Well, I can add two "Q" related notes... 1. While it's no high traffic affair, I have a Fort Worth & Denver Railway Yahoo group that any Q-fans are welcome to join and participate in. Pretty much any CB&Q topic would fly, and of course BN and BNSF, too. Kinda like the focus to be either FW&D or C&S territory, but we're not too strict in this forum, really. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheDenverRoad 2. Any CB&Q/BN fan should be at the Friends of the Burlington Northern convention this summer in Denver. Check out http://www.fobnr.org for more info. [ April 04, 2006, 03:23 PM: Message edited by: Doug A. ]
That convention is tempting... I should go, but I dunno if it is in the funds... Thanks, Doug, for the info on the FW&D group.
I'm a Q fan from way back. One of my earliest rail memories is of watching SDs in black & gray switching in Ashland Nebr. Chalco, Nebr. was a great place to watch trains a night . Good parking and no one bothered you. You could sit there and listen to the relay box click till the next train showed up.
I would like to know the details of the exchange of FW&D switchers for old GN GP7s, which became FW&D 700 series units.
Dan, feel free to join the FW&D "Denver Road" group and post your question there as well. I've seen mention of the swap, but I don't know the details. I have two of the best FW&D books on the planet though and I'll see if I can find anything in those.
Actually, I am more of a CB&Q admirer. I have a couple of "Q" boxcars on my layout module. Also, my first intro to HO was on my older cousins train set. He had a Chinese red GP-38. I was amazed at the realism on these model railroad things after working with Lionel three rail equipment. Another thing is that the GM&O in Alton, Illinois seemed to work closely with the "Q". All good!
Even though I am primarily a Northern Pacific/Rock Island fan, CB&Q is of interest since after 1918, the NP's trains between Chicago and St. Paul MN were operated by the CB&Q. Hard to believe this thread languished for 13 years!!!
I guess my moniker says it all! I grew up on a farm in central Illinois and the CB&Q ran right through the middle of it. Whenever I heard a train coming the race was on to make it to the crossing to watch. I really like the Chinese red paint but I love the Blackbird scheme!
I am a retired BNSF engineer, but my "career" was on the former C.B.&Q. side of the railroad. Charlie
Primarily a Rock Island fan myself, and Iowa interurbans, but I also like the CB&Q. They had a branch line into Des Moines, now BNSF. I think it is still extant, though I have not been back there myself in several years. Part of the allure of CB&Q for me is their fantastic Zephyr fleet, and I am working on a project in N scale to bring the Zephyr Rocket back to life. Bonus: CB&Q E5s and CRI&P E6s! Having a bit of trouble finding the proper consists for the early 1950s, though.
Found this, but don't know if it will help. Found at: https://web.archive.org/web/20150208074112/http://www.rits.org/www/equipment/rizeph.html 7/6/96 Zephyr Rocket Consists #61-561 (St. Louis)Burlington-St. Paul/Minneapolis #62-562 St. Paul/Minneapolis-Burlington(St.Louis) CB&Q; #15/#8: St. Louis-Burlington 1940 semi-streamlined rebuild & rename 60' RPO 861 10-3 Minneapolis (1917) Cedar Rapids (1911 12-1-1 reblt 1931) 1941 rebuild & rename 8-1-3 Rocket Tower (1929 10-2) Zephyr Tower (1929 10-2) 1-7-41 initial run bage-mail 800 CB&Q; 1601 Silver Mail bage 861 CB&Q; 902 Silver Express 52 chair 312 Waterloo CB&Q; 4709 Silver Castle 10-3 Cedar Rapids Minneapolis 8-1-3 Rocket Tower Zephyr Tower dining-prlr-obs 432 St Louis 433 St Paul 6-25-46 loco assignments for Mpls-StLo 561-62-8-15 E3A 627 8-12-46 actual at Fort Madison, Iowa E5A CB&Q; 9913A Silver Wings bage-RPO CB&Q; 1916 bage CB&Q; 1508 coach 200 Muscatine coach CB&Q; 4700 Silver Chariot coach CB&Q; 4702 Silver Spring 8-1-3 Rocket Tower 10-3 Cedar Rapids dining-prlr-obs 432 St. Louis 1-5-48 RI assignment RPO bage chair chair 8-1-3 10-3 dining-prlr-obs 7-1-48 RI assignment E3A 627 1-22-50 RI TT (unknown headend & order) chairs 8-1-3 10-3 dining-prlr-obs 4-1-52 RI circular car# 60' RPO bage chair LW chair LW (Dorm) 10-3 DBR B-155/36 8-1-3 DBR B-156/39 diner-parl-obs 150/620 1960 sleepers replaced w/GS 6-6-4's 4-8-67 discontinued NOTES All lightweights built by Pullman-Standard unless noted Sources: Car Names, Numbers & Consists - Robert J. Wagner The Official Pullman-Standard Library - Randall & Anderson Vol. 8 Rock Island The Zephyr-Rocket, RITS DIGEST Vol. 19 - Suhs Abbrevations: SP Southern Pacific EP El Paso Pu Pullman Mpls Minneapolis LR Leg Rest Pho Phoenix DH Dead Head Tus Tuscon ACF American Car & Foundry Tuc Tucumcari bage baggage LR Little Rock stge stage/express SD San Diego RICP RI Color Pictorial "e" electrically operated Thanks to Jim Bennett, Fred Frailey, Steve Hile, Greg Stout, Joel Boucher & others. Please report additions/corrections to John Matrow, 2753 N. Pershing, Wichita, KS 67220
Well, enough to kit bash a Life Like E6 into an E5 a long time ago to pull my Sam Houston Zephyr made up of the Kato cars when they first came out. Of course, I showed the E5 to the folks at Kato and take full responsibility for them coming out with their own.