Railroaders' Nostalgia > Lone Star Nights (vol #1)

I began a ‘love affair’ with Amtrak’s Lone Star in Wichita, KS in the late fall of 1975. I hadn't yet ventured into serious railfanning (I didn’t think I was good enough to be a “railfan photographer”). We had been married just a few short weeks when my new young wife & I went visiting friends who lived in the country on the east side of Derby, KS. Derby is like a suburb on the south side of Wichita, but is generally considered to be a city on its own. We spent the entire afternoon down there chatting as friends will. It was well after suppertime before we were finally ready to head for home, but I got a sudden idea. During our conversational visit I had heard my friend talk about “that Amtrak train” that goes through town every evening. Checking the time he assured me that we could probably see it in Wichita.

After finding the RR tracks running through Derby, it was a simple matter of driving up KS hwy 15 which faithfully paralleled the Santa Fe into Wichita. Then, with blind luck we drove around and I found Wichita Union Terminal right away. I don’t remember exact details, but we parked and somehow ended up on the platform right as #16 came rolling to a stop. It was my first close-up look at what I would later come to know as an SDP40-F, or simply a “big 500”. I stood in almost military attention, right there by the pilot. I was hypnotized by the rhythmic rumble of the turbo-charged diesel engine at idle. And I was entranced by all the activity on the platform. The steam escaping from various places back along the train created a moody backdrop that burned the whole scene forever into my memory. I was SO into that platform scene I jumped about 12 feet straight up in the air when the engineer whistled off and put his charge into forward motion. The resulting rush of adrenalin was delicious! The hook was sinking in…

The next time I saw the Lone Star was in March of 1976. I had somehow risen above my relative railfan ignorance and made plans to venture down to Newton, KS to see the SP 4449-led American Freedom Train come through. (Actually, I read about it in the newspaper…) I drove down to Newton, arriving around 4 in the morning. Even though the paper had said the train was to be through there about 6 AM I wasn’t about to take any chances. It hadn't occurred to me back in the fall to wonder just where that train went from Wichita when it departed. Nor did I know anything at all about Amtrak’s routes or schedules through the state of Kansas. So I certainly wasn’t expecting to see any Amtrak trains.

I waited on the platform in Newton for the AFT, observing all of the rich RR scenery that accompanied the Santa Fe’s grand passenger station & Middle Division HQ building just next door. Imagine my surprise when I witnessed the arrival of another Amtrak train. This time it was the westbound version of the Lone Star, train #15. The train pulled up and stopped impressively right at the Main Street crossing, with its nose almost out into the street! This was SO COOL! I watched in child-like awe as an army of people converged on the train, giving it the traditional 20 minute station stop full-service treatment. And just like during the Wichita experience I repeated my wide-eyed observation, trying to take it all in.

Even though this was 5 years after Amtrak takeover, it was the Santa Fe name that was pounding through my brain & through my soul. In those wonderful 20 minutes what little I had heard or read about Santa Fe’s passenger train operation & history was changing in front of my very eyes! It was no longer distant 2 dimensional words on a piece of paper. Nor was it just vague testimony in the 3rd person from someone who had “heard the stories”. I was getting my first true eye-witness taste of that rich history. My knowledge of legendary Santa Fe history was changing into living 3D Technicolor! In my railfan consciousness I felt like I was at some kind of turning point. I was about to step through a magical gateway I could never return from. I knew I would never want to, so I took that irreversible step.

I was again standing at the front pilot when the train was ready to leave the station. I watched as a very portly (but in my mind very regal) man came striding out of the passenger waiting room to gracefully scale the side of the engine and assume his rightful place on the “throne’ (engineer’s seat). This engineer whom I would later come to know as “Swede” Cornelison made eye contact with me down on the platform from his vaunted seat-on-high. He must have known I was a train nut because gave me a wink & a smile. This time I didn’t jump. In fact, when Mister Cornelison whistled off I was ready. I actually enjoyed my eardrums being blasted out! I stood at Main Street watching as the Lone Star accelerated by a signal that had a red light on top of a green light. I watched the lead engine, then the entire train slide gracefully through crossover switches. I listened as Mister Cornelison was now whistling for the 1st Street crossing. I watched the receding marker light getting smaller, finally disappearing around the corner south, toward Wichita. I was now well beyond getting hooked: I was an out & out junkie! I left the Newton area with my head buzzing. Chasing AFT 4449 east was another enjoyable first time experience. But it was almost an anti-climax. The Santa Fe now had its hooks in me… DEEP!

