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Post by SSW9389 on Dec 15, 2008 11:44:02 GMT -5
Thirty Six years ago on Friday December 15, 1972 at Commerce, TEXAS the following power was in the terminal. No notes were taken as to what train(s) this power was assigned to, but the 3641 was being used on one of the locals.
SSW 3641 GP9
SP 3354 GP9E
SP 3631 GP9
C&O 3525 GP35
C&O 3536 GP35
SP 4056 GP20
SP 6586 GP35
Ed Cooper
railfan is residence Commerce, TEXAS 1972-73
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Post by SSW9389 on Dec 15, 2008 11:53:08 GMT -5
This is from my Cotton Belt article published in the Cotton Belt Star back in the Spring 2006 edition. It gives some background on what trains were passing through Commerce back in 1972 and up until the Spring of 1973. I will be posting consists and other Cotton Belt information on this thread.
"The Cotton Belt served both Dallas and Fort Worth with a freight train each way a day. These trains originated at Cotton Belt’s Gravity Yard in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Train #17 was a Pine Bluff-Ft. Worth mixed freight that would arrive in Commerce in the late morning. This train would leave Commerce later in the afternoon for Ft. Worth. It’s complimentary move out of Ft. Worth was #18 that arrived in Commerce at o’dark thirty. The Dallas train was #343, another mixed freight from Pine Bluff that would get to Commerce by early evening. Its reverse move was #318 from Espee’s Miller Yard another o’dark thirty operation into Commerce.
Two local trains also originated in Commerce for local switching. In the morning there was the Sulphur Springs Switcher that would get its cars together to go east over to Sulphur Springs, Texas and spend the day switching, and return late in the afternoon. Sulphur Springs had a Carnation plant that generated a lot of business for Cotton Belt. Later in the afternoon the Greenville Dodger would go on duty and begin switching its train together for its trip west to Greenville, the Hunt County seat. Interchange for KCS and MKT would go with this train. The Dodger would arrive back in Commerce in the early evening."
Ed
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Post by SSW9389 on Dec 16, 2008 8:11:43 GMT -5
Saturday December 16, 1972 Commerce, Texas: It was a bright clear cool day in northeast TEXAS that late morning when I stopped by to check the Cotton Belt yard. Train #318 was assembled and waiting its power. You could see the Espee bay window caboose on the end of the train in the distance. Soon the power set of four second generation units left the service area and proceeded across the empty yard to go tie into their train. SP 6536 GP35 SP 6669 GP35 SP 6717 U25B SP 6753 U25B SP 1580 C-40-4 This train soon departed compass east south east, but on the Cotton Belt that's a northbound for Pine Bluff. The two local trains the Sulphur Springs Switcher (SSS) and the Commerce Greenville Dodger (CGD) both had GP9s for power. Those acronyms aren't official train designations, but they work great in a notebook. 3627 SP GP9 SSS 37 SSW C-40-9 SSS 3641 SSW GP9 CGD 6 SSW C-40-8 CGD Later in the day southbound for Ft. Worth train #17 arrived with 3536 C&O GP35 #17 4056 SP GP20 #17 6586 SP GP35 #17 1637 SP C-40-5 #17 And still later the southbound for Dallas #343 arrived with 9137 SP SD45 #343 9016 SP SD45 #343 I didn't get the caboose number that night and it may have been close to or after midnight when #343 left town.  SSW train #318's power moving toward its train in the distance. Ed |
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Post by SSW9389 on Dec 17, 2008 10:02:32 GMT -5
Sunday December 17, 1972 Commerce, Texas: #17 SP 6753 U25B SP 6717 U25B SP 6669 GP35 SP 1782 C-40-7 Engine Service Track SP 3627 GP9 #318 C&O 3525 GP35 SP 3631 GP9 SP 6614 GP35 SP 1782 C-40-7 Commerce-Greenville Dodger SSW 3641 GP9 SSW 6 C-40-8 #343 SP 3205 SDP45 SP 4068 GP20 SP 6608 GP35  SP 1782 a C-40-7 was #318's caboose. Ed |
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Post by SSW9389 on Dec 21, 2008 5:55:57 GMT -5
Thursday December 21, 1972 was my last day of finals at East Texas
State University for the sememster. It was my get away day and would
be my last day in Texas until the new year. Before I left Commerce
for Fort Worth I saw the following at Commerce Yard.
