Nostalgia & History > Maroon Monday: With a little help...

…from my friends*

It would be interesting to know how many total times Rock Island power departed Tucumcari westbound, and how many times SP/SSW power departed Tucumcari eastbound. I dare say the balance would swing heavily toward the latter as opposed to the former. I must have been in my early grade school years the first time I ever saw “foreign” power on a Rock Island train. I had seen the Milwaukee Road logo on Union Pacific-painted passenger Es in my home town. But somehow that wasn’t the same as seeing a whole new color scheme. I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have know what the RR term foreign power meant. But I dang sure knew something was way different the first time I saw a funny colored engine with the mysterious words “cotton belt” on the side on my hometown Rock Island. I thought maybe somebody’s engine got lost and the Rock Island was returning it. But hey, what does a first grader know, anyhow…

Of course, as I got older and my railfan knowledge cracks & crevices began to fill in I learned about such things as run-through, pooling & leasing power, etc. As for my original subject line, it seems that Rock Island did at least partially embrace the theme penned by John Lennon & Paul McCartney in 1967. And as Rock Island’s financially shaky 1960’s slid into the big time troubled 1970s they certainly needed all the help they could get. From their friends, and otherwise…

1. SSW 9278 and SP 8644 act as bookends for 4 Maroon-colored units on this westbound Rock Island manifest in Topeka, KS. This train has been running over Union Pacific rails since Kansas City, and is about to nose into a crossover which will shuffle the train down toward SJ Jct and home rails over the GSR down to Herington. I have a 1973 Rock Island condensed freight schedule that allows me to guess this is train 21. The string of pigs on the point may, or may not substantiate my guess. Bill’s slide notes provide an engine consist: SSW 9378, 390, 394, 386, 291 & SP 8644 with caboose 17131 tagging along. Photo date: May 26, 1977.
Original Kodachrome slide by William A. Gibson (WAG) Sr.

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Art Gibson (wag216)

*With a Little Help From My Friends is a tune from the Beatles' seminal 1967 album “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. This song never charted for the Beatles, however it was included in the Rolling Stone magazine list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
DJ Sir L



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/23 03:07 by santafe199.

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Proof that RI had plenty of traffic. Too many opportunities squandered. Henry Crown had the idea that UP would pay to fix everything up. Having known the UP people who worked on the RI-UP merger, they saw how Crown undermined things.

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> …from my friends*
>
> It would be interesting to know how many total
> times Rock Island power departed Tucumcari
> westbound, and how many times SP/SSW power
> departed Tucumcari eastbound. I dare say the
> balance would swing heavily toward the latter as
> opposed to the former. I must have been in my
> early grade school years the first time I ever saw
> “foreign” power on a Rock Island train. I had
> seen the Milwaukee Road logo on Union
> Pacific-painted passenger Es in my home town. But
> somehow that wasn’t the same as seeing a whole
> new color scheme. I’m quite sure I wouldn’t
> have know what the RR term foreign power meant.
> But I dang sure knew something was way different
> the first time I saw a funny colored engine with
> the mysterious words “cotton belt” on the side
> on my hometown Rock Island. I thought maybe
> somebody’s engine got lost and the Rock Island
> was returning it. But hey, what does a first
> grader know, anyhow…
>
> Of course, as I got older and my railfan knowledge
> cracks & crevices began to fill in I learned about
> such things as run-through, pooling & leasing
> power, etc. As for my original subject line, it
> seems that Rock Island did at least partially
> embrace the theme penned by John Lennon & Paul
> McCartney in 1967. And as Rock Island’s
> financially shaky 1960’s slid into the big time
> troubled 1970s they certainly needed all the help
> they could get. From their friends, and
> otherwise…
>
> 1. SSW 9278 and SP 8644 act as bookends for 4
> Maroon-colored units on this westbound Rock Island
> manifest in Topeka, KS. This train has been
> running over Union Pacific rails since Kansas
> City, and is about to nose into a crossover which
> will shuffle the train down toward SJ Jct and home
> rails over the GSR down to Herington. I have a
> 1973 Rock Island condensed freight schedule that
> allows me to guess this is train 21. The string of
> pigs on the point may, or may not substantiate my
> guess. Bill’s slide notes provide an engine
> consist: SSW 9378, 390, 394, 386, 291 & SP 8644
> with caboose 17131 tagging along. Photo date: May
> 26, 1977.
> Original Kodachrome slide by William A. Gibson
> (WAG) Sr.
>
> Thanks for looking back!
> Lance Garrels (santafe199)
> Art Gibson (wag216)
>
> *With a Little Help From My Friends is a tune from
> the Beatles' seminal 1967 album “Sgt Pepper’s
> Lonely Hearts Club Band”. This song never
> charted for the Beatles, however it was included
> in the Rolling Stone magazine list of the 500
> greatest songs of all time.
> DJ Sir L

The location and the Cotton Belt locomotive on the point make this even better. First-class photo.
Bob

Many times, at least 3-5 times a week according to my records, the GS left Tucumcari with ROCK power and the CBlock and RIMSE eastbound from Tucumcari with SP power. From about 1966 to perhaps to 1978, when there was only a couple trains a day. Also new SP locomotives were delivered via the ROCK including the new SP SD38-2s for West Colton, which led the RIW with SP2974 on May 4, 1973



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/20 07:48 by WAF.

In 1977 a west bound train had 4 SP and 4 RI engines and we rode along beside it for miles in New Mexico.

SSW/SP was seen on the Rock here in Iowa and Illinois from the late 60's up til about 1978 or so. I have some Bill Riebe slides with several RI trains with SP or SSW slides. Some I have posted here before.

MILW86A

Growing up on the North End of the Rock Island, we had quite a few second generation SP-SSW units in Manly and beyond.  Quite a few SP-SSW cabooses as well...  Liked to secure the brake clubs from the SP crummies.

Dan Sabin