My entry into 35mm photography in late ’76 naturally led me to the desire to shoot Amtrak activity. That in turn made it necessary to learn the art of available light time exposure photography. This was because I also learned very quickly that all 4 daily Amtrak trains [if on-time] passed through my area of Kansas in total darkness. 3 of the 4 trains called on the Emporia station between 3 & 4 in the morning. Only the eastbound Lone Star was due at a half-way civil time of 11:35 PM at Emporia. I would make the 75 minute journey down to Emporia many times during late 1976 & all of 1977 (see image #1). I would even pull a couple of all-nighters just to be able to shoot Amtrak.

In May of 1978 my love affair with the Lone Star would drastically change, for the better! The Santa Fe hired me into train service and I would eventually be living in Emporia. First I would go through switchman/brakeman class for the Santa Fe over in Newton during which time I would bag another shot of my Lone Star, albeit in black & white (see image #2). In my very first 2 weeks of Santa Fe service I was forced to work as a switchman in North Wichita yard. More shots of #16 came just 2 days into my RR career (see images #3 & #4). After settling into my new job I would take great advantage of the evening schedule for #16 at Emporia. I shot the train as often as I could in the coming months.

But even great love affairs sometimes end in tragic heartbreak. In October of 1979, a mere 16 months after moving to Emporia for a new career as a railroader Congress brutally killed off my beloved Lone Star (see image #5). By that time I had become qualified to work in passenger service as a flagman or a baggageman. (Conductor qualification wouldn’t come until 1986). Sadly, I never worked the Lone Star when she was still the ‘Lone Star’. I did manage to catch 2 “stubbed” round trips between Newton & Arkansas City. In the days directly following the official discontinuation Amtrak was forced to run this abbreviated service to “clean up some loose ends”, or so I was told.

1. Amtrak 501 leads the eastbound “Lone Star”, train #16 at Emporia, KS. This is my very first [35mm] photograph of the “Lone Star”. (Technically I had shot the Lone Star during the Wichita episode, but those ‘126 Instamatic’ color prints showed nothing but the washed out glare of the headlight.)

2. On the night of June 2, 1978 I was finishing the necessary chore of “writing the rule book”. This was a mandatory sort of rules review requirement before taking the final tests and marking up to go to work. I took time out to go shoot the Lone Star, but had only black & white film in the camera. This shot was previously posted.
see: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?18,3370776,3370776#msg-3370776 .



Edited 9 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/14 09:27 by santafe199.

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3. & 4. I established my Santa Fe train service seniority on June 6, 1978. On the evening of June 8 I was down at Wichita Union Terminal shooting the eastbound Lone Star. It was a difficult place to shoot with very little ambient light available.

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5. Amtrak 527 leads the final Lone Star through Emporia on October 2, 1979. This LAST train was running so late it came through Emporia in daylight hours. Its consist was swelled with gobs of extra equipment being taken back east.
(photo by Timothy Franz)

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6. & 7. Amtrak 506 departs Arkansas City, KS on October 4, 1979. I had worked this train as a flagman down from Newton, upon a connection with train #3, the Southwest Limited.

8. The next day (October 5) Amtrak 521 leads another stub train at Ark City. Tragedy begets tragedy! This shot is the last I ever took of my Lone Star. My camera had run out of film. For the "away" view I stood on the ballast in my Amtrak uniform and could only watch as the train left Ark City…

Thanks for listening!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

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Nice ones. buddy ! May the Texas Chief/Lone Star R.I.P.....gone but not forgotten.....or needed !

Nice shots and great story Lance! I remember the nose of a Q e-7 being nudged up against Court Street in Beatrice so that station work could be completed. Thanks for bringing back that memory!!

In that last shot, it looks like an "Indian" series 11 bedroom sleeper behind the power running out it's last miles.

Lance,

Those first two shots definitely indicate to me that you were indeed "good enough to be a 'railfan photographer.'” Very creatively composed under very difficult lighting conditions.

D F W

Wildebeest Wrote: > Those first two shots definitely indicate to me that you were indeed "good enough..."

Thank you, Sir! It's a good lesson learned about never being afraid to try something you have no experience with. Once I broke through that early barrier of self-doubt I took off a-running and never looked back. I don't always please ALL the critics, but I've sure had trainloads of fun with my photography. And that's the bottom line for me...

Lance



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/14 20:15 by santafe199.