3641 SSW GP9 COMMERCE, TX
3536 C&O GP35 "
4056 SP GP20 "
6586 SP GP35 "
6669 SP GP35 "
1661 SP C-40-5 "
3627 SP GP9 "
I got a ride to Ft. Worth with a friend and spent my time around Ft. Worth's Union Station watching and photographing trains.
1306 SP NW2E DALLAS, TX
1295 CRI&P GP7 Ft. Worth, TX TRANSFER TO T&P
8924 SP SD45 " "
The train with the Rock Island Geep on the lead went past me
southbound near the station and turned to go west on the T&P. There was quite a bit of train traffic around Ft. Worth that day, but I won't bore you all with the non SP/SSW content. Later that night I caught the northbound #16 Amtrak Texas Chief for Chillicothe, Illinois.
Ed
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Post by SSW9389 on Jan 1, 2009 7:14:54 GMT -5
I did not see the trains reported here. This Cotton Belt moment was
witnessed by my friend Terry Kirkland who was working for Cotton Belt
in Commerce at this time. All of Terry's 1974 train spots are in a
yellow one inch loose leaf notebook. Terry used a different format
than the one I have posted previously to this forum, it doesn't matter
it's all history now. My interpretation of Terry's notebook is that
first you have the train number, then the lead locomotive number, type
(s) of locomotives, number of cars and the time the train passed.
Terry's apartment was within sight of the rails so some of these spots
would be from his apartment instead of the Cotton Belt Depot where he
worked.
Ed
TUESDAY
January 1, 1974
Commerce
17 (SP 9133) 2 SD45 58 1210am
WB (SSW 6517) GP35 9 320am
18 (SP8634) U33C 2GP35 60 810am
318(SP9100) SD45 U33C 76 1025am
343 (SP8636) U33C GP35 53 825pm
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Post by SSW9389 on Jan 2, 2009 6:26:47 GMT -5
A couple of Terry notes here GVDS and GVDN are Greenville Dodger South
and Greenville Dodger North. And here is what Terry saw 35 years ago
today.
Ed
WEDNESDAY
January 2, 1974
Commerce
17 (SP 6638) 3 GP35 24 1250am
318(SP 8676) U33C GP35 55 425am
GVDS(SSW6517) GP35 17 355pm
GVDN(SSW6517) GP35 1 700pm
343 (SP8760) 3 U33C 56 720pm
The Commerce Greenville Dodger served Greenville out of Commerce on an almost daily basis. The train sometimes did not run if there wasn't any interchange over in Greenville. You can see from this Terry Kirkland report that there were 17 cars going to Greenville from Commerce, but only one car returning. Cotton Belt interchanged with KCS and MKT in Greenville.
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Post by SSW9389 on Jan 3, 2009 8:42:46 GMT -5
I suspect that this day was one of Terry Kirkland's days off from his job as an operator at the Commerce Depot.
