July 2011 Memphis BUff

THE MEMPHIS BUFF

VOLUME 38, ISSUE 7

NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The 1976 American Freedom Train The Family Vacation

by Terry Redeker

MRTM Fundraising Upcoming Events

July 2011

Memphis Chapter Officers President – Walter Lang

walterhlang@yahoo.com

Vice President – Bruce Smedley Director – Bill Strong williambstrong@bellsouth.net Secretary/Treasurer – Thomas Doherty TRDoherty@aol.com Program Co-chairman – Carl Lancaster Program Co-chairman – Don Weis DBWeis@aol.com Yahoo Group Co-ordinater – Terry Redeker tkredeker@hotmail.com Newsletter Editor – Tom Parker tscottparker@gmail.com Secretary's Report and June Meeting Minutes The Memphis Chapter of the NRHS held its’ monthly meeting at White Station Library on Monday June 13, 2011. There were eleven members in attendance plus two visitors; Mr. & Mrs. Terry Campbell. Terry is a retired ICRR machinist who found out about our chapter at the national train day table at Central Station.

A reminder Tom Parker needs help with the newsletter, any articles, stories, etc you have please forward them to (tscottparker@gmail.com). Tom is also asking for pictures of cabooses.

Bill Strong has the chapter’s library which has various books and tapes for rental; he will be bringing it to each meeting, check it out.

The chapter Board of Directors set the dues structure for next year. It is our desire to keep the total dues paid to both national and local below $50. Following is the dues schedule: 1. Joining both the national NRHS & Memphis Chapter $49 2. A member of the Memphis chapter but National affiliation with another chapter $15 3. Local only member no national affiliation $25 The chapter is planning an outing on Saturday, August 6 to the NC&STL Depot in Jackson, TN. There will also be a swap meet at the Depot the same day. Will travel on our own (or carpool) and spend the day. Also included will be a trip to Casey Jones Village for lunch. For those that wish to stay there will be a night photo shoot at the Depot. Terry Redeker (tkredeker@hotmail.com) is organizing this event final details will be presented at the July meeting.

This month’s program was presented by renowned Memphis rail photographer David Johnson. The program was in two parts the first to celebrate Amtrak’s 40th anniversary was “40 Years of Amtrak in Memphis.” This included photos of passenger service just prior to Amtrak in the Memphis area, throught the transition era up to the present. The second part of the presentation was on the GM&O including some photos from the 1930’s up to its’ merger with the IC. Tom Doherty, Secretary/Treasurer

Visit our New Facebook Page Join our New Yahoo! Group Click on the Icon Previous issues of The Buff available at:http://issuu.com/memphisrails Cover Photo: Official Logo of the 1975-1976 American Freedom Train

American Freedom Train

by Tom Parker

I worked the 11:00 PM – 7:00 AM shift at Johnston Yard the night of April 15th, 1976. I was living with my parents at the time, separated and soon to be divorced from my first wife.

(Might working 11-7 have been a contributing factor? ) I had heard that the “American Freedom Train coming to Memphis the next morning, so I brought my parents Kodak “Super 8” movie camera with me to work so I could go directly from work to the Missouri Pacific tracks in Arkansas and get a shot of the train as it rolled by.

I stationed myself track side somewhere in the vicinity of Bridge Junction and waited.

Surprisingly, I was the only one there. I seems like I waited there about an hour before the headlight appeared in the distance. As the train rolled by and I was taking my video, I was surprised to see a diesel locomotive right behind the steam engine and tender.

Only after doing a little research for this article did I learn that the lead locomotive, SP 4449, had only recently acquired MU capability which allowed trailing diesel units to be controlled from the steam engine. The trip to Memphis from Little Rock was the first real test of this equipment.

SP 4449 heads up the American Freedom Train, Charro, CA, 12/22/75.

Photo © Charles Lange and used with permission. (www.4449.com)

The brief one or two minute film that I made was the only record I had of the American Freedom Trains' visit to Memphis. I don't know if it still exists today. My brother has some of the old movies from my parents camera, but no projector. Even if it is on one of those reels, it's probably too deteriorated to view anyway.

The train train was on display in the Promenade parking lot on Riverside Drive at the foot of Adams Street, near the present location of the Visitors Center. Temporary tracks were laid from the Illinois Central tracks on the east side of Riverside Drive to the parking lot.

After the train had been positioned, the portion of the track crossing the street was removed.

By the time the exhibit had opened to the general public at

6:00 PM on the 16th, some 1500 people were already in a line a block and a half long. In all, some 50,000 people would pass through the American Freedom Train during its visit to Memphis.

The American Freedom Train consisted of ten cars and contained some 550 artifacts and documents, everything from Shirley Temple's teddy bear to moon rocks. Visitors entered the first exhibit car and preceded through the entire train, viewing the exhibits which were located on the left side in each car. The tour was completed in about 22 minutes.

On the afternoon of Easter Sunday, April 22nd, while the train was being packed up for its departure the next morning, some of the crew availed themselves of nearby Jefferson Davis Park, where they cooked

hamburgers and steaks and relaxed for a while.

