Restored 1921-built Southern Pacific 4-6-2 P-8 2472 skirts the Pacific Ocean as pulls a passenger excursion, the Pacific Shore Limited, utilizing Rio Grande Ski Train coaches and a former PB-1 converted to a steam generator car. This fan trip is a deadhead move from San Jose to Los Angeles to position this equipment for the upcoming Earth Train. The Earth Train, a project of the Gateway Pacific Foundation with corporate that included Coca-Cola and Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, will head north out of Los Angeles a few days later as it travels all the way from LA to Washington DC by way of Oakland (where the steam locomotive was removed), Denver, Chicago and New York. Oddly, considering its importance, the Earth Train didn’t seem to get as much publicity as it should have, and today, when climate change has become a concern for the majority of the world’s population, even a Google search for this train doesn’t turn up much information. (Refugio State Beach, California – September 13, 1992)
