Western Railroad Discussion > Ghost hoppers from the past

As I have often related, the day that Santa Fe hired me into train service in 1978 was officially my last day as a model railroader. My reasoning? You just can’t do any better than the 1:1 scale! One of the main reasons I got into 35mm photography in 1976 was to shoot photo “templates” of engines & cars for custom paint & decal work. That practice pretty much died out as I proceeded with my RR career.

Then I entered the digital age, and I suddenly realized I could fire at will without having to pay the costs of film & processing. I’ll never get back into paint & decal work. But I know I am in position to shoot all sorts of cars & paint schemes by virtue of being trackside as much as ever. So... for old time’s sake, and for that as-yet unborn model railroader 50 years from now, here are a couple of paint scheme flags that fell down on my watch. Who knows what will be falling down in 2072... ;^)

1. UP 5971 leads a unit grainer east out of Wamego, KS on December 10, 2021.

2. Trailing are a couple of fallen flag hoppers from those fondly remembered “days of yore”. KYLE 15787 (D&RGW) and...

3. RCPE 181158 (C&NW).

Thanks for rolling by... :^)
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/22 11:56 by santafe199.

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Good rollby, Lance!

RC Lundgren

Thanks for sharing your photos!!