Today, I was reading my copy of the current "L&N Magazine", the fine publication of the Louisville & Nashville RR Historical Society. It includes an article beginning page 12 about riding L&N passenger trains during the period 1968-1971, just before Amtrak took over US passenger operations in May, 1971. The title page of the article includes a beautiful nose-on picture of freshly painted L&N 788, an E8A. As I was looking at it, I thought it certainly looked familiar, though it carried a firecracker antenna, and a 2-forward, 1-rear facing horn, but the "face" was the same. Sure enough, L&N E8A 788 is none other than SLSF E8A 2014, "Truxton". It was sold to the L&N in 1965. Later in the article, there is a nice center-fold shot of L&N E7A 791 and L&N E8A 787 rolling through Anchorage, KY, east of Louisville. Sure enough, L&N 787 is the former SLSF 2007, "Whirlaway", also sold to L&N in 1965. This is a hard-to-see shot for any detail, as the E8A is the trailing unit. Seven Frisco E units were sold to the L&N (E7As (EA7s) 2000, 2002, 2004 and E8As 2007, 2009, 2014, 2015). It is a testimony to the Frisco's maintenance program that the L&N was willing to buy three E7As! Two of the Frisco E8As, SLSF 2007 and SLSF 2014, the two units pictured in the article, lasted long enough to even make it into the early Amtrak roster. It was good to see pictures of old friends, even though they were wearing different colors. Ken
There is a real cool original slide for sale on e-Bay right now. It is washed out but it is at Memphis, TN and it shows a passenger train with an E8A-F7B-E8A consist for power. I have not seen many with a B unit stuck in there. I think it is a B unit. Edit 2/25/2024; Train is running southbound along Broadway. It has just crossed the Illinois Central (IC) Railroad. Once the freight train to the north clears. the Frisco passenger train will back into Memphis Central Station. Memphis Central Station was used by passenger trains of the Illinois Central, Chicago Rock Island and Pacific (CRIP) and Frisco. Memphis Central Station today serves Amtrak and retains its commercial office tower. Signal Bridge A marks the western limits of the Memphis Union Station limits. This section of Broadway was controlled by the interlocking tower at Memphis Union Station. Memphis Union Station was used by passenger trains of the Louisville and Nashville (L&N), Missouri Pacific (MP or MoP), Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis (NC&StL), St. Louis Southwestern and Southern Railroad. Unfortunately, Memphis Union Station was raised at the end of railroad operated passenger service. The former station site is now occupied by a US Post Office main sorting facility. MKD
One time I was at the Springfield, MO depot, train No. 106 came in with a F7B sandwiched between two E units. A trainman told me that they did not help with speed as they cut out a 65 mph. They were there to help start a heavy train. Tom G.
The race horses still have their original stripes and coupler clamshells, so I would say this picture is from about 1959-1960. It is probably train No 105 or No 106. My opinion. Tom G.
Neat stuff, Tom, and thanks for the heads-up, Tim. The trees in the background look bare. A B unit to help get a heavy train started, and it looks like head-end cars as far as my eye can see. Wonder if this is in the days or weeks preceding Christmas with a whole heap of express packages? Best Regards,
In another thread Tom had explained that F or GP7 freight units significantly helped out on getting a heavy passenger train up to speed without adding another E8. http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index....motives-used-vs-one-on-passenger-trains.3181/ The addition of the F or GP7 units assisted in improving station to station times due to their assist during acceleration especially with heavy head end loads..
Speaking of head end traffic, Model Railroader / Kalmbach have a new book, Express, Mail and Merchandise Service, by Jeff Wilson. Covers railway post office (RPO) and Railway Express Agency (REA) service and the railroad less than car load (LCL) service that I was not at all familiar with. FYI. Tom G.
Here is another thread, which also discusses the use of dual service diesel units in Frisco. http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/e8b-question.5551/#post-42247 This post shows No 101 at Rosedale Yard in Kansas City, KS with an airline-strike swollen train. http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/road-passenger-2006-2022.318/#post-2182 A passenger GP7 is cut-in between the two Redbirds.
Karl, Thanks for the heads-up for the broken link. I am putting out an A.P.B. for this one, because a) I think it will lend a lot to this thread, and b) I really want to see that photograph of No 101 again! It is just a matter of finding it. Best Regards,
I have attended to broken links when possible. If I can determine where a broken attachment link points to, rather than pointing to the attachment, I point to the thread link and update the post to identify what post number in the referred to thread has the attachment. The reason for doing so is that migration between forum software does not deal with attachment links well but gets most all thread links right. I edited Karl's post this past Friday to fix the issue Karl has referred to.
After browsing the links and pictures of the Frisco E units I came to a realization. What a genuinely cool railroad the Frisco was! Sigh.
I have posted thoughts to this effect before, but the Frisco racehorse/redbird E-units when their stripes were new and clean were cooler than Warbonnets, Daylights, Eagles, Armour yellows, you name it. Then each cab with its own name, how could you beat that?! Tom G.
I purchased a wonderful photograph of E8A SLSF 2007 Whirlaway on e-bay. The photographs were taken at Dallas Union Station, Dallas, TX. I do not know who took the pictures or when they were taken. I fell in love with the warrior of Whirlaway.
Kimura-san, Note in the first picture, an F-unit is coupled to Whirlaway. The F-unit would give quicker acceleration from a stop but would ultimately limit the top end speed of the train.
Mr. klrwhizkid, Thank you for telling me about the acceleration performance of the F unit. I would like to own a yellow and black painted F unit O-Scale model someday. I think that the red paint of E7A (EA7) and E8A and the yellow and black paint of F would look great in a formation.