THURSDAY
January 3, 1974
Commerce
18 (SP 6538) 2 GP35 71 1140am
GVDS(SSW6517) GP35 5 205pm
GVDN(SSW6517) GP35 8 735pm
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Post by SSW9389 on Jan 3, 2009 8:53:00 GMT -5
Further review of Terry Kirkland's 1974 notes reveals that the WB in this post is actually supposed to be WTS. This would be a southward train running in to Commerce. I have two theories as to what the W stands for. It is likely either Weaver or Winfield. WEAVER is at milepost 506.54 and WINFIELD is at milepost 488.54. Terry's notes refer to a WTN and a WTS which I interpret to being Weaver/Winfield Turn North or Weaver/Winfield Turn South. This is the train that replaced the Sulphur Springs Switcher that I was familiar with from the previous year. If anyone knows the desination of this local train for sure drop us a line. Ed I did not see the trains reported here. This Cotton Belt moment was witnessed by my friend Terry Kirkland who was working for Cotton Belt in Commerce at this time. All of Terry's 1974 train spots are in a yellow one inch loose leaf notebook. Terry used a different format than the one I have posted previously to this forum, it doesn't matter it's all history now. My interpretation of Terry's notebook is that first you have the train number, then the lead locomotive number, type (s) of locomotives, number of cars and the time the train passed. Terry's apartment was within sight of the rails so some of these spots would be from his apartment instead of the Cotton Belt Depot where he worked. Ed TUESDAY January 1, 1974 Commerce 17 (SP 9133) 2 SD45 58 1210am WB (SSW 6517) GP35 9 320am 18 (SP8634) U33C 2GP35 60 810am 318(SP9100) SD45 U33C 76 1025am 343 (SP8636) U33C GP35 53 825pm |
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Post by SSW9389 on Jan 4, 2009 7:21:32 GMT -5
The Terry Kirkland Report from of Commerce, Texas 35 years ago today.
FRIDAY
January 4, 1974
Commerce
18 (SP 8656) U33C GP35 24 740am
17 (SP 8740) U33C GP35 U33C 26 1005am
318 (SP6708) U25B SD45 28 1145aM
GVDN(SSW6517) GP35 7 610pm
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Post by SSW9389 on Jan 5, 2009 6:42:39 GMT -5
The Terry Kirkland Report from 35 years ago today. It looked like a
busy day for Terry.
SATURDAY
January 5, 1974
Commerce
17 (SP 9078) 2 SD45 24 300am
318 (SSW 8974) 2 SD45 77 440am
WTS (SSW 6517) GP35 6 605am
18 (SP 8634) 2 U33C 97 900am
GVDS (SSW 6517) GP35 5 310pm
GVDN(SSW6517) GP35 17 645pm
343 (SP 8639) 3 U33C 79 1030pm
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Post by SSW9389 on Jan 6, 2009 7:48:49 GMT -5
The Terry Kirkland Report from 35 years ago today.
SUNDAY
January 6, 1974
Commerce
WTS SSW 6517) GP35 8 1250am
318 (SP 8607) 2 U33C 59 555am
18 (SP 9138) 2 SD45 72 700am
17 (SP 6537) GP35 2 GP20 42 1050am
343 (SP 9159) SD45T-2 U33C SD45 56 735pm
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Post by SSW9389 on Jan 7, 2009 6:37:39 GMT -5
The Terry Kirkland saw four Cotton Belt trains in Commerce 35 years
ago today.
MONDAY
January 7, 1974
Commerce
17 (SP 8740) 2 U33C 57 1240am
318 (SP 8874) SD45 U33C SD45T-2 44 205am
18 (SP 6601) 3 GP35 71 1100am
343 (SP 8447) SD40 SD45 U33C 58 800pm
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Post by SSW9389 on Jan 8, 2009 6:31:03 GMT -5
Terry Kirkland saw five Cotton Belt trains in Commerce 35 years
ago today. These are the first two GP9s that Terry noted in 1974.
TUESDAY
January 8, 1974
Commerce
17 (SP 3325) 2 GP9 U33C 45 1235am
318 (SP 8677) U33C SD45 SD40 40 205am
18 (SP 8740) 2 U33C 91 400am
WTS (SSW 6517) GP35 15 705am
343 (SP 8616) 3 U33C 62 930pm
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Post by SSW9389 on Jan 9, 2009 4:08:03 GMT -5
Terry Kirkland saw five Cotton Belt trains in Commerce 35 years
ago today.
WEDNESDAY
January 9, 1974
Commerce
17 (SP 9130) SD45 2 GP35 41 105am
WTN (SP 6601) GP35 10 140am
318 (SP 8698) 3 U33C 85 605am
GVDN (SP 6538) GP35 26 745am
343 (SP 8679) 2 U33C SD45 72 1010pm
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