FlanaryRon-LNMernaTurn-BaxterKY-4-1966-DeNoiseAI-standard
“Unsafe at Any Speed”
Apparently, the owner of the Chevrolet Corvair waiting at this crossing at Baxter, Ky. didn’t purchase a copy of Ralph Nader’s best-selling book published the year before this April 1966 image. Nader condemned several unsafe automobile models in his tome, but none more than the earlier models of that rear-engine GM offering. Nader’s research exposed the tendency of the car to “tuck under” (roll over) because of its swing-axle suspension system.
Of far greater interest is the obstacle blocking this Corvair’s forward progress. L&N Extra 1501 North had loaded earlier in the day at the “Creech” at Merna, Ky. (a.k.a. Mary Helen or Coalgood). The coal is bound for a Georgia Power generating plant. The Merna trains were some of the first true unit trains on the L&N’s Eastern Kentucky lines: a solid consist of cars, flood-loaded at the mine, and shipped from a single point to a single consignee. Four GE U25Cs (or U28Cs) were preferred on this run for years because of their 16-notch throttles. At the time, the train loaded upgrade (nearly three percent) in two cuts.
Engineer Morgan Calhoun flashed a smile for my camera. He was a regular customer at my grandparents’ rooming house in Loyall. Morgan helped me understand many of the mysteries of steam locomotives and railroading in general. Any time I was in Loyall, I had many learned railroad veterans who were always patient and accommodating to expand my knowledge of the industry.
FlanaryRon-LNMernaTurn-BaxterKY-4-1966-DeNoiseAI-standard
“Unsafe at Any Speed”
Apparently, the owner of the Chevrolet Corvair waiting at this crossing at Baxter, Ky. didn’t purchase a copy of Ralph Nader’s best-selling book published the year before this April 1966 image. Nader condemned several unsafe automobile models in his tome, but none more than the earlier models of that rear-engine GM offering. Nader’s research exposed the tendency of the car to “tuck under” (roll over) because of its swing-axle suspension system.
Of far greater interest is the obstacle blocking this Corvair’s forward progress. L&N Extra 1501 North had loaded earlier in the day at the “Creech” at Merna, Ky. (a.k.a. Mary Helen or Coalgood). The coal is bound for a Georgia Power generating plant. The Merna trains were some of the first true unit trains on the L&N’s Eastern Kentucky lines: a solid consist of cars, flood-loaded at the mine, and shipped from a single point to a single consignee. Four GE U25Cs (or U28Cs) were preferred on this run for years because of their 16-notch throttles. At the time, the train loaded upgrade (nearly three percent) in two cuts.
Engineer Morgan Calhoun flashed a smile for my camera. He was a regular customer at my grandparents’ rooming house in Loyall. Morgan helped me understand many of the mysteries of steam locomotives and railroading in general. Any time I was in Loyall, I had many learned railroad veterans who were always patient and accommodating to expand my knowledge of the industry.