Nostalgia & History > Santa Fe Mixed Train in 1958

Here's a quick series from the early years of Frank Tribbey's photography showing a westbound mixed train passing through Medford, OK. Santa Fe's east/west line through town was nothing more than a branch line that handled mostly wheat. Here in Frank's hometown of Medford, the ATSF (built as the Gulf Railroad) crossed paths with the much busier and well known Rock Island north/south line from Wichita, KS to Fort Worth. The interlocker was protected by nothing more than a stop sign on the Santa Fe. I don't have any helpful timetables around currently, so I'm not sure what train number this would have been.

1) A crewmember stands outside ATSF 2818 guiding the local westbound after just crossing the Rock.

2) Frank noted the tank cars to be "seldom seen cargo on this line" as boxcars hauling wheat were a much more common sight.

3) The 11 car train comes to an end with a combine bringing up the rear. The Rock Island track can be seen to the right of the photo.

Taken by Frank Tribbey in Medford, OK on November 5, 1958
PQM



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/21 21:01 by BNSF-6432.

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Those zebra-triped Geeps were cool, and this one is toting an interesting collection of freight cars to boot.  Thanks for sharing.

What a  train to model.  Jeff

Absolutely!

Jeff Wrote:
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> What a  train to model.  Jeff

BNSF-6432 Wrote:

> The interlocker was protected by nothing more than a stop sign on
> the Santa Fe.

It was protected by a bit more than that.  The Rock was signaled, and the Golden State sure wasn't going to stop-and-proceed at Medford every day on the off chance the Santa Fe mixed was in town, so there had to be some form of active protection on the otherwise unsignaled Santa Fe line.  Santa Fe System Timetable No. 1 from 1989 says tersely, "MP 102.5 Stop and be governed by instructions in release box."  The Santa Fe Panhandle Division Timetable 72 from 1942 has a longer description, "Medford - C.R.I.&P. Railway crossing, M.P. 102.5.  Second District, protected by home and approach signals on C.R.I.&P. tracks, and electrically locked derails on A.T.&S.F. tracks, operated by A.T.&S.F. trainmen.  Be governed by instructions posted in lock box at crossing.  Maximum speed over crossing fifteen (15) miles per hour."  (Maximum speed on the Santa Fe branch in both timetables was 30.)  The photo below shows the stop sign and derail setup on the Santa Fe looking east in 1990, the same direction Tribbey was looking in 1958.  The stop sign is also visible in the second image above, silhouetted against the gray maintenance of way outfit car.

> I don't have any helpful timetables
> around currently, so I'm not sure what train
> number this would have been.

This is Blackwell, OK to Hutchinson, KS mixed train 58, due to stop at Medford at 11:15 a.m.  Although the train is physically moving westbound here, it is actually timetable eastbound, as its train number suggests.  No.58 ran Monday-Wednesday-Friday (Nov. 5, 1958 was a Wednesday), while opposing No.59 ran Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday.

> 2) Frank noted the tank cars to be "seldom seen
> cargo on this line" as boxcars hauling wheat were
> a much more common sight.

At least three of those tanks are AT&SF, which probably means they are in company service rather than carrying revenue loads.  When you add in the caboose and the MW car, roughly half the train is earning Santa Fe no revenue. 

> 3) The 11 car train comes to an end with a combine
> bringing up the rear. The Rock Island track can be
> seen to the right of the photo.

And the track in the foreground is the Santa Fe - Rock Island interchange.
 

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Fascinating historical set.
Bob

I've seen those photos in Franks Santa Fe book but want to THANK you for posting them! Color zebra stripe shots are far and few between.

Old Santa Fe Railway Blackwell, OK based mixed train and engine crews worked to and from Hutchison, KS.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BNSF-6432 Wrote:
>
> > The interlocker was protected by nothing more
> than a stop sign on
> > the Santa Fe.
>
> It was protected by a bit more than that.  The
> Rock was signaled, and the Golden State sure
> wasn't going to stop-and-proceed at Medford every
> day on the off chance the Santa Fe mixed was in
> town, so there had to be some form of active
> protection on the otherwise unsignaled Santa Fe
> line.  Santa Fe System Timetable No. 1 from 1989
> says tersely, "MP 102.5 Stop and be governed by
> instructions in release box."  The Santa Fe
> Panhandle Division Timetable 72 from 1942 has a
> longer description, "Medford - C.R.I.&P. Railway
> crossing, M.P. 102.5.  Second District, protected
> by home and approach signals on C.R.I.&P. tracks,
> and electrically locked derails on A.T.&S.F.
> tracks, operated by A.T.&S.F. trainmen.  Be
> governed by instructions posted in lock box at
> crossing.  Maximum speed over crossing fifteen
> (15) miles per hour."  (Maximum speed on the
> Santa Fe branch in both timetables was 30.)  The
> photo below shows the stop sign and derail setup
> on the Santa Fe looking east in 1990, the same
> direction Tribbey was looking in 1958.  The stop
> sign is also visible in the second image above,
> silhouetted against the gray maintenance of way
> outfit car.
>
> > I don't have any helpful timetables
> > around currently, so I'm not sure what train
> > number this would have been.
>
> This is Blackwell, OK to Hutchinson, KS mixed
> train 58, due to stop at Medford at 11:15 a.m. 
> Although the train is physically moving westbound
> here, it is actually timetable eastbound, as its
> train number suggests.  No.58 ran
> Monday-Wednesday-Friday (Nov. 5, 1958 was a
> Wednesday), while opposing No.59 ran
> Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday.
>
> > 2) Frank noted the tank cars to be "seldom seen
> > cargo on this line" as boxcars hauling wheat
> were
> > a much more common sight.
>
> At least three of those tanks are AT&SF, which
> probably means they are in company service rather
> than carrying revenue loads.  When you add in the
> caboose and the MW car, roughly half the train is
> earning Santa Fe no revenue. 
>
> > 3) The 11 car train comes to an end with a
> combine
> > bringing up the rear. The Rock Island track can
> be
> > seen to the right of the photo.
>
> And the track in the foreground is the Santa Fe -
> Rock Island interchange.
>  

Thanks for that information!

PQM

Posted from Android

Most enjoyable.

A superb set!  What a wonderful consist. Thanks for posting these. 

Thanks PQM for posting these photos and to Evan for the rest of the story, we learn some history and even get a map. Isn't TO great.

Evan_Werkema Wrote:

> It was protected by a bit more than that.  The
> Rock was signaled, and the Golden State sure
> wasn't going to stop-and-proceed at Medford every
> day on the off chance the Santa Fe mixed was in
> town

...Medford was, of course, NOT on the Golden State Route, but rather the route of the Twin Star Rocket.  Sorry about that.

Tank cars and passenger cars on the same train. The good ol' days