Nostalgia & History > Monday Meets: Meet me at Matfield

The future “PRose” & I had known each other only 4 months when I escorted him on his first foray into the Chase County Kansas Flint Hills. Between the 2 of us I don’t remember who was more excited, to tell you the truth. It has always been a pleasure for me to take a new fan into those magical hills. More than once I’ve been rewarded with that look on a fan’s face that shouts out: “This can’t be Kansas!” But Bob (Helling, the Uncle Pete engineer) was already thoroughly indoctrinated on the virtues of my Uncle John’s transit through the beating heart of Kansas. I had yakked about it since our first meeting back in July. So there was no look of surprise from Bob. But I sure did catch a few looks of: “Wow, this IS really cool!”

We bagged numerous trains that day, including this meet. And it was a textbook meet! The lower priority grain empty was ‘in the hole’ to meet the higher priority pig train. Just as God & Cyrus K intended…

1. AT&SF 8049 has train 185 F-1 easily climbing the westbound grade approaching the east switch at Matfield.

2. The 185 meets AT&SF 5625 on empty grain train 6153 D-2 in the siding. (For some reason I thought I needed a vertical shot here…)

3. 185’s waycar clears and the 5625 will soon be rolling out of the siding and down into the valley carrying the South Fork of the Cottonwood River.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/22 23:07 by santafe199.

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Just one more:

1. During my inclination to shoot ‘vertical’ I zoomed in (with no tripod) during the meet and captured the name of the place back yonder on the hill.
(4 photos taken November 6, 1980 at Matfield Green, KS)

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/22 23:09 by santafe199.

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Nice. What do the F-1 and D-2 mean in the train symbols?

Good old stuff Lance, that's the way I like to remember it.

RRTom Wrote:

> What do the F-1 and D-2 mean in the train symbols?

In Santa Fe's train ID system the letter following the train number designated the day it originated (ie: A=1st, B=2nd thru Z=26th. For the 27th thru the 31st it was: BG=27th, BH=28th, BI=29th, CJ=30th & CK=31st)& the numeral being the section # of that particular train (ie: train 188 J-3 would be the THIRD section of the 188 train originating on the 10th of that month). According to my 1984 time book our train ID system was modified on May 1st to: Section-Train-Origination date. (ie: 2-199-05 would be the second section of train 199 originating on the 5th of that month)

clear as mud...eh?? ;^)

Lance

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> 1. AT&SF 8049 has train 185 F-1
>
> 2. The 185 meets AT&SF 5625 on empty grain train
> 6153 D-2 in the siding.
>
>

The alphabetical letters were a date code:

A = 1
B = 2
C = 3
~~~~~
Z = 26
27 = BG
28 = BB
29 = BI
30 = CJ
31 = CK

The number following the Date Code was the train "section".

Unit Grain Trains (and other types) were given different designation numbers:

The first digit (6) is for Unit Grain Trains.

The second and third digits represent origin:

00-04 Kansas City
10-14 Emporia
20-24 Ark City
30-34 Hutchinson
40-44 Newton
50-54 Wichita
60-64 Enid
70-74 Amarillo
80-82 Tulsa
83-84 Lubbock
90-94 Plainview
05-09 Galveston
15-19 Houston
25-29 Belleville
35-39 Somerville
45-49 Beaumont

The fourth digit is the destination zone*.

So, 6153D2 translated is

6 - Unit Grain
1
5 - Houston Origination
3 - Kansas City area
D - Date Code
2 - Section

(* - Reference generalized destination numbers)

Thank you, John Carr!

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/14 11:20 by ATSF100WEST.

ATSF100WEST Wrote:

> 27 = BG
> 28 = BB (actually "BH")
> 29 = BI
> 30 = CJ
> 31 = CK

> Unit Grain Trains (and other types)..........
> Thank you, John Carr!

Thank-you Bob & John both! I guess I should have made a stab, but I didn't really understand the 4-digit unit Grain (or Coal) ID system, even when I was working them. So I thought it best to let someone else fill in...

Lance

santafe199 Wrote:
>> I had yakked about it since our first meeting back in July>>

EDIT......Yup I wasn't paying attention, image #4 has the year. Sorry LFG and thanks Bob.
DAF



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/14 14:06 by monaddave.

Ouch!! wag216

monaddave Wrote:
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> santafe199 Wrote:
> >> I had yakked about it since our first meeting
> back in July>>
>
>
> While you were yakking, what year, please.
> DAF

Image 4 caption gives the date - but one can easily right click on image for file name/info:

"...November_6_1980..."

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Is the Matfield Green lettering in rocks still visible to present-day visitors to the area?

thtinc41ed Wrote:

> Is the Matfield Green lettering in rocks still visible...

If they're still there (don't know why they wouldn't be) that hillside is probably too overgrown to see them. It might be an interesting mission to do some hiking around over there and find out...

Lance