Let's not forget the Santa Fe's tireless friend Chico, who promoted Santa Fe passenger and freight services for decades.
California Special backing into Houston Union Station with Alco PA 53 and a PB as power. It had just arrived from Clovis after its all night trip. The Alcos usually were the power for the California Special in the last few years of operation. Photo by Joe R. Thompson
In the late 1960s, a Houston icon Roy Hofheinz was amassing a fleet of retired passenger cars to create a hotel out of them. He had served as mayor of Houston, Harris County Judge, the county that includes Houston, and went on to envision and facilitate the building of the Astrodome as well as the adjacent amusement park called Astroworld. The hotel was supposed to be part of this complex. It never came to fruition and the fleet of cars were sold off or scrapped. Victor B. D'Agostino captured this train in New Mexico hauling a number of those cars that Hofheinz had purchased destined to Houston from California.
I assumed that the remainder of the train curved around to the right and out of sight behind the hill.
EhYup, just an assumption, like ours of just a five car train with two hard working locomotives. However, I have a video of a 20 car Maine Central freight ascending the 18.5 mile 2.2% Crawford Notch, NH grade with two in front and one pushing. They are definitely barking. I have to try and upload the video. It has two segments, first the B&M Mountaineer from Boston North Station to Lancaster, NH, and the second of Maine Central's operations at, and out of the engine terminal in Bartlett, NH up over The Notch. I seem to remember that YouTube complained about its length. Maybe they've become lenient.
Looks to me like a Mikado pushing a caboose. Don't know if it's a switching maneuver, or some lesser hill than Raton, or what.
Saw a photo on here (but I can't find it now) of what was identified as the El Capitan with a single E1 and steam helper moving 5 lightweight cars up the grade. Note - the minimum continuous speed for the E1 would be about 30 MPH so a steam helper would be necessary to keep the E1 out of serious incursions into Short Time Ratings.
I just wish people that post these images, would add the image info, if available. Some regular posters, are regularly deficient in this regard.
