Recent Digital Photos
by Mike Condren

52 Years of Railroad Photography
1960-2012

Mike's Main Railroad Web Site

Dec. 7, 2012

This date was not lost on this WWII baby. As FDR said, "This date will live in imfammy". I have in my collection a postcard sent from the USS Oklahoma a few days before Dec. 7. In addition to those lost on the Arizona, were many who died on the other ships, such as the Oklahoma, and bases on land. Some of those trapped in the ships lived for a couple of weeks, tapping on the hulls to let rescuers know where they were. Those on guard suffered from "battle fatigue" from listening to those tapping and not being able to help.

It was not only military who died that day. There was "friendly fire" and others killed by the attackers. When one shoots at attackers, one does not always take into consideration what else is in that direction or what will happen to the falling debris.

My first train of the day was this train on the east main at the north end of the yard past the fueling racks in Heavener, OK

As I headed into Heavener, I discovered this set of power pulling a string of cars out of the yard.

This empty unit coal train appeared from the south as I was arriving in Heavener so I turned around and caught it at the north end of the yard before the fueling racks.

This power was on a train in the yard and then pulled down past the fueling racks and then backed into the yard making a move and stopped in the north fueling rack.

I then drived past the yard office/station area and shot this former Baltimore and Ohio wagon top box car which has been used for storage for years. The lettering has finally disappeared.

I returned to the north end of the yard and found these 3 units now at the south fueling rack. In driving along the east side of the yard, I spotted the Santa Train stored in the yard.

I got these pictures while crossing the tracks on the road crossing between the 2 sets of fueling racks at the north end of Heavener Yard.

I headed north to the first train I got hearing something coming from the north. It turned out to be a hi-railer, but I did get shots of the train from the other side of the tracks. The conveyor from the strip mine to the loading tipple once passed over the hill to the right to the silo to the left of these shots.

I then headed to the park south of the station to await any movements. I expected the Santa Train to back out of the yard and then pull up to the yard office as had happened 2 years before. After the empty coal train arrived, the dwarf signals flashed their blue LEDs, serving as "blue flags", protecting the car men working the train. By the time I took the picture, they must have finished their work as the signals were dark.
What I found was this 6 unit consist with one gondola which had been bad ordered in Mena and picked up. The tracks leaving the mainline in the following picture is the AW (Arkansas Western) branch that leads to Waldron, AR.

I had lunch here and bought a present for our grandson Shawn who had lunch with us here a couple of years ago. Upon getting back in the car, he discovered that his "Lovey" blanket had been forgotten so we drove back to Tahlequah for it. Four hours later we were here to continue our drive to Shreveport

The radio finally announces that #1 was moving north so I rushed up to the fueling racks to get this picture.
I then repositioned myself to get these shots.

I then drove to the parking lot north of the yard office. The weather had been gloomy all day but now the sun decided to peaek out for some nice pictures as the train backed to its spot for the public.

I then walked down toward the south end of the yard office where the rear caboose was stopper, taking this picture of the "engine" along the way.

I caught Santa and his helpers getting off the rear business car.

Here we see the support train cut away from the 6 cars of the Santa Train.

One type of car which the "Southern Belle" never had was a dome car, see here.

Here we see a couple of Santa's helpers, Warren Caileff on the steps and Jack Ferry on the rear platform of the caboose.
Jack Ferry is seen with his Santa puppet.
Jack is now seen with his polar bear puppet with a group of kids.
Tillie Caileff is now seen getting off the caboose.

Santa is seen in his chair sitting beside the lead box car.
The G Scale train is now seen running around on the Raindeer car.
Another view of the locomotive car.

The last shot in Heavener is of the locomotivessitting in the sun at the head of the support train.

THis is a photo of the real "#2 Southern Belle" in Heavener, OK on May 31, 1962. How things have changed.

The real "#1 Southern Belle" is seen in Stilwell with a F-unit in the lead on May 5, 1968.

Dec. 9, 2012

The Santa Train was at Noel, MO on the day before so that the train is inverted compared to Heavener. Here we see the support train on the passing track with the 6 cars of the Santa Train on the main at the north end of the station.

At my suggestion, Rev. Condren announced in church that the Santa Train would be in Stilwell. We see that Chris Harris, orgnanist at our church in Tahlequah took some of her grandkids to see the train.

The first boxcar had this Lionel layout which included this model of the Southern Belle.

The train on the "Reindeer car" has changed power from an ALCo switcher to a pair of ALCo FAs.

Here is the Santa Train. It does not show in this photo but the engine was smoking earlier.

Santa and Mrs. Claus were outside this year and had a long line of people wanting pictures of their children on Santa's lap.

There was a crowd when we arrived a half hour earlier than the "start time" and we were in line around the corner of the station. When we left that line was all the way around the corner and to the other end of the station. There was also a large crowd gathering across US59 to come to the train. All this on a cold afternoon with a strong cold wind.

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