GP30s: Vintage CNO&TP Image

[Ponce de Leon]

I was going through some old slides and found this one I had flat forgotten about. I took it in August 1974 at Silerville, KY, just south of Pine Knot. Track 2 had only recently been reinstalled between Silerville (about MP 198) and Bear Creek (north of Oneida--about MP 206) at the time---almost nine miles of single track. The new installation also brought the double crossover at Ratliff, TN. So, this train was running north on brand new track.

There was something cool about Southern's GP30s. That unit was a cool model to begin with, but that high short hood with the bell mounted up top was just so distinctive. It also causes me to miss, yet again, that "tuxedo" paint scheme.

Thanks to Photoshop, I was able to clean up this old shot taken with my old Yashica Electro-X 35mm SLR, and Focal 200mm tele. What's a Focal? It was manufactured and sold by K-Mart! That was all I could afford on a teacher's salary at the time. It wasn't too good---but at least I had a tele that would fit the screw-on lens attachment of the Yashica. Back then, you did whatever you had to do!

[E.M. Bell]

I don't really think the cost of the camera has as much to do with the quality of an image as who is using that cheap camera. This shot looks pretty dang good to me Ron, but then again those feelings may be biased, as you have posted a picture of my favorite "modern" 4 axle EMD on my favorite line  

I don't think we ever discussed that stretch of the CNO&TP having been double tracked that late in the game...I had no idea!

[Ponce de Leon]

I don't really think the cost of the camera has as much to do with the quality of an image as who is using that cheap camera. This shot looks pretty dang good to me Ron, but then again those feelings may be biased, as you have posted a picture of my favorite "modern" 4 axle EMD on my favorite line  

I don't think we ever discussed that stretch of the CNO&TP having been double tracked that late in the game...I had no idea!

Yep, it was single when I left Somerset in August 1972--and two years later, it had been doubled (again). I drove over that day in 1974 with a fellow railfan to get a little taste of the CNO&TP where I had worked. It was kind of bittersweet, as I recall. We ranged as far north as Norwood, and as far south as Silerville before heading home to Virginia. I think we photographed about seven or eight trains during that time---moderately busy that day. The GP30 coming around the curve was our first shot after getting there. It was a hand-held 200mm shot with Kodachrome II (ISO 25). It's a thousand wonders it came out at all!

[etalcos]

Two '30s and two '35s, white class lights and an M5 still on the lead 30 -- AWESOME!!!!