On April 23rd, the American Freedom Train continued its journey though the southeast, making its next stop in Jackson, MS. On Memorial Day, May 31st, in Birmingham, AL, SP 4449 relinquished the train to RDG 2101, which handed the train on its trek through the Northeast. SP 4449 was put in the Southern Railway shops, from which the RDG 2101 had just been released, to be overhauled. It would again take over the train some 4 months later in Washington, DC, where the Freedom Train was displayed on the grounds of the Pentagon.

SP 4449 would pull the train for the remainder of its tour of the country, ending on New Years Eve in Miami, FL. In 1974, the 4449 had been selected as one of two locomotives that would pull the American Freedom Train, the other being RDG 2101. The SP 4449 would handle the western segments of the AFT route while the RDG 2101 would handle the eastern segments.

SP 4449, a GS-2 “Northern” type 4-8-4, was built in 1941 by the Lima Locomotive Works and saw service pulling the Southern Pacific's “Daylight” trains between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Retired in 1955, the 4449 was relegated to

American Freedom Train on the Promenade in Memphis.

Commercial Appeal Photo by Staff photographer Robb Mitchell

static display in Portland, Oregon's Oak Park in 1958.

On December 14, 1974, SP 4449 was pulled from Oak Park and delivered to the Southern Pacific's (now UP) Brooklyn Roundhouse in South Portland to be restored and refurbished for its new assignment.

Probably one of the most photographed locomotives in the world, SP 4449 and two other locomotives, SP&S 700 and OR&N 197, all owned by the city of Portland, reside in the the same Brooklyn Roundhouse. Unfortunately, the roundhouse is located in the middle of the UP's Portland intermodal facility and is not accessible to the public. In less than a year the Oregon Rail

Heritage Foundation will be forced to vacate the roundhouse and find a new home for the locomotives. For more information on SP 4449, visit the Friends of SP 4449 website at www.4449.com and the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation website at ORHF.org. The complete story of the American Freedom Trains can be found on their web site: http://www.freedomtrain.org/.

Incidentally, they are looking for pictures to post on their site for each city visited. If you have pictures of the American Freedom Train in Memphis, you may wish to share them.

THE FAMILY VACATION “How to mix in Train Time with Family Time”

By Terry Redeker

Unfortunately most of us don’t have the benefit of a spouse or children that have the same desire for our hobby as we do. However with a little prior planning it’s easy to sneak in a little train time when enjoying the family vacation. I have found there are 3 ways to include some train time on the family vacation that everyone can live with. First research the route your vacation will take you on. Use Google Maps or Bing to explore the towns and rail lines you may follow. Route your travels along rail lines when possible. Check to see if there are any places where locomotives are serviced or normally layover, mark these locations on your GPS so you can quickly and easily find them.

Second select places where you will overnight that have railyards or servicing areas. Finally, third try to include a rail related event such as a visit to a museum or tourist line in your planned activities if the participants on your vacation are willing.

On this years family vacation to Florida all of these options came into play and I was very pleased with the amount of train pictures I was able to obtain without upsetting any of my family members. When it was decided that we

would be going to central Florida and that we would be driving, I dove into my state maps and atlas’s. With three girls 6 and under we decided to make the drive in 2 days. A ½ way overnight location of Dothan Alabama was chosen because of the 4 railroads that service the town. Several of G&W Industry’s shortlines share the Bayline Railroads Yard south of downtown. A secret weapon for the overnight stay is night shots. After my wife and the girls were tucked in for the evening at the hotel I headed down to the yard, which I found with the help of a few contacts from the Dothan area I made on a couple of the rail related Yahoo Groups. I was able to grab some nice shots with the help of my new speed light. The next morning I woke up a little earlier than everyone else & returned for a few shots in nice morning light.

It was time to hit the road for central Florida.

I had done my research and had 2 spots selec-

ted on the route where I should be able to grab some power. I had the spots marked on my GPS so they would be quick and easy to find as to not disrupt our travel time. The first location was Saffold GA., the site of the Chattahoochee Industrial RR Shops and only 2 miles off the highway. I was very pleased to find the last remaining Apalachicola Northern GP15T in nice light.

This took less than 10 minutes and we were back on the road. The next location of Bainbridge GA. was only 30 miles away and again I quickly found what I was looking for having marked the location in my GPS. I was very pleased to find the 2 Georgia Southwestern GP38’s that I had hoped would be here.

Again, this took less than 10 minutes. Happy with the train time I was able to get, we hit the

road with no further interruptions. I must add that my wife was very accommodating and actually enjoyed the short breaks in our travels.

On Sunday of our trip; with the blessing of the wife and the girls, I had scheduled a train ride at the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum in Parrish Florida. I had seen pictures of their GP7 in a L&N inspired paint scheme and had to get some shots of it.

Believe it or not this was actually the girls first real train ride! The girls, as well as my wife loved the trip, the crew was fantastic. The ride through the orange grooves and swamps was great and we even saw an alligator. The conductor recognized me from some of the Yahoo Rail groups and offered me a ride in the locomotive. After the ride several members of the museum invited us to their yard in Willow Florida to get better shots of their collection.

