Jan 27, 1998
| We departed the GCW engine house at about 2:00 PM. GCW 201 was up to the task with the flags all in place. Our consist was CSXT 251384 & CSXT 254630 (both loaded with fertilizer) to be spotted for unloading at Lowe, KS, on the Garden City Western RR. |
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GCW 201 with loads and caboose in tow, rounding the curve just east of Lowe. |
| We have just stopped and 201 has run around the cars to be spotted and is just connecting back to them. The loads will be spotted at the fertilizer building and three empties picked up. |  |
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Another angle with the elevator at Lowe in the background. We doubt another caboose has ever been on this line. Certainly not up to Lowe. |
| Looking east toward the 154. The passengers are all in Lowe Elevator office for refreshments! The interior is painted the same cream as the ends. It has no furnishings except for the conductor desks at each end and the closets under the cupola and the seats in the cupola. All the windows except for one are original frames, and those that are supposed to slide up and down do! |  |
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Oh yes, we did have a couple of girls with us. Mary is posing for us at the top of Stink Hill. |
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An excursion would not be complete without some effort on the part of the crew. |
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| GCW 201 passing in front of the fertilizer tank at Lowe with the new Garden City COOP corporate herald. The GCW is owned by the Garden City COOP. |
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FW&D 154 is passed by the GCW 201. |
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All coupled up and ready to go. Oops, we are still doing the air test. |
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GCW 201 leaning into the load as we head back across the flat country side toward Stink Hill and Garden City. |
Here we are stopped at the top of Stink Hill for some photo's. |
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Oh yes, no excursion would be complete
without the crew.
Engineer - Kelly
Conductor - Chuck
Brakeman - Tom
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What was the purpose of the excursion? On the next
day, Jan 28, 1998, FW&D 154 was to be moved by truck from the GCW engine house to it's
final resting spot in the owner's yard. Movement to the family farmstead simply could not
take place without a trip in the caboose. The excursion had been talked about and
discussed ever since the caboose arrived several weeks before. It had taken about 18
months from the time it was purchased in Kansas City to get it to Garden City. Plans are
for it to become an office for the family business and a bunk house for the grandchildren,
nieces and nephews. Oh, you wondered about the colors. After watching many BN Grinsteen
Green and Cream locomotives pull into the Sunflower Electric generating plant at Holcomb,
KS, the owners decided to have the caboose painted in Grinsteen Green
and Cream. I am not clear about where the BN logo on the side came
from. FW&D 154 is now comfortably resting back on the trucks which are setting on a
section of
properly prepared rail, ties and ballast.
May she serve her new life well!
What a wonderful trip it was....
Bosko's Railfan Photography
Clarence's Home Page
The Map
of Lowe, KS
will take you to Yahoo Maps.
Lowe is located at the center of the map.
You can navigate around using Yahoo's Map navigatition.
If you keep moving to the South and East with the navigation tools,
you will arrive at the GCW's terminal facilities.
Have a good trip! You will have to use the BACK button on your
browser to get back to
this page.
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The
Story of FW&D 154
Bosko's Railfan Photography
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