Nostalgia & History > ATSF Western Kansas - June 1973

Did you ever have one moment in time that remains etched in your memory? This is one.

Tom Gibson and I are on our 45-day college graduation celebration trip across the US. We were in my new Mazda RX-3, and we've already passed through Nevada, Utah and Colorado. After spending the night in LaJunta, we were heading east along the Santa Fe, and in my brief attempt to save money, we'd stopped at a grocery store in Las Animas and stocked up for picnic lunches. This picnic idea faded quickly, but on that day, we'd crossed into western Kansas, and managed to find a tree to spread out our tarp under. (It took me years to realize the value of folding camp chairs!) We started making the sandwiches, when we noticed the semaphore at the east end of the Charleston, KS siding go from clear to stop. Ahh! Something is coming. Then, the blade went back up to clear. Then to stop. Then to clear. Then to stop. We had no idea what was happening.

But something was out there. In railroading that the big guys don't do any more, it was Santa Fe GP7 2721 switching at the grain elevator at the next siding east in Ingalls, KS. But before we could finish our lunch, that semaphore remained in the stop position, and a headlight appeared on the horizon. After switching in Ingalls, the train, running with the GP7's long hood forward and the caboose behind the power. The train came down the siding, cut the power off, ran the power around the train, and this is where I caught the train, getting ready to do some switching at the grain elevator in Charleston. Back when railroading was so easy to understand and appreciate.

The three photos in this series: the first is of the picnic location with the Charleston station sign in the background. Second is the photo of the 2721 explained above. And finally, after we left Charleston, somewhere east of Dodge City, we ran across the U23B 6301 leading three GP38-2s on a westbound. I don't know anything about the passenger car in the consist. [Note: it has been brought to my attenton that the last three units are GP38s, not dash two models.]

One last thing: as a child, we moved from the Bay Area to Salina, KS. (Oh to have photos from those days!) My mother said that the one thing that she enjoyed and appreciated about living in Kansas - were the clouds. Looking at this shot of 6301, it reminds me of one of the things that could make the photography in the Midwest dramatic.

Lee Hower
Sacramento



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/09 08:08 by mcfflyer.

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wonder if this is were US 50 has been relocated some distance away from the tracks?

Of course the clouds are dramatic, your in tornado alley. Probably a business car being deadheaded

atsffan Wrote:
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> Love your Mazda. I believe the marketing line at
> the time was that the rotary went "hummmmmmm"
>
> Great photos, look forward to your whole grad trip
> details.
>
> Richard

Richard, I had to try to remember the ad campaign for Mazda at the time, but wasn't sure it lasted that long, but I do remember hearing, "The Car that goes Hummmmmmmmm" in the spring of 1973 on KJR Seattle, so I suppose you are correct! That RX3 served me well, but like most rotaries it had its issues. After about 60,000 miles, some internal seal failed, and when the engine cooled, coolant water would flood into the engine. The radiator would be half empty, and it would take two minutes of cranking just to pump the water out of it! Eventually, it would start amid a cloud of white water vapor. Soon as it reached operating temperature it was fine. But each morning, the same thing. Hmmm. Do rotary engines have valves like a piston engine? Wonder how trying to compress water didn't break something? And because of the rotary engine issues, the car, even though only two years old, was worthless as a trade in - except for another Mazda, the newer and larger RX4 which you can see in the photo of the GB&W train!

Rotaries didn't get good mileage - 20mph tops in a car that should have gotten about 28, but boy, it could blow the doors off of any other small car, with head snapping acceleration. And today? I drive a minivan!

Lee

dan Wrote:
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> wonder if this is were US 50 has been relocated
> some distance away from the tracks?


Nope, Pierceville.

mcfflyer Wrote:
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> Do rotary engines have valves
> like a piston engine? Wonder how trying to
> compress water didn't break something? And
> because of the rotary engine issues, the car, even
> though only two years old, was worthless as a
> trade in - except for another Mazda, the newer and
> larger RX4 which you can see in the photo of the
> GB&W train!
>
> Rotaries didn't get good mileage - 20mph tops in a
> car that should have gotten about 28, but boy, it
> could blow the doors off of any other small car,
> with head snapping acceleration. And today? I
> drive a minivan!
>
> Lee


These rotary engines do not have pistons. Older model Mazda Wankel engines like yours typically had this problem, and would frequently need rebuilt after 50000 miles. Newer Wankels, are more reliable, but still require lots of oil. I have a friend who drives an RX-8, and it's a sweet sounding engine and an outstanding performer.

ATSF3768 Wrote:
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> These rotary engines do not have pistons. Older
> model Mazda Wankel engines like yours typically
> had this problem, and would frequently need
> rebuilt after 50000 miles. Newer Wankels, are more
> reliable, but still require lots of oil. I have a
> friend who drives an RX-8, and it's a sweet
> sounding engine and an outstanding performer.

I certainly knew that rotaries had a rotating cam in there and not pistons, but was unsure about valves. Guess they don't - just ports. I just know if you have water in a piston and crank the engine over, there go the valves. But each morning, I'd get up crank and crank and crank the engine and it would finally start with a cloud of water vapor - and water drizzling out of the tailpipe. Fastest I ever drove a car was in that one - 125mph on the speedometer on I-5 around Longview. Ahh, what you do in youth.

Lee

Neat photos. Santa Fe 3500's were straight 38's.