SP/SSW An Oldie from LEW, AC-9

One of our regular contributors to the New York Central forum has sent me some SP shots that you guys should like. This one, AC-9 3805, was shot outside of Tucson, AZ in 1948 according to LEW, and shot with a brownie. Looks like the crew is inspecting the forward drivers.

 

Gee THANKS Fitz !!! This is my MOST FAVORITE engine!
Dad used to race these for as long as his Chevy could keep up with them. The engineer would pick up speed to around 70 mph, then give us two 'toots', wave, and just pull on ahead, (and one time he was pulling 88 cars!) I counted them! I got to ride in the cab between small towns in 1940, what a thrill for a ten year old!
Man you have just made my whole day! This really brings back a whole lot of memories for me. Thank you for posting, and MUCH thanks to Lew for providing the photo too!

 

One word:

SWEET!!!!!

 

Here is one from LEW's Brownie, an SP 4-10-2, 5008, at El Paso in 1948. Thanks for bringing up this history, LEW.

 

I envy my father who was raised a literal stones throw next to the SP main in El paso, Texas. He told me of the incessant parade of different locos viewed over the years even through diesilization. Must of been sad.

I thought of doing a diorama of just such a scene featuring a crew coaxing a coyote outside the engine on a siding at sunset after a thunderstorm. Ideally with light signals and sound titled, "Waiting in the Hole."

 

That would be a good scene, SD40T-2; I'll have to remember that.

On the Tuscon AC-9, it should be a coal burner. It is hard for me to tell from the photo; I'm not sure that you could tell unless the coal was in sight.

 

On Espee, the AC-9 was the only one of the AC series that was not cab forward. Like Watash says, it is just a beautiful engine, IMHO. It almost has a skyline casing effect or something like that.