More From Pittsburg

[Jimbaux is letting go of what he has done, forgiving what he has done.]

Yes, that’s quite an appropriate tune for today, and see the lyrics here, especially as the album Minutes To Midnight was new when I took these pictures four years ago this month, and therefore playing plenty in my truck.  Today, I take you back to Pittsburg, Kansas, in June of 2007.  I did this a few weeks ago with this post with pictures taken earlier that same morning.

Frontin’ In Frontenac

Although the below picture is labeled as being taken in Pittsburg, this is actually the community of Frontenac just north of Pittsburg.  Contrary to the impression that the casual observer might get, this train not only does not belong to the CSX Railway, but it isn’t even coming from or going to the CSX.  The lead locomotive here is apparently lost, as this is Kansas City Southern Railway train M-KCBM, meaning that it’s a regular Manifest train moving from Kansas City, Mo., to Beaumont, Tx., on KCS rails.

The apparatus under which the train is passing is a high-wide detector, designed to detect anything like a lumber strap or something protruding from the train.  If you look very closely, you can see a very thin wire hanging horizontally above the train; you can find it from where it’s hooked to the frame.  This is one of the many safety devices that spelled the demise of the caboose nearly three decades ago.

KCSHS

As it was, I was in town for the annual convention of the Kansas City Southern Historical Society (which is not affiliated in any way with the railroad itself.)  The convention is held each year somewhere along KCS’s US trackage.  Convention activities for 2007 included a train ride along the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, a shortline railroad of the Watco group that does plenty of work with KCS and radiates southwestward from Pittsburg.

For plenty of reasons, partly because I was in desperate need of some time to myself, I did not ride the train.  Another reason, however, is that, when you’re actually riding the train, it’s hard to do stuff like this:

The train went as far as Corona, Kansas, and as far as I can tell, I was the only person photographing the train on the way to Corona.  The shot below is a going-away shot, showing the switch locomotive that would lead the train on its return to Pittsburg.

Lunch at Corona was mostly okay.  It was hot, of course.  I think that this part of the line is former Missouri Pacific, but I think that the part closer to Pittsburg is former Frisco tracks, or something like that.

Returning To Pittsburg

Anyway, here’s a shot of the train returning to Pittsburg.  The flag hanging from the coupler — as well as the fact that there’s no crew inside the 358 — indicate that you’re looking at the rear end of the train.

This has been the second of three installments of pictures from in and near Pittsburg, Kansas, USA, on 23 June 2007.  The third and final installment will come whenever I have the time and inclination to publish it!

Regards,

Jimbaux