And check out the guy standing in the wheel barrow loading soiled linens. I am sure OSHA would approve.
Thanks for starting this thread Russell. We've seen some terrific photographs here and shared a lot of interesting information. Great stuff!
They loaded it up and hauled it all to Cleburne where it was scrapped. https://www.railpictures.net/photo/399952/
The PRR leased Santa Fe 2-10-4's during the summer of 1956 to handle a surge of tonnage on the line between Columbus, OH and Lake Erie at Sandusky, OH. This was called the Sandusky Branch on the PRR, a run of about 120 miles. Fun Fact: Santa Fe power was too long for the turntable at Columbus, so PRR men worked up an extension as seen here.
They had plenty of time to get around. The Pennsy leased them in April and May, and returned them in November. But they seem to have served out of Columbus. They had a little trouble with the other end, too. Pennsy crews weren't used to long, Western cow-catchin' pilots. If you look closely, you might find that the tip of this one has been "modified" just a bit: It's not hard to determine that a pic's from that period, even if you're not familiar with the Columbus yard. Six months worth of dust and dirt isn't exactly something they were used to wearing.
One of my favorite diesels, the FTs. A brand new set posing for a publicity shot in 1942. Texaco used it for this advertisement. It may be a different photo as the engineer does not have his head poking out the window. Or they may have hired the Soviet Propaganda Photo Department to remove him like they did with so many of their out of favor government officials.
Scenes from the three corners of a big triangle. Newton, Kansas: Clovis, New Mexico: Temple, Texas: Newton when the cows still walked the Chisolm Trail: Or maybe Wichita is the corner of a slightly smaller triangle... ...and Rio Puerco is the western tip of the big one: In any case, Temple's importance is undeniable.
Another one from Temple. One of my go-to train watching spots close to the Armadillo Ranch were I spend a lot of time. December 1951. Not sure if this was the Texas Chief or the Ranger. The steal sheathed, wood side, fish belly baggage car normally would not show up on the Texas Chief in the early years of that train, but anything is possible.
Whereas an RPO was sometimes the only bit of stainless on the Ranger. Excuse the quality; I just took this pic of page 32 of my copy of Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail. Couldn't find it on line. There's a third possibility. But stainless wouldn't become common on the California Special until it started connecting with the San Francisco Chief in 1954. https://www.railpictures.net/photo/773964/
Russell, I really wish you'd help me out with something. https://www.condrenrails.com/Tulsa-Railroad-Pages/Switch-Jobs/KO&G-1001-Tulsa.jpg What on Earth was the Midland Valley doing with El Capitan Hi-Levels in west Tulsa?! I have to assume this was part of the promotional tour some of the cars made in 1956 while the road was waiting for Budd to deliver the rest. But industrial Southwest Tulsa? When they could be displayed downtown?
"Tarantula" 4-8-0 633, originally Atlantic & Pacific 32. The Santa Fe was half owner of the A&P with the Frisco. In order to reach the Pacific, the road needed the A&P, which was little more than land grants at the time. So they took over the SL-SF. In addition to building through the western deserts, the two roads jointly built a line to connect western Arkansas, and by extension St. Louis, with Dallas. Then the Panic of 1893 happened, and the whole works wound up in receivership. The Santa Fe managed to cling to the A&P, but the Frisco was sold off. But that line did get completed. The Frisco owned the bulk of it, Monett, Mo. to Paris, Tx. via Ft. Smith and Hugo, Indian Territory. The rest became the Santa Fe's Paris branch. The two roads jointly owned the yard and station in Paris. They also jointly ran a passenger train, named the Texas Express westbound and Chicago Express eastbound, on the route. It was discontinued when the Frisco and Katy began operating the Texas Special in 1915.
I am unable to open that link with any of my three different browsers. Must have been a promotional tour. Maybe a detour due to track problems?
His site is slow to load, at least today. Be patient; it's worth the wait. Yes, I feel sure that was just prior to the Hi-Levels entering service. There was a promotional tour at that time, though I can't seem to find any details about it. No, the Santa Fe had to be open all the way to Tulsa for it to reach the Midland Valley at all, after it pulled out of Wichita. And that point, where the Santa Fe used the MV interchange to get to Tulsa Union Depot, and the MV crossing to access its own freight house, is the only way they could have reached that bridge. At least, I don't think they could have fit through this bridge: https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/midland-valley-truss-bridge.89853/ In any case, what would they be doing coming from Muskogee? That Arkansas River bridge leads to gritty industrial areas, starting with a refinery, and then to the suburbs of Jenks and Bixby, which were pretty sleepy in '56. There's a link to the Tulsa-Sapulpa Union, but I think it still had low catenary wire. And why display their wares in a Frisco stronghold town? I just can't figure it.
Most Santa Fe steamers gained weight over time. But not the 1480 Class, originally known as the Bull Mooses. So, the ones that got rebuilt found a new lease on life in branch line service. Garden City, Kansas with another express reefer.
