Roger I'm not a knit picker either! It was in a batch with the other hoppers I bought at a train show so I just threw it in with the rest of them!
I agree with everyone's comments about how great these pictures are. They, however, brought back painful (literally) memories of spotting and pulling the 381 mine west of Chelsea with F units. The lead was quite long and had an s curve which made it very difficult to see the brakemen's/conductor's lantern signals (pre radio days) as we usually switched this mine at night. We usually took empty hoppers with us from Tulsa and coupled into empties set out by west bound trains already on the lead. Leaning out of the F unit cab while watching for these hand signals and having contact with the throttle and brake handles required that I lean my rib cage against the arm rest. After a while that became very painful as one can imagine not to mention the back and neck pain. We would shove the empties onto one track and then pull the loads out of the mine with the last move coupling into the caboose with the loads. Whoever assigned these F units to this operation must have had it in for engineers or a complete lack of knowledge of the difficulty of switching this mine. I realize that at the time of the F units purchase, they had no choice, but by the 1970s the option of putting a cab unit in the lead was available. This actual operating reality will not prevent me from modeling this train, as you did, with F units. Again, congratulations on your fine modeling of an actual Frisco coal train. Terry
Terry, Thank You! In addition, a very interesting story on the mine run #381. Got any more? Put em on! John
Ah, a memory! I had one of those blue Wabash Athearn box cars back when I first got into HO in the early 1960's. My dad, a Wabash fan, gave it to me. K
A very nice set of scenes. I was about to remark you left out a digit on the gas price in post #2 picture 3. However, you are modelling "then" rather than "now!"
That's yours Gerome, "I didn't know you had it in ya!" You said that too me in Gillette. Shortly I was transferred to Portland or Best of the Best of jobs The Superindent let me alone and I got to do lots of nice projects. I was out their for the NMRA national show Great Place