Al and Others:
Thanks for the cross post. It is a good reminder, especially for those of us
with a halftimers issue.
The myth is that the Q always ran E units elephant style. The reality is
that elephant style operations began as an economic advantage when splitting
the St. Joseph portion of the KC bound American Royal Zephyr at Brookfield,
MO in 195. Post 1965, they became increasingly frequent due to the advent of
push pull suburban operation and personnel reductions.
Reliable sources have told me of a memo issued in the fifties directing the
preferred order of the E units. Two, back to back; three outer units face
outward, middle either way; four, outer units outward, inner units outward.
In the early sixties, the units assigned to the California Zephyr began
elephant style operation. They were Denver based for maintenance and money
was saved by not turning a unit.
I spent many hours observing the comings and goings at CUS in the early
sixties and can testify to the adherence to that memo. Upon my return from
government employment in 1967, the world had changed - and more trains were
pulled by nose to tail consists.
The much photographed detours via the Milwaukee Road in 1965 show a rather
normal operation that would change as passenger revenues declines and
savings were sought in the later sixties.
Ed DeRouin
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