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| Title: |
AT&SF RSD5 2134 |
| Description: |
Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway RSD5 2134 at La Junta, Colorado on August 17, 1965, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler+ On the date of this photo, number 2134 was the station switcher at La Junta, and has just moved the power to the waiting eastbound Train Number 24, The Grand Canyon, and is about to be cut off. According to the book, "Moving Mail And Express By Rail", by Edward M. DeRouin, the Santa Fe had the US Mail contract between Chicago and Los Angeles. Working Railway Post Office (RPO) cars were required on certain trains between Chicago, Kansas City, La Junta, Albuquerque, and Los Angeles. However, not all trains were required to have a RPO west of La Junta. In this case, the RPO was removed from westbound Train #23, The Grand Canyon. Upon arrival of eastbound Train #24, the switcher removed the power, set it out, switched the RPO onto the head end, and placed the power back on the train (seen here). The Grand Canyon will continue on to Kansas City, where this procedure will be repeated, and a second RPO will be added for the final leg of the trip to Chicago. The mail contract required 60 linear feet of RPO space between La Junta and Kansas City and 90 feet between Kansas City and Chicago. The Santa Fe kept spare RPO's at La Junta and Kansas City (and likely other locations) in the event one was bad ordered or rejected by the Post Office, and the Post Office would levy fines if the contract was not fulfilled. Postal employees could (and did) reject RPO cars if they deemed them to be in an unacceptable condition. The Post Office always collected the fines because they deducted them from the bill the railroad sent to them for the RPO services. |
| Photo Date: |
8/17/1965 Upload Date: 7/19/2010 11:59:18 AM |
| Location: |
La Junta, CO |
| Author: |
Chuck Zeiler |
| Categories: |
Roster |
| Locomotives: |
ATSF 2134(RSD5) ATSF 27(F3A) |
| Views: |
2106 Comments: 1 |
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| Title: |
AT&SF F3 27 |
| Description: |
Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway F3 27L eastbound at La Junta, Colorado on August 17, 1965, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. I believe this is Train #24, The Grand Canyon. |
| Photo Date: |
8/17/1965 Upload Date: 5/9/2013 2:38:10 PM |
| Location: |
La Junta, CO |
| Author: |
Chuck Zeiler |
| Categories: |
Station,Passenger |
| Locomotives: |
ATSF 27(F3A) |
| Views: |
1594 Comments: 1 |
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| Title: |
AT&SF F3 27 |
| Description: |
Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway F3 27L eastbound at La Junta, Colorado on August 17, 1965, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. I believe this is Train #24, The Grand Canyon. Number 27L (note a small letter L is painted on the middle yellow stripe above the buffer and below the nose door) was built as the lead unit of locomotive 27 in May 1948 (c/n 5407) on EMD Order E902A. It was rebuilt in February 1971 to CF7 2642, later becoming ECRX 2642. It is seen here waiting on a side track after the station switcher placed a Railway Post Office car on the head end of the train. An Alco RSD5 will couple this power and place it back at the head end, which will then continue on to Kansas City and ultimately Chicago. |
| Photo Date: |
8/17/1965 Upload Date: 5/30/2010 9:57:22 AM |
| Location: |
La Junta, CO |
| Author: |
Chuck Zeiler |
| Categories: |
Roster |
| Locomotives: |
ATSF 27(F3A) |
| Views: |
2220 Comments: 0 |
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