FL9

Today’s slide takes us back to 1975 in El Reno, OK as a southbound freight powered by four F-units is making smoke as it accelerates out of the yard on its way to Texas.  I am standing on the Highway 81 overpass looking east as the train approaches Pacific Junction behind me.

The yard was oriented east-west along the Choctaw Route from Amarillo to Memphis on the east side of the diamond with the mainline from Wichita to Fort Worth, and no connection existed at the diamond for southbounds leaving the yard.  A train heading for Texas out of the yard had to first head east towards Oklahoma City, then south and back west to rejoin the north-south mainline at Pacific Junction.