The Arkansas and Missouri: the short line that hooked me on ALCos for life. That Pentrex VHS tape, rented so many times from my local library (and finally added to my collection years later) was known to me so well that I knew the lines for the narrator forwards and backwards. To me, no railroad symbolizes modern ALCo railroading more than the A&M, the line that draws folks to the Ozarks for a view of, "Maroon, and a Touch of Blue and Yellow."
Imagine my surprise, and horror, then, when I saw this on RRPictures.net:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/452666
SD70ACes, Nose/Cab bell and all. What's worse (for me anyway) is the cheering over the new units below in the comments. Those Maroon ALCo's taught me that it's ok to love steam and ALCOs too, that they weren't diesels at all. They taught me that they were honorary steam locos...and now, in my gut I fear they're going to the torch. I'd wanted to go south to ride behind them to the summit, down into Van Buren, across the lift bridge to Fort Smith. I wanted to see the shops at springdale...now I can never do that, not in the same way.
Imagine my surprise, and horror, then, when I saw this on RRPictures.net:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/452666
SD70ACes, Nose/Cab bell and all. What's worse (for me anyway) is the cheering over the new units below in the comments. Those Maroon ALCo's taught me that it's ok to love steam and ALCOs too, that they weren't diesels at all. They taught me that they were honorary steam locos...and now, in my gut I fear they're going to the torch. I'd wanted to go south to ride behind them to the summit, down into Van Buren, across the lift bridge to Fort Smith. I wanted to see the shops at springdale...now I can never do that, not in the same way.
