Back in the summer of the year 2000, I took a trip west to Colorado and New Mexico. There, I spent a day on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad taking the excursion ride between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. I’d taken this journey some years before, and enjoyed it enough then to repeat the journey again.
Traveling through the mountains, I captured this view of the fireman hanging out of the locomotive’s gangway perhaps getting a breath of fresh, cooler air during his break as the train was drifting down a grade. I liked the mountain peak in the distance, which emphasized the enormity of the terrain compared to the little train.
With tomorrow being Thanksgiving day, I remembered this photograph that I’d posted a couple years ago. I had come across this image of a Cass Scenic Railroad train headed up by one of their Shay locomotives. This is in West Virginia and I can’t think of a better railroading scene to represent the fall season and our time of Thanksgiving here in the United States of America. This photograph was taken by Mr. Walter Scriptunas II. The date is unknown to me, but the scene is timeless.
In May of 1996 Ron Findley and I spent the day traveling through southern Mississippi to check out the state of railroading up there. And “up there” is in the context that both of us are from south Louisiana, in the lower part of the “boot”. 🙂
Naturally while in Vicksburg, which is located on the Mississippi River, we headed for the yard there. This was a bit over two years since the MidSouth Rail Corporation’s railroad had been absorbed into the Kansas City Southern. There we found a mix of both MidSouth and KCS locomotives parked in the service area.
I had first toured that yard in the early 70s when the facility was under Illinois Central Gulf rule. And the ICG wasn’t the first to utilize the yard in the years before. And over the years it never disappointed in the variety of locomotives, cars and cabooses (the latter in the earlier years). I’m unsure of the yard’s status now in 2025.
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.
Moscow, Camden & San Augustine EMD SW900 #3. Built in April of 1957 for Champion Paper as their #3, she is powered by an 8 cylinder prime mover rated at 900 horsepower. She is still in service today.
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. 🙂
On a sunny Sunday, April 10th of 1988, Ron Findley and I were spending the day trackside, traveling from place to place. We eventually found our way up to Wanilla, Mississippi, where a railroad crossing exists. And there we found parked an old GM&O speeder (a motorcar). It’s probably safe to say that it was unused, but remained in fairly good condition based on our inspection of the car. Ron recorded this view of the machine. Great find on that day!
According to Mike Palmieri, for many years Wanilla was the crossing between the New Orleans-Great Northern / Gulf Mobile & Northern / Gulf Mobile & Ohio running north-to-south between Jackson, Mississippi and Slidell, Louisiana, and the Mississippi Central running east-west between Hattiesburg and Natchez. In 1967 the Mississippi Central became a part of the Illinois Central and five years later the GM&O merged with the IC to form the Illinois Central Gulf, bringing both of the lines through Wanilla under the same ownership. Ron’s interest in Wanilla was because he remembered it as the crossing of the GM&O and the IC, making it an almost sacred place in his eyes! 🙂
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.”
