In the spring of last year I posted several photographs taken by the late Ron Findley during our trips to the Southern Forest Heritage Museum up in Long Leaf, Louisiana. Our first trip occurred in March of 1988 when we discovered the former sawmill property. And the first thing we encountered was a “boneyard” filled with steam locomotive debris. It was obviously where locomotives, and perhaps other equipment, were being cut up for scrap. For some reason the scrappers stopped before dismantling a steam locomotive and a Clyde double-ended rehaul skidder. And they had left considerable debris from the process, which was a surprise. Why did they stop and not complete the job, and haul off all of that metal?

I lost the slides I had made during that initial trip as a result of the Great Flood of 2016. Fortunately Ron still had his, and I’ve posted some photographs that Ron had recorded of the #400 steam locomotive and of the Clyde skidder at different times. In April of 2011 Ron and I had gone back to the sawmill (now the SFHM) to see the entire property. But I had forgotten that I had then taken digital images, thinking I was still using the film camera. I recently found the file containing those images. The photograph below is one that I took of both machines together. One can see a few scraps from other locomotives, and these are at the very edge of the boneyard. There is quite a bit more behind me.

The Union Pacific’s crowning glory was their massive 4-8-8-4 locomotive, known as the Big Boy. Twenty-five in number, they are indeed massive. I’ve been fortunate over the years to see a few of them; the ones on display in St. Louis and in Dallas (the latter now in Frisco). And I was very fortunate to see the restored #4014 a few years ago when she made her trip to New Orleans. I caught her on the move for three days in a row, and it was a sight to behold.

But it’s hard to imagine just how big these machines are when simply looking at a photograph. Well the image below helps with that. And what makes this image different is the crew member (likely the engineer) standing on the ground by the beast. Now you can see how much this locomotive towers over man!

Unfortunately, though I’ve seen versions of this photograph many times, I’ve never seen one that credits the photographer. I’ve wondered if it was perhaps a company image which often go without credits.

For this first posting in the month of November, I’m featuring a photograph from the 1986 calendar published by the Louisiana State Railroad Museum, it being for their month of November. The caption for the image follows below.

“Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the August heat of 1932 is heavy in the air. A 1906 Baldwin built with slope backed tender, Louisiana & Arkansas #80 was originally built for L&A predecessor Louisiana Railway & Navigation Company. Note the “summerized” engineer’s cab window! (Photo from the collection of Harold K. Vollrath)”

I generally do research on locomotives that I post photographs of. And this is one that I drew a total blank on. I wasn’t able to find a single iota of additional information, or even other photographs of this steamer. It’s obviously an 0-8-0 switcher with a sloped back tender, she appears to be an oil burner, and that’s about it. And I’m curious about that “summerized” cab window that is in the photo’s caption. Even blowing up the image, I can’t figure out what the author means. I’m assuming the window was a three-piece design, with the forward section fixed, the remaining two designed to slide behind the first to give the opening. It appears that one of the slide sections is missing. As for “summerized”, I think the best use for that concocted word would be for the canvas sun shade over the window.

I also suspect that this locomotive is in a dead line. I’m not seeing any signs of grease and oil anywhere on the valve gear and piston rod. Nor any brightness on the driver tires or tender truck wheels.

If any reader has more information about this locomotive (and especially about that window :-), then please post a comment.

On an early October morning in 2025 an East Broad Top Railroad train is being readied for a Fall Ride excursion. The train is sitting in the shops area of the Rockhill Furnace yard while the engine crew builds a head of steam, and oils around locomotive #16. In the meantime, car knockers inspect the cars making sure all is ready with them. In a few minutes it will roll into the Orbisonia depot just a few hundred yards away, board the passengers, and ride off for an excursion surrounded by the fall colors for all to enjoy.

I’ve read about this 3 foot narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad since back in the ’60s and have long admired this little operation. Located in Pennsylvania, it has existed since 1871, and has an interesting history leading up to its present state. Several years ago the railroad was purchased by a non-profit foundation and regular train service resumed in the summer of 2021. Wikipedia has a nice little article about the railroad and its history, read about it at East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company

I recently saw this photograph in an EBT posting on Facebook, and thought I’d share it. Unfortunately there was no photo credit . . . if anyone knows the photographer, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

The Moscow, Camden & San Augustine Railroad is a common carrier shortline located in the State of Texas. The line runs from Camden, Texas to an interchange with the Union Pacific 6.9 miles away in Moscow, Texas, the road having never reached the San Augustine in its name. The railroad is now a subsidiary of the Georgia-Pacific Corporation.

I had read about this little railway as a youth back in the early sixties and admired the little 2-6-0 steam locomotive, the #201, that was on the roster at the time. I hoped one day to visit the line, and to witness that little locomotive in operation.

In February of 1998 I finally (partially) got my wish. While on a week-long railfanning expedition with friend Wayne Robichaux, we found ourselves in Camden at the MC&SA. The steam locomotive was not there, having been replaced long ago with an EMD SW900. I recorded this image of the machine at rest adjacent to the mill.

As a side note, I had unknowingly gotten my youthful wish of seeing that little 2-6-0 steamer in action. She had been sold in 1970 to the Grisby Foundation, who subsequently resold it to the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas, a tourist line. On a trip up to Arkansas one year, I would witness and ride behind that little Mogul, not realizing at the time that she was the MC&SA #201. 🙂

For this first posting in the month of October, I’m featuring a photograph from the 1986 calendar published by the Louisiana State Railroad Museum, it being for their month of October. The caption for the image: “A&LM 4-6-0 #1 with Engineer James W. Smith at the Main Mill Crossing at Huttig, Arkansas, June 1955. Engine retired after last run in May 1958. (Photo from the H. B. Wilson collection.)”. I had posted this photograph just a bit over a year ago, but it’s my favorite image from the aforementioned calendar, so here it is again.

