GP7s SLSF 596 And SLSF 518 Running Light With Caboose SLSF 86 Some weekend in the summer of 1961, our family was enjoying a picnic at Trail of Tears State Park upriver from Cape Girardeau, MO. My father just caught the following picture of GP7s SLSF 592 and SLSF 518 running light with caboose SLSF 86. Train is southbound on the St. Louis Subdivision. Visible beyond the tracks, between the near and far tree lines, is the Mississippi River.
Interesting photograph. I wonder why there were crew in both locomotives. Did those cabooses ride rough? Bob Wintle
I showed the picture to my brother's buddy, who was an engineer at that time. He said that if they were running light and at speed, the other crew members would rather ride in an engine. There was no welded rail and that particular series of cabooses were not known for their ride.
