Railroaders' Nostalgia > Stormy future for the Lone Star?

When Santa Fe trainmaster Tom Shalin hired me for train service on May 30, 1978 I definitely had some inkling that I was starting on the adventure of my life. I was a very lucky person to be combining a vocation with an avocation. In short, I was a very lucky railfan that was getting hired by one of the most famous railroads in the world! The Santa Fe had been my favorite RR since childhood.

I had gotten plenty of prior & very sage advice to keep a ‘low railfan profile’, at least until I successfully passed my probationary period. But there were times when I thought I could shoot a few pics without taking any undue risks. During the first three days (June 1-3) of classroom indoctrination I indeed kept very much under that radar. But the night of June second I saw a chance to do some shooting. My classmates & I had eight hours of classroom instruction the first two days. The third day (my 23rd birthday) was spent in an outdoor afternoon/evening session learning hand signals, both day & night and learning how to safely get on & off moving equipment. During those three days we were also expected to write the rules book on our own time. “Writing the book” is a term for going through Santa Fe operating & safety rules, writing out answers long hand in a general rules questionnaire. Make that a VERY THICK general rules questionnaire. We had to have this gruelingly tedious task finished before we were allowed to go out on our on-the-job student trips.

I had rented a room in Newton ($10 for the week) during the classroom & student trip sessions. I believe it was during my second evening (June 2) of arduous wrist work that I decided to take some time off. I had been writing rules for about three hours and I needed a break. It was after 10 PM and I knew that Amtrak train #16 was on time. The room I rented was about half a block southeast of the huge Ross elevator at 7th & Walnut Sts in Newton. That meant I was within easy walking distance of where the head end of any given passenger train would be standing during the 20” station & service stop…

With camera & tripod in tow I took that walk. For about half an hour I had been hearing those muted distant rumblings of thunder that a kid growing up in Kansas is all too familiar with. But as I started toward the passenger station the dark skies still looked devoid of any chance of rain. #16 arrived on cue and I chose my spot to set up the tripod. I don’t remember why I had only black & white film to shoot with, but I remember thinking I only needed to shoot 2 or 3 exposures. If I’d had my usual K-64 loaded I would have taken the usual 8-10 extra shots for slide trading purposes. I think it was during my 3rd shot that the scene was literally struck with lightning. I might have been so excited at the prospect of what I had in my camera that I failed to take anymore shots. Or maybe in addition to having no Kodachrome, I was also low on the black & white. I really don’t remember.

Whatever the reason was, it’s now lost in the mists of memory. What I’m left with is this unknowing omen of a shot of the Lone Star, taken about 16 months before it was heartbreakingly weeded out of the Amtrak family…

1. AMTK 519 heads up the eastbound Lone Star, train #16 at Newton Kansas on June 2, 1978.

Thanks for looking back!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/14 15:56 by santafe199.

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That, sir, is awesome! I can imagine being there.

-Ryan

Golly Gee Lance, that is very cool!

KR

Hands down that is one of your best.
Wes

Wes Chiles
Topeka, KS

atsffan Wrote:
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> Really exceptional photo. B&W makes it perfect.
>

Second that motion! Outstanding, Lance. Some things were made to be captured in B&W, and this was one of them. Be glad that's what you had in the camera. I think we all are.

MC
Columbia, Missouri

I tried a number times to get lightning in my night shots, but never could;some people have all the luck.

Seeing that lightning reminds me of a time in the late 1970's I was at Denver Union Station looking over a E-3 Seaboard diesel. A very lightning filled thunderstorm (no rain) was raising o-billy hell sticking its tentacles in the ground every few seconds all over Denver. Maybe it is the thin air there but I never heard such loud thunder in my life. Lightning usually didn't bother me but, I got the heck out of there after a couple of minutes.

Ionizing...

Electrifying!

Excellent, Lance! You'll have to show me your trick for finding a train, and lightning in the same scene.

-Dalton

CP_M260 Wrote:
> ...You'll have to show me your trick for finding a train, and lightning...

Weeeellll...... Ya gotta get one of those electrifying ionizer thing-a-ma-bobs and attach it to the doo-dad on your tripod. Then take the gizmo ratchet all the way up. Find a spot where a passenger train is likely to stop under some cloud cover. If you repeat this process every day for 7-10 years you should get some adequate results. Your mileage may very...

PS: You might wanna wear rubber tennis shoes. While you're at it, make sure your life insurance is paid up...

;^)

Lance, I remember renting a basement room in the same neighbor when I I first got promoted, and got stuck on a Sand Creek Job, (3rd shift of course) for a couple of weeks. Might even have been you that recommended it.

Posted from Android

Lance,

I think that you saw "YOUNG FRANKESTEIN" to many times!!!!!!! You were trying hard to put life back into the Santa Fe passenger trains, weren't you!!!!!!

Fantastic image.

Gary A. Rich
Aurora, CO

waycar_rider Wrote:
> I think that you saw "YOUNG FRANKESTEIN"...

that's: frawnkin-STEEN!

WOW! 'Nuff said.

Mel Brooks rides again!

Absolutely incredible

Love the pic, if you had it in color it would really stand out!

Back in 1982 a friend and I spent the night at the Holiday Inn at Cumberland, MD over Jul 4 weekend. At night, as we were looking over the B&O main line at a westbound symbol freight led by a red-and-white WM GP40, a brilliant burst of overhead fireworks beautifully illuminated the wild Mary. Unfortunately I was not as alert as Lance with the camera, so all I have is memories.

Andy

Not sure which I like more, the story or the photo. Well done - as usual.

Paul Birkholz
Sheridan, WY