Editor’s Notebook
SD45–2 working with a GP30. Fascinating!
Alas, some power worked in captive service, necessitating visits to various yards across the system. We poked our noses into the yard at Ark City, Kansas, to photograph the last switch en- gine working on the Santa Fe — SW900 1453, built in 1957. It re- mained an active member of the fleet until the late 1980s, work- ing the light rail at Ark City.
Important Parts
We love to railfan. During the latter half of the 1980s through the late 1990s, you could find Stephen Hottle and my wife and me wandering along the Santa Fe — rain or shine. Our quest: shoot as much motive power as possible. With Joe McMillan’s Santa Fe Motive Power (McMil- lan Publications, 1985) in hand, we marked when and where we saw each locomotive on the ros- ter. Be it the large EMD six-axle cowl units or the small, heav- ily rebuilt angled-cab Geeps, we eventually tracked nearly every one of them down. Trips to Argentine Yard in Kansas City often yielded more than 50 units. Living within an hour or so from the Transcon helped bring a vast majority of the road power to us as we waited with camera in hand on a beautiful hilltop near Matfield Green, Kansas. During these fre- quent breaks from the doldrum of college, we watched train after train pass by and meticulously logged each locomotive in our books.
Santa Fe’s modern and well- kept fleet of motive power in- cluded rebuilt units that worked well together. Even the rail- road’s older Geeps had Dash-2 electrical cards added during their rebuilds, allowing them to function well when coupled to newer, more powerful locomo- tives. Santa Fe strived to match its road power to the train’s HPT (horsepower-per-ton) need. It was not uncommon to find an
10 RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
Our Loss Santa Fe built into Kansas for two reasons: to pass through on the way to California and to tap the region’s agricultural and eco- nomic strength. Regrettably, we seldom took the time to wander onto the hundreds of miles of picturesque branch lines across the state. Strapped for time, we figured our railfanning activities would be maximized on the main lines, and that was true. How- ever, we missed much of Santa Fe’s character by not railfanning the branch lines. Branch line depots alone were a remark- able study in uniqueness and diversity. Operations, especially during the summer grain harvest rush, would have been remark- able. By the time I decided to wander along these routes, many had been abandoned. Thank goodness I have friends like Keel Middleton, who had the presence of mind to photograph the places we missed.
Outside of locomotive spot-
ting, our recordkeeping was less than optimal. As teenagers, our limited funds went to the four F’s: film, fuel, food, and fun. We chose print film because I was the assistant manager at a C-41 print lab in Wichita at that time. While prints were a good choice for modeling reference, their usefulness for reproduction in books and magazines gets a little “iffy” at best. Kodachrome 64 would have been a better choice. If only I could go back with my trusty Canon digital camera and a couple of 64GB memory cards! I would shoot everything I set eyes on, especially those colorful
non-graffitied billboard freight cars from all roads.
The Future
It is now my turn to share the experience of railfanning with the next generation. We do that as book and magazine publish- ers, speakers, model railroaders, commercial model designers, and historians. I never under- stood the steam generation and their disdain for the diesel revo- lution until recently. The diesel itself was not the “enemy,” but rather what it represented — the loss of their childhood railfan- ning companions. I experienced similar misgivings when Santa Fe and Burlington Northern an- nounced plans to merge. The BNSF merger, now 20 years ago, closed the door on much of my interest in railfanning trackside. Fortunately, the train bug never really loses its bite, and you can still catch me along the right- of-way with a camera in hand. Much of my current railfanning is the continued search for Santa Fe “nuggets” that occasionally show up here and there. I love the depots and the concrete circle-cross logos found in many bridge abutments or structures. I realize that even these relics are not permanent. For those of you who are young and wondering what to do with your Saturdays, take some time and get to know your favorite railroad. The mistake of believing that any railroad is permanent and timeless is a fool’s errand. Granted, railroads do not change quickly, but they do work continuously — change will occur. Invest in a good digital camera and a computer to store your captured images safely and securely. Keep meticu- lous records — don’t think even for a second that you’ll remem- ber everything about that trip. Add as many details as possible, so you can accurately relive and retell your trackside stories to future generations. In 20 years or so, you will be glad you did, and so will future generations of railfans.
HEAD END
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