The current RYPN article by Sammy King blew me away. I've always had a soft spot for those engines with a headlight almost as big as the smokebox itself.

If you haven't seen it, take a look... and maybe you'll share what's in your slide collection?

Rob


rdavis@rypn.org

> The current RYPN article by Sammy King blew
> me away. I've always had a soft spot for
> those engines with a headlight almost as big
> as the smokebox itself.

> If you haven't seen it, take a look... and
> maybe you'll share what's in your slide
> collection?

> Rob

I, too, thoroughly enjoyed Mr. King's article on the NdeM narrow gauge and it seems that he and I are in some sort of parallel universe situation. I visited Mexico specifically for the narrow and standard gauge steam locomotives in August of 1966....just a couple of months prior to his trip. He was 14 years old at the time and I was fifteen! I didn't get to ride the line but I, too have slides of #254 working the yard and #270 backing into the station with a morning passenger train. I was fortunate to get the first cab ride of my young life in 4-8-4 #3034 (preserved at Puebla, I believe) while she doubled the hill out of Tula on rails made wet by an early evening thunderstorm. The railroad scene in Mexico at that time was exciting, fueled by endless passenger trains and an array of interesting equipment, standard and narrow gauge steam and some of the friendliest railroad employees that I have ever met! I'd love to see some of the "old heads" who discovered Mexico in the early 1960 write a book of stories pertaining to their exploits south of the border. They would be priceless. Sammy's article sets the bar for future work. Thanks for the great story.

Don C.

http://www.261.com
milw261@sbcglobal.net

Good stuff as always from Sam King, covering what most of us were not fortunate enough to see in person. I hope the folks down in Cuautla are able to get things going again. I'd like to see more on Mexican standard gauge also (especially operations at the Valle de Mexico roundhouse, an open sided steam facility built, I think, in 1960 and still standing) and the narrow gauge Oriental line, which I think is also still mostly intact.

ryarger@rypn.org