Steam & Excursion > You Can Tell The Seriousness Of Their War-Time Duty Here!

Some photos of the days of steam depict the seriousness of the task at hand for the crews given the era the when the photo was taken. Here is ne such image.

The place is Franklin Canyon in California and the date is 1942. The U.S. has just entered the global conflict known as World War II. While it is a beautiful sunny day the crews of this freight are clearly all business as they blast past L.L. Bonney as he snaps this photo.

Both AT&SF #1976 and #1342 have been outfitted with war-time headlight shields to reduce the chance they will be spotted at night should enemy aircraft reach the coast of the U.S.. The are dark days ahead for both this nation and for the railroads that will be called on to move both the men and materials needed to win this War.

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/17 04:28 by LoggerHogger.

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The Western Railway Museum Archives has a print of that photo, but didn't previously have the photographer's name.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3497313,3498259#3498259

That spot near the middle of Christie siding is still popular with photographers.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4183059,4183063#4183063
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,3616329,3616331#3616331

So where is Franklin Canyon? Is this the same one in the LA area where they filmed the opening credits of "The Andy Griffith Show"?

BigDave Wrote:

> So where is Franklin Canyon?

It's in the San Francisco Bay Area east of Richmond, CA. Southern Pacific, as usual, got to the area first and claimed the low grade route along San Pablo Bay, so Santa Fe had to climb up and over (and through) the hills between the Central Valley and the Bay Area, the only serious grade on the whole route between Bakersfield and Richmond. Christie is the last siding eastbound before the summit inside mile-long Tunnel 3. The photo was taken from about this spot:

https://goo.gl/maps/h3hfSnJHywN2

First Santa Fe 4-6-2 I have seen with the elesco mounted on top the smokebox instead of below it.

tomstp Wrote:

> First Santa Fe 4-6-2 I have seen with the elesco
> mounted on top the smokebox instead of below it.

Most of Santa Fe's "light" 4-6-2's (1200's and 1300's) didn't have Elescos at all. I've only found one photo showing one of them with the bundle down low:

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/57218

There were at least seven light 4-6-2's with high-mounted Elescos:

1211: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3840036

1212: http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?//november99/11-23-99/atsf1212FresnoCa9-48rhcSFcoll.jpg

1222: http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?//november99/11-23-99/atsf1222TopekaKS1948RHCsfColl.jpg

1256: no online photo

1258: no online photo

1330: http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/58568 , http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/57168

1342: http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/58636 , http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/57161

Wonder how many people shot photos of trains in WW2?...my understanding is it was against the law due to security issues..
Loose Lips Sink Ships...
Steve in drizzling Grossmont CA

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