“Chick, you’re called for 3:30 P.M. with ‘Little Daddy’ on Second 32.”
WITH THAT PHONE MESSAGE from the call boy at Corbin, Chester F. “Chick” Geaslen busies himself by packing his grip for another run up the “KY” — nickname for the Louisville & Nashville’s old Kentucky Division, but today part of the Cincinnati Division. Today’s run will be the Pullman section of L&N’s Atlanta-Cincinnati leg of the popular Southland. L&N numbers 32 and 33 have plied the Midwest-Florida route since 1915, and the train is the premiere rail service to the west coast of Florida. Thirty minutes before the call time, Chick
arrives at the northbound ready tracks at the engine terminal. There he finds M-1 class number 1960 shining like a freshly minted coin in the afternoon sun. Just two days before, the engine rolled out of South Louisville Shops after a class 3 overhaul, and the craftsmen there have the big engine as tight as the day she left Eddystone. There’s a bright sheen on the boiler jacket, the rods are polished, and the tires freshly silvered. The 1960 is a sight to behold. Totally out of character for the conserva-
tive L&N, the 1960 was part of a 14-engine order delivered by Baldwin in 1942, the first “modern” steam locomotives on the Old Re- liable’s roster. To help with the enormous surge in war time passenger traffic, the last four engines of the order, numbers 1960- 1963, came equipped with steam and signal line connections. Although designed for freight, their 69-inch drivers and large fire- box were perfect for passenger service on the KY, eliminating double heading on the heaviest trains. The quartet not only han- dled the Southland north of Corbin, but also the nocturnal Flamingo, as well as an occa- sional turn on the KY passenger locals. Six more of the big engines were acquired in 1944, just in time to help the L&N and the nation with the final surge to win World War II. And while a 2-8-4 might have been called a “Berkshire” up on the Boston & Al- bany, the Nickel Plate or the Erie, the L&N would have none of that! Chick and his fel- low KY engine crewmen had easily translat- ed the engines’ class designation to a name that would define their legacy: “Big Emma.” The nickname was meant to be flattering, as this was one impressive piece of steam loco- motion. On this fall afternoon in 1948, big things
are in store up north in Lima, Ohio. To deal with an expected increase in post-war coal tonnage, the L&N has ordered another 22 “Emmas”—this time from Lima Locomotive Works. With the initial delivery of number 1970 on January 14, to the May 11 comple- tion of number 1991, number 1960 and her Baldwin sisters will be joined by 22 more
M-1s, bringing the total to 42 of these su- perb engines. Until the final run by an M-1 on November 3, 1956, the 2-8-4s will define the L&N — underscoring in steam and steel the railroad’s familiar nickname, “The Old Reliable.”
Surrounded by other members of L&N’s
steam fleet in waiting, Chick ascends the ladder to the 1960’s cab, where he checks the fire and boiler water level and then cranks the blower a turn or two to bring the pres- sure up. This is the head end crew’s prep time—thirty minutes to check over their en- gine, read the bulletin board at the round- house, get a Clearance Form A and any train orders from the operator, and generally pre- pare to roll. As soon as he and engineer D.C. “Little Daddy” Bryan are finished with their preparations, the big 2-8-4 eases its way through the turnouts to the passenger sta- tion at the north end of the big yard. First 32, the coach section of the Southland, then glides in on time at 4:00 p.m. behind two dark blue and cream E6s flying emerald green flags denoting a following section. The diesels will run through, of course. Second 32 then brakes to a smooth stop ten minutes later behind L-1 class Mountain 421, top en- gine in the 22-engine class that, except for the four passenger M-1s, represents L&N’s premiere heavy passenger steam. With the 421 out of the way, Little Daddy
eases the 1960 back to a coupling with her train: an express reefer, a baggage car, a rid- er coach for crew members, four dark green Pullmans, a heavyweight diner, and three more sleepers — eleven cars that will hardly wind the sure-footed 2-8-4. Ten minutes af- ter First 32 rolls north after the ten minute Corbin station stop, Little Daddy and Chick whistle off and march the 1960 and her train through the Center Street cross overs and onto the big steel of the northward KY main. Until Second 32 is safely delivered to its Pennsy connection at Cincinnati Union Ter- minal that evening, Chick, Little Daddy and the 1960 will be as one. This was just everyday railroading in
1948; a time of optimism and transition for the nation’s railroad system. Who wouldn’t have loved to be on the seat box behind Chick and Little Daddy as the 1960 flashed her roller bearing rods at 70 m.p.h. along the KY’s double track thoroughfare that day? Can you imagine the adrenaline rush as she roared through the tunnels, passing south- bound empty coal drags behind doublehead- ed M-1 sisters at closing speeds of 120? This was a Kentucky race horse with a distinguished blood line, making her stretch run for the finish line. I hope you placed your bet on a win.
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