Swan Sanden



This article appeared in the March 1936 SP Bulletin.

RADIO: Engineer S. O. Sanden Talks About S. P. and Safety

Southern Pacific in particular and other railroads in general were given a "nice hand" over the radio February 14 when Swan O. Sanden, locomotive engineer, Western Division, was the special guest of station KYA in San Francisco for a 15-minute interview.

Engineer Sanden answered the many questions concerning his profession and the operations of his Company in a manner that gave no evidence whatever that it was his first appearance before a radio "mike". He gave his listeners a concise outline of the S. P. organization, its importance to the communities through which it operates, the improvements that have recently been made in its transportation services, and concluded with a plea for greater vigilance and caution on the part of the motorists at railroad crossings.

Sanden has had 25 years' service with the Company. He lives in Oakland where he has made many talks before Boy Scouts and other groups explaining the features of model working locomotives built by V. T. Shattock, pumper at Oakland Pier, and answering the many questions fired at him by the inquisitive youngsters about locomotives, trains, signals and other phases of railroad operation. He and Mr. Shattock (see The Miniature Southern Pacific Railroad) have been doing effective work in getting children "train-minded."