#duncantunnel

[railwayhistorical]

The Southern Railway

Here are a few shots on the Southern down near Duncan Tunnel (I believe). The Southern steam program of the time was really something, and 4501 was in the area on successive weekends.

Upon verification then, I believe we first see a set of engines pushing a train up the hill from New Albany, through the Duncan Tunnel. Nothing like the Southern Railway for using flags, running long hood forward, sporting high-short hoods, and a first-rate steam program.

Update: thanks to Jim Wrinn’s fine book on the subject, Steam’s Camelot, I can now say that the first images were probably Duncan Tunnel as I state here, but I now know the final image was taken in Huntingburg, Indiana.

Speaking of which, we must have been at that spot knowing 4501 was coming down the hill—which we see it bursting out of the tunnel soon enough. The final image was taken [in Huntingburg, Indiana] the next weekend when I snapped this picture prior to riding [to Evansville and return]. I believe the man in the green hat was the master mechanic in charge of the steam program for the Southern: Bill Purdie (who passed in 2010).

Three images by Richard Koenig; two taken June 4th and on on June 11th 1977.

[railwayhistorical]

Duncan Tunnel

Continuing a string of my early rail photography, here’s a shot of an eastbound train of the Southern Railway emerging from the Duncan Tunnel near New Albany, Indiana. Unit 3197 is an SD40 built in December of 1971, just over four years old at the time.

One image by Richard Koenig; taken January 17th 1976.