FL9

Today’s look back at the Katy takes us to Minco, OK roughly half-way between El Reno and Chickasha in September of 1986 as a southbound merchandise train led by GP40 #204 holds the mainline while a northbound loaded rock train led by GP40 #216 takes the siding.

The local trainmaster is out of his car and watching the operation closely.  The Katy operated the ex-Rock Island between Herrington, KS and Fort Worth, TX as a subsidiary called the Oklahoma-Kansas-Texas Railroad from 1980 until 1988 when it was absorbed back into the parent company before the UP merger.

We had a round of severe weather yesterday afternoon and evening, but we remain unscathed here in Benbrook while many others were not so lucky.  Today we see southbound Katy train #105 passing through Savanna, OK just south of McAlester in September of 1978.

The train’s two GP40’s and U23B are putting out plenty of sound and exhaust smoke as they haul their freight towards Texas.  The grounds of the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant cover many square miles to the left of this photo.

As requested a few days ago, I made it to the letter “M” in the old slide files.  As a result of a busy week here is a single entry for tonight in the form of two M-K-T SW-1200’s switching the north end of Ray Yard in Denison, TX in 1978.

At least one switch job worked here around the clock in the day of the Katy, and while the yard still exists under new owner UP, it is but a shadow of its former self.

Saturday afternoon my wife and I were out shopping when we crested the highway 377 overpass over the UP in Benbrook and I looked down to the east towards Davidson Yard and saw a bright red signal.  These signals are approach lit, and a quick glance to the west did not reveal a train in sight; so I hoped this meant the signal on the other side was green for a westbound leaving the yard.  I quickly turned off and drove back to the tracks on the east side of the overpass so the signal and a nice patch of yellow weed flowers were right in front of me.  As I got my camera out, the distant and distinctive sound of a K5HL proved my hopes to be correct.  I lined up my shot with the clouds and flowers, and was quickly surprised by a new CSX ES44DC on the point.

The second unit, a new FXE ES44AC, was also worth the effort of lining up a picture as he sped on west.

I checked TrainOrders later in the afternoon, and was surprised again to see that Steve Schmollinger had photographed the same two units the day before westbound at Big Sandy.  A good catch Steve!