Nostalgia & History > Rock Island Rocket - 1940's Kodachrome

Here is a nicely posed shot of an engineer next to one of the original 1937 EMC type TA diesel locomotives that powered the Rock Island Rocket passenger trains. It was taken at an unknown location probably in the late 1940's when the unit was about 10 years old. The original wheel skirting is still in place and its sharp appearance implies a pride of ownership. The colorful paint is washed and gleaming in the sun. Leaning out of the cab window appears to be a RR official dressed in a nice suit, a hat and wearing a big smile. Perhaps they are celebrating a service anniversary or retirement. I don't believe this picture is directly related to the one of the engineer in the cab that I posted yesterday but it has just as much of a human interest factor. The second picture is cropped to hopefully show more details.

Observations and comments are of course encouraged.

Bob McGarrah
Edwards, IL

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The epitome of Rock Island design...
Downhill from there.
I had a wooden Strombecker model of that engine, my very first diesel.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> The epitome of Rock Island design...

How about EMC design? I doubt anybody from the Rock Island Mechanical Dept. was involved.

> Downhill from there.
> I had a wooden Strombecker model of that engine,
> my very first diesel.

A historic railroad human-interest treasure!
Bob

Count me in on a three car wooden Strombecker Rocket train, complete with wooden wheels and printed paper sides.
It was the first kit I assembled, and It got me started in HO. Sure wish I still had it.

Anyone remember the paper Lionel train kit during WWII?  Paper wheels and all?
Never did complete it, but more importantly we won the war.
Sill love model railrading after 60 some years.

Watts local
 

I wonder who took these.I know my friend Emery Gulash (passed)
was shooting ASA10 in the early forties.In later years he shot
16MM movies.

Uncle Joe
Seffner,Fl.
 

Great shot. Perfect Lighting and real 'Stinch'! (*)

I also had a Strombecker Rocket which my Dad and I hollowed out the body over the front trick and mounted DC-60 motorized truck on it.  

(*) Stinch - a Trolley Museum term we used to call anything classified as Classic.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

Since the unit is a TA, I'm thinking it's somewhere in Illinois.  

I've enjoyed seeing these shots, thanks for posting.  

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/20 18:46 by ntharalson.

Great historical shot.   Kodachrome was awesome.

I chose to build the Strombecker "MacArthur" 2-8-2 way back then.

Historic photos with both technical and human elements.
Thanks for posting these treasure photos.

The TA was a unique model built by EMC for the Rock Island. The engine was almost 61’ in length, was powered by a single 16 Cylinder Winton 201-A diesel, had four traction motors with a B - B truck arrangement, and was rated at 1000 HP. A total of six were built, all in 1937. They were scrapped about twenty years later.

ALLEN

The TA model is my all-time favorite diesel!  They were used on the TEXAS ROCKET.
A friend has a book coming out within a month or two on the Burlington-Rock Island and it
will feature TA photos.

I have a slide of a TA at El Reno, Oklahoma,
It is not at hand at the moment, though.

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

There are photos of TA's not in Illinois. Otto Perry photo in Wichita:

.....ntharalson Wrote:
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> Since the unit is a TA, I'm thinking it's
> somewhere in Illinois.  
>
> I've enjoyed seeing these shhots, thanks for
> posting.  
>
> Nick Tharalson,
> Marion, IA

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With the earlier shot of the 9000 I would guess highly likely this is El Reno, OK.
Dan Sabin

Could easliy have been the Kansas City Rocket (Twin Cities to KC), Texas Rocket (Houston to KC), Denver Rocket (KCto Denver). There were five Rocket sets; Illinois only hosted two (Peoria Rocket and Des Moines Rocket).

Brian Ehni