Nostalgia & History > Switcher Saturday: Focusing on the Rio Grande

All things being equal I probably wouldn’t post this image 4 outta 5 times. For Bill Gibson it’s an overcast day and it’s uncharacteristically a bit out of focus. But while photo-editing it into file-ready quality it started growing on me. There are a couple of interesting things going on here.

Looking at the stack there is an appearance of forward motion. But maybe there’s a slight breeze blowing. It looks like both cab denizens have been on the ground. Maybe they were checking out some mechanical aspect of their charge? Or maybe they are coming back from “beans”. But I suppose that would depend on how long a live 2-8-0 can be left unattended.

But the real truth is I just couldn’t resist posting a vintage steam scene with my beloved Santa Fe providing a circle-cross emblem for all to see… :^)

1. D&RGW 2-8-0 #670 with an ancient Santa Fe wooden boxcar on its nose in Denver, CO on January 29, 1930.
Original BW negative by Willian A. Gibson Sr from the Ray Hilner collection.

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Art Gibson (wag216)
Photograph from the Ray Hilner collection courtesy of Art Gibson



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/23 23:33 by santafe199.

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Focus or not, I like it.

santafe199 Wrote:

> 1. D&RGW 2-8-0 #670 with an ancient Santa Fe
> wooden boxcar on its nose in Denver, CO on January
> 29, 1930.

Very interesting.  ATSF 228146 would have started life as a Bx-O class girder-underframe car built in 1905-07 by either AC&F or the Standard Car Co., but the number (and steel ends) suggest the car had been upgraded to a Bx-14.  Supposedly the first Bx-14's appeared in 1931, but the photo suggests some Bx-O's were upgraded and renumbered before they were reclassified.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:  > ...  but the photo suggests .........

I was wondering if you might be able to do something with this half-a-car shot. As usual, I needn't have worried... :^)

Lance

Did that class  C-41 become a K-37?

tomstp Wrote:

> Did that class  C-41 become a K-37?

D&RGW 670 was a class C-28 and was scrapped as such in 1941.