Much like I remember from childhood, as the Rocky Mountain Rocket changed crews in my hometown. I think about the only thing innacurate for 1952 on this engine is the freight type pilot, added after a collision in the late 1950s. By then, the unit had been repainted into one of the Rock Island's simpler paint schemes, which got steadily more depressing until the railroad quit in 1980.

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?june03/06-12-03/rock652-2.jpg
ryarger@rypn.org

The much-published photo from LaGrange.

> Much like I remember from childhood, as the
> Rocky Mountain Rocket changed crews in my
> hometown. I think about the only thing
> innacurate for 1952 on this engine is the
> freight type pilot, added after a collision
> in the late 1950s. By then, the unit had
> been repainted into one of the Rock Island's
> simpler paint schemes, which got steadily
> more depressing until the railroad quit in
> 1980.


http://www.rockisl.com/cgi-bin/display.asp?f=1&e=1&n=235
ryarger@rypn.org

1976 photo.

http://www.rockisl.com/cgi-bin/display.asp?f=1&e=1&n=22
ryarger@rypn.org

1960s photo on the Rocky Mountain Rocket in Colorado. It was a pretty sad railroad by this time. I think this unit wore about 8 different paint schemes before it was retired, with only the first attractive. We're lucky it looks so nice today.


http://photoswest.org/cgi-bin/imager?00005926+OP-5926
ryarger@rypn.org