Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Shops were centered around the erecting and machine shop, where heavy locomotive maintenance was performed. The facility housed craftsmen who were experts in every step of overhauling and retrofitting the railroad’s equipment. Our page takes a deep dive into the erecting and machine shop with many photos, plans, and a historical narrative.
By 1872, shop managers at Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Shops realized that more space was needed for painting than was available in the wing of the planing mill that was being used at the time. The new paint shop was erected to the east of Car Shop No. 3 aligned parallel to it. The main building was 70 by 265 feet, with five parallel wings on the east side, each 70 by 20 feet. Unlike many of the buildings at the Sacramento Shops, the paint shop – through several reincarnations – survived until the Shops were closed in 1999. Check out the plans of this massive building.
The Southern Pacific Railroad Sacramento Shops were the largest and most comprehensive railroad heavy repair facilities in the Western United States. This page offers an overview of the evolution of the Sacramento Shops from its beginning through the transformation from steam to diesel.
We are kicking off a deep dive into the history of the Southern Pacific Railroad’s massive Sacramento Shops with plans for the car machine shop where railroad cars were built as late as 1937. Later, during the change to diesel locomotives, the first floor of the building was mostly used for a wheel shop, while the plating, painting, and upholstery shops on the second floor continued refurbishing Southern Pacific’s passenger car fleet. Check out the photos and plans of this historic building.