Chasing Trains: the 759 and the GSCL, May 1969

In May 1969 The High Iron Company, under the leadership of Ross Rowland, Jr. and with the full cooperation of the AAR, ran a special train called the Golden Spike Centennial Limited. It left New York City on May 3 on a sixteen day odyssey to Ogden, Utah and back to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory, Utah. I had the opportunity to chase the GSCL from Northeast, PA to Cleveland, OH on Sunday May 4, and from Lima to Akron, OH where I boarded it to ride on to Pittsburgh on Friday May 16. Most people familiar with the GSCL visualize a blue train barreling along behind NKP Berkshire #759, but during those sixteen days the GSCL was headed by an ex-Cleveland Union Terminal electric locomotive, the brand spanking new DD40X #6900 with a couple of SDs just in case, the #8444 (better known today as the #844), an A-B-B lashup of E9s, and GG1 #4902 painted to match the train. Oddly enough, pictures of the GSCL behind these other units just dont seem to exist. For several months after the event I ran ads in Trains and Railroad Magazines offering to trade slides of the GSCL I had taken in Ohio (or money) for slides taken in other parts of the country with other motive power. For all my efforts I ended up with one slide featuring the 8444 and one with the SDs. For those interested in knowing more about the GSCL I recommend the recently posted web site Theme Trains http://www.themetrains.com/html/gscl_main.htm

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• 759
• 2-8-4
• NKP
• passenger_train
• railfan
• railroad
• railway
• steam_locomotive
• train

[ble643]

hey do you know if jim hawk is still alive?

[gothpapa]

@ble643 It was Jim Marcus (sometimes my enunciation leaves much to be desired). I understand that he passed away several years ago. With any kind of luck I will receive a comment from someone telling me that I am mistaken about that.

[trainboy94]

I get so jealous of you old guys

[Bassfanatic94]

Please post more footage of this beast! I love 759. Thanks for sharing!

[ble643]

ok thanks for the reply

[EssChee]

Great footage! I know some folks who rode this. I saw 759 go by on the way to HICo hq, while the GG-1 took the train to NY. I still have the blurry Polaroid that for many years I wondered "what was that blue steam engine?"

[falzonbr]

I saw NKP 759 in Pennsylvania and she is beautiful!

[Conrail6370]

Real cool filming thanks for posting it Sir.

I volunteer at Steamtown on Project DL&W 565 , NKP 759 sit in the stall next to us. For Lackawanna Fest this year 2009 I had stall doors open for both 759 and 565 so their tender / number would be seen. Theu slowly became the star of the show at the Roundhouse complex.

Len.

[hecad84]

Thank you for posting this. I've desiring to model this train, and now I know what it looks like!