MONON BOARD
MONON Trains => Steam Locomotives => Topic started by: Chuck Stewart on August 17, 2013, 10:32:58 am
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One of my favorite things to do is watching old railroad films on YouTube. Just watched an excellent film titled “STEAM TRAINS-U.S.A The Golden Ageâ€. At 42:38 into the film, you’ll get to see Monon Pacific class K-4 431 backing a passenger train into what I assume is Dearborn station. Good stuff!
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That's very good video, Chuck, thanks for pointing out the precise location of the Monon footage.
431 would have had a superheater added by this time so it's actually a Class K-4a. I like the view you get of the coal pusher on the tender as well, those didn't seem to get photographed very often.
The narrator claims it's them backing into "their Chicago terminal", but I suspect it may be Indianapolis:
#1 There wasn't a wye track laid out like this in Chicago at Dearborn, but there is in Indy (The PRR line to Louisville near IU tower).
#2 The C&WI would have spotted the train at the Dearborn trainshed, they wouldn't need to back it in with a CI&L locomotive like in the video. (Although I am unfamiliar with Passenger train handling at Indy in the '30's and I don't know if the Monon backed their full train sets into the station on arrival or departure or not.)
#3 It seems to me there's way too little rail activity (no trackage & no cars at all) in the background for it to be Dearborn Station.
#4 It appears they are elevated one story above ground level, like Indianapolis Union Station trackage, unlike Dearborn Station's throat tracks.
I am unfamiliar with the track layout at Louisville at this time period, so I can't say if that's a possibility or not. Anyone else have an opinion?
Eric Reinert
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Very impressive! Thanks, Eric!