, right up to the train's discontinuance.

And they were never held exclusively to the "SF COMM" commute locomotive pool. They were common on the Oakland-Sacramento trains, and some even ended up in the "LA PASS" pool during the Sixties.