Nostalgia & History > Picasa do-over (vol #95): DC-3 at Topeka

Yesterday I was yakking with my friend, Jim Wilson who now has possession of the Gibson Collection. I made a remark about how so many Kansas Railfans from our generation were blessed to have had railfan photography mentors like the Gibsons, Bill & Art and railfan authors like Lloyd Stagner and Lee Berglund. “Doesn’t this happen to everyone?” I’m thinking… :^)

So I’m particularly happy to be able to improve on any one of my “mentor’s” images that were originally posted with Picasa editing. I figure it’s the least I can do to repay the friendship and the great tutorage I received back in those fondly remembered 70s & 80s…

1. UP DC-3 sitting in Topeka, KS on April 19, 1953.
Original Kodachrome slide by the late William A. Gibson Sr, now in the James T. Wilson collection.

2. Same as above scanned with Epson and re-edited in Photoshop.

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels (santafe199)
Jim Wilson (jtwlunch)

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Sweet looking motor car.  It seems to have a different twist than most I've seen.  What is the wheeled contraption under the baggage compartment?  Is that a different kind of drive system?  All the old Santa Fe cars were driven by traction motors on the front truck (I think.)

jdw3460 Wrote: > ... What is the wheeled contraption under the baggage compartment? 

It's most likely part of the detection system, although I never saw this car in person. I'm guessing the detection equipment rode down close to the rails over those small wheels...

Lance 

santafe199 Wrote:
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> jdw3460 Wrote: > ... What is the wheeled
> contraption under the baggage compartment? 
>
> It's most likely part of the detection system,
> although I never saw this car in person. I'm
> guessing the detection equipment rode down close
> to the rails over those small wheels...
>
> Lance 


Look closer and you'll see three instrumentation buggies under the car. They carried the transmitter and receiver heads for the fault detection equipment in the car.

Super roster shot. Superior restoration!
Bob

Awesome editing job...much clearer image.....thanks for posting.