I'll bet you're right. Kevin Keefe's Classic Trains post of 04/09/2020 reads "Better yet was a trip I took on Sunday, May 16, 1976, when the railroad cooperated with Chicago’s 20th Century Railroad Club to run a fantrip out to Bureau, Ill., to celebrate the Bicentennial paint scheme worn by E8 No. 652."
Speaking of Bureau, this E unit powered freight was photographed by Larry Anglund near there on August 19, 1978. Note the Rock Island trailer on the first TOFC flat car.
Many long years ago, I corresponded briefly with a fellow who was an RI operator at Bureau. Acquired a few train orders from him. He had been a collector of the same at one time.
That's cool. The branch to Peoria and Pekin left the main at Bureau, so I'll bet he was a busy man at times.
In May of 1958, my kindergarten class in Tucson, Arizona went on a field trip. We took a bus to Benson, AZ where we flagged the Imperial, train number 39 to ride back to Tucson. The Imperial was a joint train between the SP and the Rock Island. The train ran on the CRIP from Chicago to Tucumcari, New Mexico where it was handed over to the SP for the remainder of the journey to Los Angles. I remember being disappointing because we had to ride in a Rock Island coach. I wanted SP. The little guy in the "straw" hat is yours truly.
Did the RI change the traction motors and gearing on the E units when they started using them in freight service? With passenger gearing, the data I have had access to indicates that passenger gearing creates a Minimum Continuous Speed of 30 MPH. Locomotives with freight gearing have a MCS of about 11 MPH.
That is a precious picture Russell. I can't help but look at your school friends and wonder where life has taken them.
Notice that the switch you all are standing behind has been 'straight railed' however it looks like the operating mechanism of the switch has been left in place but disconnected.
I have kept up with one of the guys. He is now a retired minister in California. The rest, I lost track of when my family moved to Okinawa. My mom, the one who took the photo, kept up with his mom for many years and Bruce and I have maintained contact since our moms passed away.
I do the same thing on my NTRAK modules to prevent strangers from reaching over the stanchion ropes and flipping turnouts to see what happens. I have had a few disasters due to such inconsiderate people.
You have left the switch points in - in your K picture, the point for the diverging route has been removed and the through movement side has a rail with no possibility of a point.
OK, I was having a whale of a time figuring out what you meant by "straight rail", until you posted the closeup...