According to the website Mississippi Rails, the Arkansas & Louisiana Missouri Railway has a history going back to 1909. The road was formed initially as the Arkansas, Louisiana & Gulf Railway. In 1915 it was reorganized as the Arkansas & Louisiana Midland Railway. In 1920 it became the Arkansas & Louisiana Missouri Railway, and in 1991 the company was sold and became the Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi. It thrives today under the Genesee & Wyoming umbrella.

From the beginning until the late ’40s the company acquired a roster of about 14 steam locomotives. Their initial locomotive was bought new, but all others were acquired in a very used state. The #1 joined the roster in 1946, and the little ten-wheeler became the last to see operation on the road, her last run being in May of 1958. She was a 1920 product of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, built for the Texas-Mexican Railway as their #1 where she served before being sold to the A&LM.

My good friend Ron Findley passed away back in January of this year (read this brief post of his passing). His wife Lourdes gifted me with Ron’s railroad slide collection. His images are stored in vinyl sheets contained in binders; they take up 5-1/2 feet of shelf space! I’ve not had very much time to go through them, but yesterday I leafed through one to get a feel for what he had. Early on I spotted the image below that he had taken while traveling on business and passing though Columbus, Mississippi.

Ron stopped at the Columbus & Greenville Railway facilities late in the evening of February 25, 1988, which was a Thursday. And there he recorded a view that most everyone that has visited the C&G has seen: their first diesel-electric locomotive on display in front of their shop building.

Locomotive #601 is a Baldwin model DRS 6-4-1500. She produces 1500 hp, and is carried on two A-1-A trucks (each with 3 axles, 2 with traction motors). One of five ordered, she was delivered to the C&G on October 8, 1946 and was evaluated for quality and performance. Having earned the confidence of management, they released the order for the other four units. All would be on the property and in operation by January of 1947.

There is an extended write up of these Baldwins on the HawkinsRails website, which I highly recommend (and gained much of this information from).

I’ll be featuring more of Ron’s photos as I find the time to sift through them. Ron and I made quite a few trips together over the years, primarily in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. I lost virtually my entire slide collection in the Great Flood of 2016. I’m hoping to find “duplicates” of the images I had taken in Ron’s collection, as he and I took so many photographs while standing shoulder to shoulder. RIP Ron…

I’ll let the comment accompanying the photograph tell the story.

“The photograph captures a moment of immense power and industry on the Illinois Central Railroad in April of 1950. Southbound train No. 3, the Louisiane, is seen rumbling into Memphis, its journey meticulously timed on the railroad’s schedule. Leading the impressive consist is a massive 4-8-2 steam locomotive, number 2426, a workhorse of the era. What is truly staggering is the train’s makeup on this day; a formidable line of fifteen baggage, express, mail, and refrigerated cars speaks volumes about the vital role railroads played in moving not just people, but the nation’s commerce and communications. This head-end revenue was the financial lifeblood of passenger trains. Only after this long string of freight-on-the-wheel do the five heavyweight passenger coaches and sleepers appear, carrying those destined for New Orleans. The train’s passage past the Navy Yard Compress, a landmark for local cotton processing, perfectly situates the scene within the industrial heart of Memphis, capturing the essence of post-war American railroading in a single, powerful frame.”

Unfortunately the photographer isn’t identified.

Texas & Pacific steamer #712, a 73″ drivered 4-6-2 Pacific appears to be “picking ’em up and laying ’em down” in this photograph taken out on the high iron. As an oil-burner, I’m surprised at the volume of smoke she’s belching out. No, her flues aren’t being sanded . . . the fireman is leaning out of the window giving a wave to the photographer. Perhaps she just crested a grade and hasn’t settled down yet.

A friend long ago showed me this photograph, which really got my interest. So he gave it to me to scan. The image was cut off at both top and bottom, with the smoke plume flattened and the track ending just in front of the pilot. I wanted to make an 8″x10″ print, so using my very limited skills with photo editing, I managed to somewhat round out the top of the smoke, and add more foreground at the bottom (making track was a bit of a challenge). But this allowed me to get the proportions right for the image.

Unfortunately I have no information about the photograph . . . the photographer, location or date. But I’m speculating that the location is either east Texas or perhaps Louisiana. I would guess the time to be in the late 30’s or early 1940. I have also seen photos of this locomotive in New Orleans after it’s 1940 re-build, those dated 1951.

For this first posting in the month of September, I’m featuring a photograph from the 1986 calendar published by the Louisiana State Railroad Museum, it being for their month of September. The caption for the image follows below.

“Trim Ten Wheeler #260 of the Missouri Pacific Lines still carries the reporting marks of subsidiary St.LB&M in this October 1948 photo at DeQuincy, Louisiana. The 1907 Baldwin product is posed by her proud engineer in front of the long since departed enginehouse but still remaining water tower. (Photo from the collection of Harold K. Vollrath)”

Actually, the locomotive is lettered for the Missouri Pacific Lines (barely visible on the tender), and sub-lettered for the St.LB&M, the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway. She was originally lettered for the St.LB&M, then for later acquisitions: the Gulf Coast Lines, and finally the MoPac. This tidy little oil-burner was one of twelve ordered by the St.LB&M from Baldwin between June of 1905 and December of 1907, numbered 251 – 262.