In the Santa Fe era almost 40 years ago, when arriving at Corwith Yard to take a few photos, you first checked in at the tower and signed a release. As long as you stayed safe, you were allowed to wander around and photograph whatever locomotives were accessible. This was thanks to a very understanding Carl Ball who was Chief of Police at Santa Fe.
On August 30, 1986, we checked in at the yard tower, and enjoyed a look at the facility from the elevation of the tower. The guys in the tower said the best perspective was from the roof, and said we should head out there and check out the views! We spent several hours photographing the action as trains arrived, departed and switch crews rumbled past our location, before we headed over to the locomotive facility for more photos. Surely, an unique experience! In this photo, a set of power passes the foot of the tower on the way to an outbound train. In the background is the 199 train, powered by a quartet of EMD GP50s. This busy terminal in Chicago, Illinois, is where 199 begins its daily journey to the Bay area in Richmond, California.
