Nostalgia & History > A ride behind an M630 on the S-BC. Ole'! - Part 2, 1975

The first photo is one that I could not locate for placement on my original post about a train ride on the FNM's ex Sonora-Baja California behind an ex PGE/BCOL M630 in 1992. Here's the train just after we arrivied at Benjamin Hill. (Marty, notice that it's a close-in 3/4, despite my pontification about how such shots displease me.) Again, it was one memorable ride!

Original thread: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3533727,3534834#msg-3534834

The next two show the situation at Benjamin Hill in December, 1975. The first of these shows the tail end of S-BC's "Burro" waiting to added to the southbound FCP milk-run which took me to Mazatlan. Notice the RSD-5 and the head-end equipment, which was continually picked up and set out over the ensuing l-e-n-g-t-h-y journey.

The bottom photo is of the departing northbound FCP "Bullet", which, unlike the Burros, had a dining car, sleepers, and two Alco pretenders.


-E.O.
Wx4.org

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hogheaded Wrote:
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> (Marty, notice
> that it's a close-in 3/4, despite my pontification
> about how such shots displease me.)

What's growing out of the cab roof in interesting too.

Marty

Always interested in seeing Mexican railroad images and especially FCP. In the second photo the arriving train is carrying green flags and has 1- 4 in the train indicators. The second section could be a railcars to Guaymas.

Cliff

Imagine installing footboards on the pilot of the 716 in the 1990's.

KG

MartyBernard Wrote:
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> hogheaded Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > (Marty, notice
> > that it's a close-in 3/4, despite my
> pontification
> > about how such shots displease me.)
>
> What's growing out of the cab roof in interesting
> too.
>
> Marty


Well, good point. If I had backed-up a little, one could have clearly seen the cab is sporting the inlet port to one of FNM's famous Thermic Turbo Desyphonators (Type 2a) - the only known installation on an M630 BTW, and further back, the cars still have their OEM Pixie-Antenna Lights, which were godsends at unlighted rural stations.

-E.O.

Oh, OH - I forgot to include this tidbit in my original post:

I just ran across a 1970 "how to" guide book about Mexican passenger trains. The author claims - I am not making this up - that sleeping cars on the S-BC/FCP route often saw, er, "use" by groups of American "swingers"!

I shall refrain from further commentary.

-E.O.

Sleeper train waS used by a lot of collage students and after getting sick from drinking, loud etc some of the crews and diner staff got real fed up with Americans.

What bad can you say about a railroad that runs an M420TR and an RSD-5 on a
passenger train?

Out

mundo Wrote:
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> Sleeper train waS used by a lot of collage
> students and after getting sick from drinking,
> loud etc some of the crews and diner staff got
> real fed up with Americans.

I always preferred to sit with Mexicans.

-E.O.