Anyone that has ever worked on the Railroad will know the meaning of, "Working on the Railroad, all the live long day". Railroading is a 24 hour a day, 365 day a year job in the rain, heat, cold or anything other type of weather that comes around. It is a come early and stay late sort of job.

Looking back at over thirty years of service to three Railroads, I have seen a lot and captured a few pictures of things I have witnessed.

I hired out with the Texas & Pacific RWY. Then the Missouri Pacific took them over and finally the Union Pacific Railroad took over the MP. Sort of funny but, I worked for the TP, MP and UP and the only thing that changed was the name on my check.
I have written things that I have seen and done on the railroad. Short stories, Poems and have a few pictures.

As with most people, the steam engine has always held a fascination to me. As a kid, I would watch them as they switched in my home town. By the time I hired out, the only steam engines left were the ones that were used to pull "Specials". Everytime I would get the chance, I would try and get pictures of them.

In 1966 I was switching around the passenger depot in Ft.Worth,Tx. There was a big green steam engine in the depot that had been shipped over here from England. I did not have my camera at the time but, I did manage to climb all over it and give it a good look. Seems as though they called it the Flying Scottsman. From then on, I tried to keep some sort of camera with me each trip that I made.

Of all the pictures I have taken, I have four that stands out to me. First being the Texas & Pacific 610. It was put back in service and was used to pull the Freedom Train when it reached Texas in 1976. The Southern Pacific X4449 pulled the train into San Antonio,Tx. They sent the TP610 to get the train. The X4449 was brought to Ft.Worth and stayed till the 610 brought the train back to Ft.Worth at the end of it's Texas tour. It was quite a sight when they were both nose to nose when the 610 got back to Ft.Worth. The X4449 then pulled the Freedom Train out of the state.

Later on the UP 8444 came through my hometown on it's way to Ft.Worth. I managed to get pictures of it on 26 January 1985.

Finally, the UP 3985 came into Ft.Worth on 13 August 1992. It being a Challanger Class engine, is the largest operating steam locomotive in the world. It has a total of 24 wheels in a 4-8-8-4 set up. The two, eight wheel sets is like having two engines under one boiler. It went on a South Texas tour and then back to Ft.Worth. Leaving FtWorth for Dallas and points east on 28 August 1992.



This is the Southern Pacific X4449. It was resting in Ft.Worth while the TP610 had the Freedom Train. This was taken in 1976.


This is the TP610 just south of Burleson,Tx in 1976. It was going to San Antonio to pick up the Freedom train.



This is the UP8444 north bound in Burleson, Tx on 26 January 1985. She was headed back to Ft.Worth to make the East Texas leg of the tour.



This is the UP3985 east bound at Tower 55 in Ft.Worth, Texas on 28 August 1992. Heading for Dallas and points east. (Note the dual drivers)


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