MP Baird Sub Ride, SweetwaterTX

This low level manager was riding in the back seat of this Missouri Pacific train on the Baird Sub as the lead unit was occupied by a RFE in addition to the head end crew. The Road Foreman was on board as there was a business car behind the caboose drawbar on this summer day. MP442.6 on the signal mast would put us just west of the Santa Fe connection at Tecific, a few miles east of Sweetwater, TX. At this time this was an interdivisional crew district of 263 miles so on alternate days out of both terminals either the Fort Worth crew or the Big Spring crew would get the start and run thru the former division point of Baird, TX. And this was always a long run as most if not the entire Baird Subdivision was 40mph with the stick rail still in place. On the other hand, traffic was light as there was only 2 daily pair of trains east of Big Spring in addition to the daily with the Santa Fe east of Tecific.The only other traffic was a pair of tri-weekly locals, from Abilene east and west.

 

8-1980

Done