UP's 844

[OkieRick]

Bob or all you others,

In all your world travels, have you taken the time to climb aboard the 844 from Denver to Cheyenne (during Frontier Days) for it's journey from Denver to Cheyenne and back?


I'm 56, the only trains I've been on were parked on Santa Fe or KATY siding in Dewey or Bartlesville, OK.  When I was 7 I was given a used bike.  Ma & Pa said, "Stay away from the tracks."  Translate that to juvenile Okie-ese and you get something like "it's your hide on the barn door if you get caught."  I've climbed in, over, under and walked down both steel and wooden boxcars, stock cars, tankers, gondolas of various heights and even ridden my bicycle on a flatcar.  When work trains or switch engines were left on siding we'd walk the catwalk all around the locomotive.  That was always a spooky thing to do as it seemed those diesel locomotives could come alive any time.

The Santa Fe "Streamliner" as we knew it decked out in Red and Silver war bonnet colors pulling glistening silver cars and a caboose ran North to KS around 6:30am each morning and ran South in the late evening.  This particular train was traveling at 60+ mph as it blew through the little town of Dewey.  Years later passenger service was replaced by freight service that ran South at 4:00pm.  By 197o high speed freight service was down to once a week running at 9:00pm Friday nights.  When with friends we'd go out on the Caney River train bridge and hang onto 12" I beams to keep from "getting sucked under the train."  According to one's parents, in an effort to keep you off the RR tracks as a youngster, a train passing you at any speed would suck you under if you were close enough.  This area is serviced by a private RR now, still traveling the old Santa Fe route from Independence, KS to Tulsa, OK.  It travels by at just barely more than a fast walk.  Track upkeep isn't their number one priority.  If one can catch it they will allow you to ride topside.  I've often seen teen agers, homeless and migrant Hispanic heading North on a slow train.

The last steam locomotive in Washington County, Oklahoma now on display in Bartlesville, OK.





"Johnstone Park is home to the only Santa Fe engine 940 series in existence. The 900-class/940 series were the first locomotives to burn fuel oil instead of coal and were synonymous with the Santa Fe engine. Built by Vulcain, this Santa Fe engine, built in 1903, was originally a compound steam locomotive, and later converted to a simplified locomotive that could burn diesel. It has 2/10/2 wheels (2 pilot, 10 drivers and 2 trailing). Also to be seen at the park is the restored Hulah Santa Fe Depot (a #1 Santa Fe Depot), built in 1923. Both have been relocated to Johnstone Park as reminders of the important role each played in the development of the area."



"1909 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe/Missouri-Kansas-Topeka Railroad Depot. Known as a Joint Agency Depot, its unusually large plan allowed other train agencies (Katy Line) to share the facility. It has been beautifully restored and currently houses the Bartlesville Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau, Bartlesville Community Foundation, Bartlesville Development Corporation and the Visitor Information Center."

Looking for a train...

Okie Rick

[RAM]

Rick some might think that you work for the Chamber of Commerce .  You did a good job.  You said the 940 could burn diesel, but it never did.  Like most steam locomotives on the Santa Fe west of Kansas city, it did burn out.  One think you didn't say anything about was the nice MKT coal tower.  I don't think that it was ever used as the MKT line to Okla. City used oil burners.  The U.S. at government at work.

[SteamGene]

Ram,
I think you meant bunker oil - really thick stuff that needed to be heated in order to flow. 
Gene

[OkieRick]

After a search through the Chamber Of Commerce, all their contacts, Historical Society, etc. a friend of mine did a search on Flickr.com.  It's located in South Bartlesville close to the relics of the abandoned smelters furnaces of The National Zinc Co.  The author of this photo thought it strange it standing there also and commented under his photo about MKT using oil burning steam locomotives.





fwiw...
Rick