Rock at Saginaw
Sometime in May or June of 1980 (maybe YOU can help me narrow down that date), my brother Robert and I were headed to Ft.Worth for a day of railroading. We stopped at the decrepit-looking interlocking tower at Saginaw, TX just as the headlight of a Rock Island train appeared. If you're thinking by now that the Rock Island had ceased operating the previous April, you're right...
Rock hoppers This apparently was a "clean-up" train taking the last remaining equipment north to El Reno, OK (?) for storage and eventual liquidation.

The interlocking had been controlled by Rock Island and the tower crew were (now former?) employees of that line. What made this train particularly special was that (according to the tower crew) this was the LAST Rock Island train.

GP7 & Bob
A little personal tidbit: that red car in the photos is my brother's brand-spanking new 1980 Celica. It replaced his '68 Ford Torino and my Grandmother's '58 Ford Fairlane as our train-chasing transportation... The End

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Proud to be an American!
Mack Muir