Nostalgia & History > "Monday Meets" twin spin

Photo 1 show the Frisco and MoPac meeting at Florida Street in Memphis, Jan 1974. The MoPac train is MLS (Memphis-Little Rock-Southern), a run-thru train that operated between Sheffield, AL and North Little Rock, AR. It's operating with all Southern power this particular day, but sometimes would be all MP or a mix of SOU and MP power.

Photo 2 shows a lot of meeting going on. The train on the far left is a southbound Frisco train; second from left is a northbound Frisco; third from left is MoPac train MLS with three Southern GP30's, and on the right is an eastbound Cotton Belt train out of Pine Bluff headed to the L&N's Leewood Yard in Memphis.

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pic 2 ... now that's big time meet, heck of shot

pic 2, interesting signal on the right, looks like an old traffic stoplight. Any info on that?? appears to be a diamond there. Doug

Shot #1 rivals those posted by Valmont.... What a classic shot!

Simply excellent stuff...........

Yukon Yeti

Very nice shots, Steve! Number two just screams commerce!

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

This is where the east-west lines of Frisco (2 mains), Missouri Pacific, and Rock Island crossed the north-south lines of the Illinois Central. When I shot this there were four east-west tracks crossing four north-south tracks (there were more back in the 30's and 40's, maybe even later). The traffic light replaced a set of regular block signals and was controlled by an IC switch tender located at the crossing (the original railroad signals were knocked down in a derailment and replaced with this Eagle traffic signal). Even if the light was green, a stop had to be made. Later, the IC switch tender was cut off and the light removed; it was replaced by stop signs. Essentially, it was a four way stop. Today, the same four east-west tracks are still in use, but the IC is down to a single track here. South Yard, a once bustling "satellite" yard was immediately south of here and is completely gone except for the one main line. This is now an automatic interlocking.




hoggerdoug Wrote:
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> pic 2, interesting signal on the right, looks
> like an old traffic stoplight. Any info on that??
> appears to be a diamond there. Doug

Great shots!

Pic 1 - First time I've ever seen a Frisco unit with hazard stripes. Did many get that?

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd

Not too many, seem like mainly some GP35's and GP7's got them. These were Scotchlight strips and they faded pretty fast.

Steve, do you know when the traffic light went up at Broadway IC crossing (when was the derailment that took out the "real" signal)? Wonder if the Georgia Street traffic signal (hanging from a wire rather than on a pole) governing the Frisco spur track crossing a few blocks west went up about the same time?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/15 19:44 by Arkrail.