Life during wartime. A heavy passenger extra, which probably means a troop train; a freight hog on the point, and a shrouded headlight.
I kit bashed an N scale version of that locomotive many years ago. I was the only kid on the block with an N scale Atlantic.
U30GC and U28CG pulling the Texas Chief at Fort Worth, Texas in 1968. In that era, the Santa Fe would put hi-level coaches on the Texas Chief during off seasons. During peak traffic times they would put them back on the El Capitain and replace them on the Texas Chief with single level coaches. My brother was going to school at the University of Wisconsin back then. My parents and I would drop him off at Houston Union Station in the morning for his trip to Chicago where he would change trains for Madison, Wisconsin. The dining car on the Texas Chief would be open for anyone to eat at before the train departed. Had many a fine breakfast before we said goodby and got off. T Hoffman Photo.
That ATSF 404 sure looks like GE's attempt at an underpowered, wannabe FP45... The Warbonnet scheme still looks good, though.
Brakes smoking as 2 and 2A, EMC E1s on the point of 8 cars making up the Super Chief, comes to a stop in Albuquerque, N.M., December 4, 1937. Otto Perry collection Denver public library collection. Must have been a hard stop.
The Santa Fe was one of the first to buy Mikados. Pretty forward thinking, right? Not so much. The fireboxes were wide, to better burn copious amounts of low-grade coal mined at Gallup. But they were perched way up above the rear pair of drivers. No, the trailing truck wasn't there to support a bigger, wider firebox. They were just there because the newer, bigger locomotives they were using in helper service at Raton had to return to the bottom of the hill in reverse. And they had a bad habit of derailing on the mountain curves. So, a pony truck at each end, for guidance. That's why the Santa Fe was one of the first roads to order big Mikados. And that's why they invented the Santa Fe type, too. Two of their three Decapods were the biggest locomotives in the world. But that weight didn't keep them on the track in reverse. So if you've ever looked at a 900 or 1600 series Santa Fe 2-10-2 and thought, why does that look more like a decapod, congratulations. You have a good eye.
I know you posted that so I could enjoy looking at that 13,500 horsepower. But I keep getting distracted by the Austin Healey.
April 1939, San Augustine, Texas. Photo by Russell Lee. That's a Seth Thomas No. 19 clock I think. To promote absolute accuracy, the pendulum weight was two mercury-filled glass vials that compensated for the effect of temperature changes on pendulum length. The cases on these (and others used to set employee watches) were locked with the winding key, so as to discourage anyone from attempting to adjust the time. It's hard to read, but just above the weights is a sign on this clock that showed how many seconds it was fast or slow. These signs were commonly applied and carefully tended to as a time signal was sent. In the late 1960s the Santa Fe had a garage sale and sold most all of its weight-driven clocks systemwide including these, Seth Thomas No. 1 and No. 2s (with the No. 2s containing a compensating mechanism to keep the clock's weight-driven operation consistent while being wound), short and long-drop spring-driven regulators often used as station clocks and others as well. The Santa Fe included location information with each clock sold, so that buyers would know where the clock came from and what its duty was there. Just another fascinating side of railroading in the classic era. Here's another example of a Seth Thomas No. 19 in this photo.
Having arrived in Chicago aboard the B&O Capitol Limited at Grand Central Station, this 6-6-4 Valley sleeper is now part of the westbound Chief consist, awaiting passenger boarding at Dearborn Station. It is one of 26 cars of this type built in 1942 for the Santa Fe. It had been repainted in the shadow line scheme at Richmond, California, to simulate streamlined fluting. It was one of a number of cars interchanged with the Baltimore & Ohio, Pennsylvania and NYC and were transferred from station to station in Chicago to provide through "coast to coast" service. July 1949, Robert L. Pendleton photo. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Library.
It would be great if someone were to start a New England topic, as we have for the AT&SF. Hank? Anyone?
I just did that. https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/old-photos-from-the-new-england-region.146854/
The Santa Fe system stretched all the way into central Louisiana to the town of Oakdale, with a branch to De Ridder, Louisiana. The Louisiana branch split of from the East Texas line of the old Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe at Kirbyville, Texas. Conroe, Texas was along the line through East Texas that made it all the way to Longview, Texas. Here is the water tank and roundhouse in Conroe, circa 1910 near Pacific Street. The depot is peeking through between them. This photo is from the Montgomery County Courier, “Railroads influence a developing Montgomery County,” in the March 22, 2017 edition.
A few more by Chard L. Walker from the Steven Priest collection. Wrecks somewhere on Cajon Pass. No dates.
November 1945 I was at the end vestibule of the Sunset somewhere in a desert area when I noticed the track and ballast color abruptly change. Within seconds, there were freight cars scattered off to both sides. That was my first experience of a wreck sight up close and personal, wow!