Wow, excellent bunch of photos as well as super commentary. Sure make me wish I would have taken more shot while at work.
JB

The mention of (C.H.)Swede Cornelison brings back plenty of good memories. I met him on my very first Fireman student trip out of Emporia on #15. Bob Foster was his fireman. Swede ran to Newton, Foster ran to Ark City. Coming back, Swede ran to Newton, Foster took it to Emporia. Couple of great guys. After he retired, I ran into him several times at Newell's Truck Stop at the Resturant. I saw him in the crowd when 3751 stopped in Newton to re-crew and take water. Here's a photo of him on the 404, I think Richard Stephey sent me this, not sure anymore if he took it or not.

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ddg Wrote:
> ... I think Richard Stephey sent me this, not sure anymore if he took it...

Wow, just as I remember him from the Newton platform 39 years ago (without the wink, of course). If Richard took this shot (and I'm thinking there's a pretty good chance he did), there's about a slam-dunk chance it was taken in Newton. Maybe from the same spot on the platform I saw Swede from in 1975. Richard spent most of his career working Sand Creek as soon as he could hold it down. And the EXIF info with the image you posted says "1969". So I'd say it's a safe bet this is in Newton...

Lance

additional: Earlier tonight I was on the phone with Richard (who is "flatcar" on TO). It IS indeed his photograph and the 1969 date is in line with what he remembers. But he's adamant that it was taken in Wichita. Probably around the 18th St crossing and/or the old North Junction tower area. Richard's memory has this train (with Swede Cornelison at the throttle) as some kind of a special that originated out of Kansas City running to Emporia. Swede & his fireman would have replaced the Eastern Division engine crew at Emporia and run the train on to Newton, thence down to Wichita. Richard remembers taking his photo as the train was in the process of getting onto Missouri Pacific for reasons I'll sit on. We're in the process of digging into the train itself, trying to find some more details. There is a possibility this particular 1969(?) excursion is getting mixed up with an Operation Lifesaver excursion that ran 17 years later in the spring of 1986. If there is a story I'll get to the bottom of it, hopefully with some additional photos. If not it will have been fun "digging around"...

LFG



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/14 20:14 by santafe199.

Old Santa Fe KC and Emporia based conductors on the Lone Star worked to and from Arkansas City. Santa Fe Emporia based engine crews worked to and from Ark City.

re: Pic 1 -
Digital photography would be hard-pressed to capture THAT !
...Lorenzo

The B & W shot with the lightening is great! Why we lost this train is a good case study in stupid decision making. Wish I had had a camera back in the early 70's., especially the trip @ Christmas 1973 when they had the ex-CZ dome obs. on the rear.

Lance, tell us about the fast running of "The Swede". I was told he was a "runner". --Kelly

UP951West Wrote: > ...tell us about the fast running of "The Swede"...

I never had a chance to work with Swede. He was a very senior engineer when I hired on in 1978. And by the time I got passenger qualified and actually caught my first passenger work I believe he had already retired.

Wow! Great shots and history! I loved riding that 90 MPH train (in the sections permitted with ATS). At times, thrillingly "swaying" where one needed to get one's sea legs in the late 1970s.

I didn't realize that they ever turned the Lone Star into a "One Unit Wonder" even toward the end...

If I can ask one question since I never rode it all the way, going northbound on Train No. 16, what time would one have arrived in Chicago in say, 1978 or so?

My favorite stretch was through the Arbuckle Mountains in OK, which one can still experience about the AMTK Heartland Flyer. I still think there needs to be a Chicago-Houston train, in whatever form it may take (recall the years when the Texas Eagle would split in Dallas and perform this function, and I rode both sections, but it wasn't quite the same).

P.S. Every now an again, they would run a dome car on 15 and 16 right up until 1978! More regular in the earlier 1970s but still with the SDPs. I also recall how--just like F40s I later would run--it would be about Notch 3 or so before they'd start moving a train or even eng lite switching due to their "tall gearing!!!" If only I could have had some throttle time with an SDP40F! But I do remember them well, and, behind them as a psgr, those unique Leslie S-4s which were "one-of-a-kind" horns. Which sounded better from aboard the train than from trackside. Did I like the Nathan K5LAs on the F40s better? Of course! But looking back, how I'd like to hear that never-to-be-repeated sound of a Leslie S4!!! A sweet sound from the diner or a dome car or a HiLevel aboard the Lone Star!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/14 22:20 by Red.