FL9

AT&SF C40-8W #869 was one of the last batch of units delivered to the AT&SF in the warbonnet paint scheme before the BNSF merger.

Here we see #869 in May of 1993, still clean and shiny after having been delivered only two months earlier as it leads an eastbound mainfest over a long wooden trestle north of Justin, TX on the Fort Worth Sub.

In January of 1984 it is clear and cold with a few high clouds at the spot identified as Curtis by the station sign across the tracks.  A hot westbound intermodal with four six-axle units running elephant-style has just made short work of the job of climbing Curtis Hill in northwest Oklahoma.

The fireman of the AT&SF 8735 West gives the camera a friendly wave from a GE U36C as the 70-mph train glides effortlessly by on its way to California.

The ground is shaking and the sounds of a pounding exhaust beat fill the air at Quinlan, OK on 03/29/81 as the AT&SF 8755 West is half done with its assault on Curtis Hill.

With only two units and a heavy manifest train in tow, the 8755 had to wait at Heman for several faster intermodal ”shooters” to run around it before starting its miles-long slow climb up the 1% grade on its way to Amarillo.

In August and September of 1992 the Santa Fe railroad and the San Bernadino Railroad Historical Society teamed up to operate 4-8-4 #3751 on an employee recognition special from Los Angeles to Chicago and back.  On the return trip I managed to get this photo during the service stop in Waynoka, Oklahoma.

The ladies from the local railroad museum had dressed in Harvey House uniforms for the occasion, helping to create a classic photo in spite of a few modern sights.