One of my favorite pieces of their collection is their Alco RS3 painted up in Seaboard Air Line colors.

I must say I was very impressed with their hospitality and operation. I would recommend a visit if you are in the Tampa-Orlando areas of Florida.

My next shot at some train time would come on Tuesday. The kids wanted to spend a day at the beach so I selected Sanibel Island. I knew that we would pass through Fort Meyers on the way there so, with the help of the GPS I had marked out the location of the Seminole Gulf Railway Yard and was able to grab a few quick shots.

For the return trip to the Orlando area from the beach I routed us through Bartow Florida where a Florida Central unit is normally parked at the Industrial Park. This was a challenge as the Industrial Park is also located within the property of the airport. I figured I had nothing to loose and went to the Guard gate where, after a little explaining of what I wanted to do, was surprised to receive permission to get my night shots of the two Florida Central Railway units located there. One of the security guards escorted me to the spot and even helped me with the lighting.

Disney took up the rest of the vacation and I was too tired every night to try any more night shots. I had originally planed to run up to Plymouth FL. one night to get some more Florida Central units, but I was content with the shots I had taken in Bartow. I was saving my train time for the return trip through Dothan AL. Saturday night after checking the family into the hotel, I again ran down to the Bay Line Yard and was very pleased to find one of the few unpainted Bay Line units in the yard. I grabbed some night shots and returned again in the morning for a few more.

Sunday we hit the road and headed straight to Memphis. My family and I had a great vacation in central Florida and I was very surprised at the number of train pictures I was able to take. With a little planning and communication with your family it is indeed possible to mix family time and train time.

Memphis Railroad & Trolley Museum Announces Fund Raising Initiatives

The automatic monthly donation will expire in twelve months or it can be cancelled sooner if so desired.

The Memphis Railroad and Trolley Musuem recently initiated two new fund raising initiatives. The donations are made through PayPal, so your information is completely secure.

The first is a plan offered by Kroger called "Kroger Gift Card Fundraising". Simply put, groceries and gasoline purchased at Kroger using the Gift Card will result in a donation 5% of the amount purchased to the museum.

The Kroger Gift Cards can be obtained from MRTM Vice President Mike Fleming. Initially, the cards have a value of $5.00. The cards should be reloaded with additional grocery money at the Guest Services desk inside any Kroger store. Then simply use the card to pay for purchases at Kroger, including groceries and Kroger Fuel.

The maximum that can be loaded on a Kroger Gift Card is $500. This process should be done before one begins their shopping to ensure there is no delay at checkout. Each time the Fundraising Gift Cards are reloaded at the store, the MRTM's fundraising account is credited.

For every $5,000.00 reloaded, the MRTM will automatically receive a 5% Reward or rebate, issued in the form of a check.

This program has been used successfully by high scool bands, baseball and football programs, churchs and scout troops and the MRTM can realize substantial revenue from the program.

Contact Mike Fleming at mikefleming@mrtm.org for more information and to get your card.

For those who don't shop at Kroger, or just want to make a donation, donations can be made at http://mrtm.org/Donations. There you will have the option of making a one time donation to the MRTM or set up an automatic monthly donation to the museum.

Some upcoming regional and local events •

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July 21st - 24th – Train Festival 2011 Rock Island Illinois. More information at http://www.trainfestival2011.com August 6th – NRHS Memphis Chapter outing to Jackson, TN August 13th – Summerail at Cincinnati Union Terminal. More information at http://cincinnatirrclub.org/Summerail September 2nd - 5th -TVRM Railfest “50th Anniversary Weekend” Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum -Chattanooga, TN. More information at http://www.tvrail.com/pages/railfest September 25th – NRHS Memphis Chapter Cookout/Membership Drive @ Kentucky Street November 5th - Meridian Railfest, Meridian, Mississippi

Thank You Thanks to Tom Doherty for his report, Terry Redeker for his article and “Upcoming Events” information, Don Weis for information on the American Freedom Train and all that have sent me pictures of cabooses and other material you might see in future issues.

Tom Parker

CABOOSE

C&IM 63 From the collection of Bill Strong Meeting Schedule July 11, 2011 August 8, 2011 September 12, 2011 October 10, 2011 November 14, 2011 December 12, 2011 Meetings are the 2nd Monday of each month in the White Station Branch Library from 7-9 pm.

5094 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN (in front of Clark Tower)

Contact the Editor Tom Parker 3012 Wood Thrush Drive Memphis, TN 38134 tscottparker@gmail.com

THE MEMPHIS BUFF welcomes contributions for publication. Contributions in digital form are preferred . If original documents and photos are submitted, enclose a SASE for the return of your materials. Include source and author of any non-original material. Copyrighted materials must contain the source. THE MEMPHIS BUFF is a not-for-profit publication for the Memphis Chapter of the NRHS. All credited material herein is copyright by the photographer/writer and may not be reused without permission