Nostalgia & History > Toto Tuesday: Mirror manifests at Cimarron

Here’s to the days of yore when there a few trains to chase on Santa Fe’s western Kansas mainline. In a broiling early evening in mid August, train 304 meets train 403. Here’s hoping those AC units were actually working for the boys…

1. AT&SF 3221 with Argentine ~ Pueblo manifest 304 P-1 sits patiently in the siding as their train meets its mirror counterpart (on paper, anyhow) 403 P-1. Interesting power on the 403: U-28-CGs 7907 & 7908 are running out their miles on secondary freight mains after a few years of hauling Santa Fe varnish.
(photo taken August 14, 1978 in Cimarron, KS)

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/22 21:06 by santafe199.

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santafe199 Wrote:

> Here’s hoping those AC units were actually working for the boys…

Doesn't look like they have the "AC" on full blast.  That is to say, I can't tell if the cab windows are open, but the cab doors are closed...

Evan_Werkema Wrote:  > ...Doesn't look like...

I was thinking about the crew in the 3221, The 403 crew in the 7907 look like they have the "open windows & go fast" version of AC.
I DO remember it was a very hot August I spent out there on the Dodge City switchman's board!

Lance

Better get back to Dodge City.  Somebody was gonna be needed that night to rebuild the 403 for a midnight departure to Newton.

NiceHandTick Wrote: > ... Somebody was gonna be needed >> that night << to...

Funny you should mention the night! I MUCH preferred working a 3rd trick job that summer. It was much cooler and we tended to get longer bean periods & better "quits". The ol' truck stop-style 24 hour restaurant sure did make some mean biscuits & gravy, with big chunks of sausage in the gravy. On 3rd trick we would usually always see #4 during its station stop before we tackled our first list. And if #3 was on time we'd see it as we were getting off. If it was late I might run up the hill toward Wright to get a half-a$$ed broadside shot sweeping around that big curve. Memories...

Lance/199

santafe199 Wrote:

> I was thinking about the crew in the 3221,
> The 403 crew in the 7907 look like they have the
> "open windows & go fast" version of AC.

The 3221 doesn't have the characteristic box on the cab roof, so I figured it didn't have any more air conditioning than 7907.  Did some GP30's in 1978 have a form of "real" AC other than the cab-top-box model?  I know some later GE's had air conditioners in the nose, and I've heard some early CF7's had "automotive" style air conditioners that didn't show from the outside.