Nostalgia & History > WAG Wednesday: Rock for your Soul

Although I’ve run musical connotations many times before, there’s nothing particularly musical about all the Rock Island muscle Bill captured in these 51 year old slides. Just good food for the railfan soul. However, he did provide some disposition notes for quite a few of the newer units. Hopefully I’ve transcribed them correctly from his slide notes. If not, I will cheerfully accept any corrections…

1. CRI&P 350 solo westbound with a manifest on the north main at Calhoun Bluffs. The 350 became UP 610.

2. CRI&P 363 with 3 unknown Fs and 2 more unknown units on a manifest on the south main at Calhoun Bluffs. The 363 became UP 621. The fate of the rest of the consist is unknown.
Photos 1-2 were taken August 16, 1968 at Calhoun Bluffs NE of Topeka, KS.

3. CRI&P 259, 352, 270, 280 & 367 lead an EB manifest around Porubsky’s Curve in north Topeka, KS on August 24, 1968. Disposition(s): 352 to UP 612, 270 to UP 508, 280 to UP 518 & 367 to UP 625. Bill left no notes on the 259.
Three photos taken William A. Gibson (WAG) Sr.

Thanks for digging the scene!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Art Gibson (wag216)

“Down the Rock Island line is a mighty good road
The Rock Island line is the road to ride, yeah
The Rock Island line is a mighty good road
Well, if you want to ride you gotta ride it like you find it get your ticket at the station
Of the Rock Island line…”
Lonnie Donegan -1955 (a common favorite version)



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/22 21:15 by santafe199.

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Wow, a "one unit wonder Wednesday" entry.

MP4093 Wrote: > ... one unit wonder ...

Even with 12 years to go before bankruptcy this was a semi-common scene in Rock-land...

santafe199 Wrote:
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>
> 1. CRI&P 350 solo westbound with a manifest on the
> north main at Calhoun Bluffs. 

Lost one of its number boards. An ominous sign.

Thanks for sharing these first-rate Rock Island photos.
Bob

Wonder how 350 in #1 got up the hill at Alta Vista without a helper? Maybe he had a big set out for Topeka.

Posted from Android

Awesome trio! Must have been quite unusual for the Rock train to be using the south main as I believe the line was double track ABS and the train is running "against the current of traffic". Must have been maintainance somewhere?
JB

Thanks to Art for capturing these moments in history.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

3rdswitch Wrote: > ... unusual for the Rock train to be using the south main ...

Yeah, I caught that myself. And I'm pretty sure you're right, it was DT ABS in those days. They would have needed a train order to run against the current of traffic. In order to pick up such a train order en route, Lawrence would almost certainly have been an open office of communication. But I don't know about Perry or Grantville...

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/19 09:16 by santafe199.

Excellent series and story Lance.

Don Allender

Thanks so much for sharing these!

- Jeff Carlson

as an ex up hoghead--had to be running against the current. ctc did not come until mid 1990"s
 

Love that power set in pic 2.  And #3 is a classic example of how to deal with pole lines and still get a good shot.

Bob