My Favorite Photos

by Mike Condren

This Amtrak train is seen a couple of years after the formation of Amtrak. It is the former Santa Fe "Texas Chief", is powered by former Santa Fe F-units, and is using former "El Capitan" hi-level cars.

An Arkansas Railroad Club fan trip on the AD&N. On the trip north we ran the entire train over a hunter asleep on the tracks with both arms laying across the rails. The engine crew did not see him as he was just over the crest of a hill and the train was running with the cab of the engine against the train.

This B&M RDC2 is at Newport, VT on June 26, 1967 and is a run-thru train from Montreal on the Canadian Pacific to Boston on the Boston & Maine.

This run thru train is seen in the Canadian Pacific yard in Newport, VT with Boston & Maine F-units leading a string of CP Montreal built road switchers.

For a short time after the Frisco merger into the Burlington Northern, the Springfield shops added Frisco Coonskin heralds to the battery boxes of some of the former Frisco GP15-1s.

A chase with Dave Ingles when he was showing me around St. Louis and central IL.

I caught this as part of a trip to Chicago to visit with a friend from Rolla days who was stationed at Great Lakes Naval Station.

Spring Break trip with David McDonald to ride the Rio Grande Zephyr and explore CO. David got chilled and went to sit in the car while we waited for the Climax train to go on duty. David got out to say something to me and I started walking toward him until I broke through the crust of snow, filling my boot with snow.

I shot the Texas Zephyr on a trip to watch the University of Arkansas play Louisiana State University in the Cotton Bowl. The Hogs lost after a 23 games winning steak.

On our trip to Colorado in May 1980, we discovered that the Cunbres & Toltec was clearing Cumbres Pass with their rotary snow plow seen here just east of Tanglefoot.

This CGW TR2 cow-calf switcher set is seen switching in the Kansas City yard.

The same trip to Chicago to visit friend from Rolla days who was stationed at Great Lakes Naval Station near Chicago..

Friends from Van Buren, AR owned a cabin on the lake at right. Magog was about 15 miles away. This is the westbound Atlantic Limited. My folks and I were on a trip to visit the cabin, my second such visit, and to take in Expo 67 in Montreal.

This westbound unit coal train is seen passing the former Missouri Pacific, now Amtrak, passenger station in Kirkwood, MO.

I took this shot of the steam switcher at Dallas Union Terminal on New Years day 1961 before marching in the Cotton Bowl game. The Hertz sign is on the Texas School Book Depository which would become imfamous a couple of years later.

This 65 ton Whitcomb is seen in the engine terminal area of the DeQueen and Eastern in DeQueen, AR.

These views are from a chase of the Durango & Silverton north bound excursion heading from Durango to Silverton, CO.

Friend John Beirne is out front getting his shot of the Alton Limited.

I was in Mexico, MO to shoot the Flying Scotsman when this string of F3s appeared. Jim Boyd and I were shooting them when I remarked to Jim that the 3 As were all different models of the F3A.

This eastbound Grand Truck train has just crossed the Nickel Plate and is preparing to cross the Pennsylvania double track mainline.

The Illinois Central "City of New Orleans" is seen north bound out of New Orleans in Kenner, LA.

This Illinois Terminal S2 is seen in the experimental silver paint applied only to this unit.

This Manufacturers Railway S-2 is seen switching the Anheuser Busch brewery in south St. Louis.

The Combuia to Centrailia, MO mixed train which made connection with the westbound "City of St. Louis" awaits its arrival.

This is the westbound joint UP and N&W, former Wabash, "City of St. Louis" leaving a station stop at Centrailia, MO where it made connection with the mixed train which served the University of Missouri city of Columbia, MO.

This Birmingham to Chatanooga excursion behind former N&W Class J steamer is seen on its north bound trip exiting the tunnel under Lookout Mountain, TN.

This former North Eastern Oklahoma S-2 is seen switching in Miami, OK shortly after the purchase of this one-time electric railroad by the Frisco. The unit has already assumed its Frisco system number. It would later be relettered SL-SF but never completely repainted.

This westbound Nickel Plate passenger train is just west of the crossing where I shot the Grand Trunk earlier in the day. Note the paralleling PRR mainline.

The OK Feed Mill in Ft. Smith was noted for its homemade switch engines created from former highway trucks to which were added flanged wheels and couplers.

These views of the Reader were taken on an early trip to ride the new mixed train service. Note the larger tender for added water capacity which has not been lettered yet.

This Southern Railway steam locomotive powered FDR's funeral train in 1945 and is seen inside Smithsonian Institute on June 27, 1967 soon after it was placed inside the buidling. Today the engine can only be viewed from inside the buidling as it has been expanded toward the viewer.

A Southern busiess car train is seen leaving Memphis and passing the Memphis State University campus.

This eastbound freight is seen passing the former Southern station in Germantown, TN.

This Sand Springs switcher is seen outside the corporate offices of the railroad in Sand Springs, OK. At one time this was an interurban line which served Sand Springs and Tulsa, OK.

Dave Ingles and I found this north bound SSW freight during my orientation trip to St. Louis and Central Illinois.

The switcher working the IC train is a Lima.

This PCC is seen in downtown Toronto, ONT Canada.

This DD35A was shot during a tour of the UP engine terminal in Kansas City, KS. The tour was arranged by the mother of Rolla friends Bill and Paul Welch. She worked in the ATSF passenger traffic office in KC Union Station.

This eastbound Frisco freight is seen headed by a set of UP F3(9) units.

I was in the hobby shop in downtown Rolla when this train passed with its lead U25B smoking like crasy. I gave chase and caught it first her at Hosatti, MO. My shots at Cuba, MO did not include the smoking!

This eastbound freight is seen stopped for a crew change in the Springfield, MO Frisco yard.

This U50C was spotted in the engine terminal in Council Bluffs, IA during a tour arranged by the gathering of the "World's Greatest Railfans" convention in Omaha, NE.

This photo was taken out the passenger window during a chase with friends David Raymo (driver), Kenny Young, and son Matt. The highway and tracks are very close at this spot along the Arkansas River. Son Matt remarked about how this was "So close".

The UP #8444 had powered a Denver to Laramie excursion to day before. Thus to return the engine to Chyene, WY, they decided to put it on the front of the westbound Amtrak "City of San Francisco".

The seond unit is a brand new U25B.

This page was designed and is maintained by Mike Condren. If you have materials
that you would like to contribute, contact me at mcondren@cbu.edu