My maternal grandmother received a lifetime pass on the CGW when my grandfather died of tuberculosis in 1940, as a result of being exposed to mustard gas during WWI. He was a section gang foreman. I know she used it few times in the fifties and maybe early sixties. I don't know if the CNW would have honored it after the merger and she died in May of 1971 so it is also unknown if Amtrak would have honored it. Doug
Railroads went to all the effort to make their new streamliners 'beautiful' and then came to the realization head end mail and express, while paying the bills didn't deserve the new 'beautiful' equipment to match the rest of streamliners new equipment.
Near Kansas City. The Imperial was the secondary train on the Golden State route operated jointly with the SP.
"This is section gang foreman Johnson and we're out here in Englewood. WHERE did you say that broken bolt is?" Doug
I made a wooden Strombecker kit of the Rock Island Rocket locomotive right after WW-II, in 1946 or 1947. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/strombecker-1937-rock-island-rocket--1216121 As I remember, it was well made and easy to assemble for an 11-year old. All it required was light sanding to fit the parts. Probably painting a white base coat. Then fantastic decals easily applied. The wheels were gauged for HO track, and I think it rolled. Don't know if the body was hollowed for a motor and gear tower, but it could have been.
Yeah, my oldest brother had a Strombecker 1/32 scale road racing set in the early sixties. In fact, we found it in the attic and he still has it. It had a Pontiac and Maserati for the cars. That Rocket model is very cool. Wow! HO in 1937! Oops, it was a Pontiac and a Testarossa in the set. Doug
Viewing the trucks under the engine - they look like toys, with all the open space that is exposed under the car body. Space behind the pilot, space on both sides of the fuel/water tanks and space behind the rear truck to the end of the car body.
