Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Oak Park Society of Model Engineers H.O Scale Model railroad Club.Oak Park Illinois USA. Wednsday, March 23rd, 2011.

A once common everyday sight I enjoyed while I had attended Curie High School in Chicago Illinois from 1977 to 1981, were these red Atchinson, Topeka & Santa Fe boxcars with the large logo, and the "Shock Control" advertising on the sides.

Curie high School, located at the corner of South Archer and Pulaski Road in Chicago's Archer Heights neighborhood near Midway Airport, was just 5 blocks west of the former Santa Fe Corwith Yard at South Archer Avenue and West 47th Street.

Transfer trains from the Santa Fe that either arrived or departed from Corwith Yard, traveled behind Curie High School over a heavilly balasted single track branchline, that was owned by the Belt Railway of Chicago.

I witnessed these boxcars everyday back then, and always enjoyed this unique color scheme. I miss it all now, as the A,T & S,F merged with the Burlington Northern RR in 1995, and became todays BNSF Railway.

Thanks to orginizations like the Oak Park Society of Model Engineers, I can once again see these cars coupled to freight trains, even if they are in 1/87th H.O Scale. It is just great to see these cars again from My high school days.

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