THE ARGONAUT
A BRIEF HISTORY

© 2004 Michael M. Palmieri

This Southern Pacific publicity photo from the early 1950's shows train No. 5 – the westbound Argonaut – heading across the Huey P. Long Bridge, near the beginning of its 2,000-mile journey to Los Angeles.  The Argonaut was inaugurated on 24 June 1926 as the secondary train on the Sunset Route, running opposite the Sunset Limited; but it was discontinued during the height of the Great Depression, from April 1932 until May 1936.  When this photo was taken, No. 5 left New Orleans at 10:30 A.M.
The Argonaut
New Orleans, Louisiana  •  N.O. Public Library NUTRIAS Collection

The train illustrated here consisted of two Alco PA1 locomotives and at least 14-cars.  At this time, the Argonaut was still quite a respectable train, with healthy head-end business, coaches, a full diner, a lounge, a San Antonio sleeper, and two Los Angeles sleepers; but that wouldn't last for long.  The next few years saw a dramatic decline in passenger serice on the Espee's Texas & New Orleans subsidiary, and by June 1958 the only passenger trains left were the Sunset Limited and a remnant of the Argonaut which was running as an un-named New Orleans-Houston local.

In 1951 T&NO passenger service was discontinued between Houston and Galveston, Houston and Austin, and McAllen and Brownsville.  The next year, service ended between Houston and McAllen, San Antonio and Skidmore, and Fort Worth and Ennis.  The Houston-Dallas Hustler was discontinued in 1954.  In 1955 the Sunbeam made its last run between Houston and Dallas and passenger service ended between Houston and Shreveport.  In 1956 the Acadian was discontinued between New Orleans and Houston, and in 1957 the Argonaut was discontinued west of El Paso.

The Argonaut
Avondale, Louisiana  •  December 1957  •  J. Parker Lamb Photo

This photo was taken two months after the Argonaut was discontinued west of El Paso.  Double-ended passenger geeps 282 and 283 lead No. 5 across the Texas & Pacific at West Bridge Junction, at the west end of the Huey P. Long Bridge.

In June of 1958, the Owl was discontinued between Houston and Dallas, and the Argonaut was discontinued between Houston and El Paso.  The Argonaut’s last sleeping car was removed in October 1958, and the train became an unnamed New Orleans-Houston local.  On 1 November 1961, the T&NO was merged into the Espee.  The last remnant of the Argonaut was discontinued in 1963, leaving the Sunset as the only passenger train on the former T&NO.

The PA1’s were the T&NO’s best-known passenger units, but they weren’t the only ones.  The railroad also had 14 GP9's and an assortment of F7's equipped for passenger service, and these frequently operated on the Argonaut.  As passenger service on the T&NO declined, and E-units and F-units became the preferred passenger power on the Sunset Route, the PA’s were sold to the Espee and renumbered.  Most of these units went to the west coast between 1955 and 1958, but two of them – SP 6060 (ex-T&NO 201) and 6066 (ex-211) – were the usual power on trains 5 and 6 during the last several years of its operation.  All of the ex-T&NO PA’s were retired in 1963-64 and used as trade-in credit on new Alcos and GE’s.

The Argonaut
Lafayette, Louisiana  •  David Ellzey Photo

This photo illustrates the Argonaut late in its career, with one locomotive and four cars.  During the diesel era, the Argonaut ran with a variety of locomotives: PA1's, GP9's, and an assortment of F-units; but this was one of the most unusual units used on the train.  This FP7 was built as St. Louis Southwestern 330 in April 1950, almost two years before the Espee's own FP7's 6446-6461.  Unlike the Espee's FP7's, this unit lacked an oscillating headlight and dynamic brakes.

The 330 was the Cotton Belt's only FP7, and it was the only F-unit ever painted in Daylight colors.  It was renumbered SSW 306 on 30 March 1952, then the Cotton Belt leased it to the Espee and it was renumbered SP 6462 on 6 January 1960.  Espee subleased it to the T&NO on 27 January 1961; where it was used as a backup unit for PA1's 6060 and 6066 on train 5 and 6.  After 5 and 6 were discontinued, the 6462 was transferred to the San Francisco commuter pool.  Its lease from the SSW was cancelled in September 1971 and the unit was retired.  It was traded in to General Electric in May 1972.


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