In its final weeks of operation before Amtrak, SP's Del Monte passes its namesake station outside of Monterey. The Del Monte Hotel had once been a luxurious destination for passengers, but during World War Two it became the Naval Post Graduate School, and by 1971 the station was a rarely used flagstop for the train. The units used on the Del Monte were purpose-built, with double-ended controls (since there was no turning faclity at Monterey),extra large fuel tanks (so they could go roundtrip on one tank), the larger fuel tanks required that the air brake reservoirs be located on top the the engine (giving these units the nickname "torpedo boats"), and unlike other SP geeps they had no dynamic brakes.
In the years after World War II Southern Pacific went from being the most bullish railroad on passenger service to one of its biggest detractors. It continually downgraded service until Amtrak took over what remained.
