|
Trains Magazine 1967 February 4-8-4 DeLuxe Varnish in Mexico Clinchfiled NYO&W
Trains Magazine 1967
February 1967 Volume 27 Number 4
NEWS - -3
PROFESSIONAL ICONOCLAST -5
RAILROAD NEWS PHOTOS - 10 STEAM NEWS PHOTOS - - 12
THE FOUR-DIGIT 4-8-4 --19
BEGGED, BORROWED, BOUGHT 24
WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT?- 27
ALL ABOARD - - - - 28 NOT SO OLD, NOT SO WEARY 30 iMEXICANO DE LUJO! - - 32
Railway post office 50Second section 56
Of books & trains 54Running extra 56
Interchange 57
COVER: UP 4-8-4 in Denver Union Station by Ron Morse; NdeM's El Fronterizo, by J. E. Bradley.
A NEW BALL GAME
UNTIL we unfolded the November 28, 1966, edition of the Wall Street Journal we would have given you odds that the Great Northern Pacific & Burlington Lines merger proposal, turned down by a 6-to-5 vote of the Interstate Commerce Commission last spring, would win approval on its current appeal. Only a single Commissioner had to change his mind in favor of GNP&BL; political opposition had lessened (Oregon, for instance, switched from con to pro); the applicants had agreed to attrition-only job reduction; and, most important, GNP&BL had come to grips with its impact on parallel Milwaukee Road and North Western in a you-scratch-my-back agreement whereby Milwaukee and C&NW withdrew their opposition in exchange for concessions, including a promise that the Northerns, if merged, would not oppose Ben Heine-man's cherished marriage of his road and the Milwaukee.
Perhaps we were overconfident. But that's not the point. The point is that, as of the publication of the aforementioned Journal, there occurred instant loss of confidence. The financial newspaper reported in a notable exclusive by Todd E. Fandell that Burlington had begun buying into the 4565-mile Frisco just before and after the April 27, 1966, rejection by the I.C.C. of GNP&BL and now is Frisco's largest single stockholder with 9.3 per cent of its common shares outstanding. SLSF, of course, is the road once presided over by Louis W. Menk, whom Great Northern and Northern Pacific picked in October 1965 to run their jointly owned CB&Q and who, after a whirlwind year gearing up the Q, traveled from Chicago to St. Paul to assume the presidency of the NP effective November 1, 1966.
Menk made his name as a corner in railroad circles on the Frisco. It follows that he would have been in a key position on the Burlington to evaluate its worth as an outlet to the South and Southwest and/or to recommend that Q get a foot in the door before Frisco began courting yet another suitor (previously Frisco had dated everyone in sight and seriously huddled with Chicago Great Western, Santa Fe, and Southern, though to no avail). All things being equal there might have been real merit in buying up 10 per cent of Frisco, if only on the protective basis which underwrote Q acquisition of a bit of Rio Grande stock when it looked as if D&RGW would be caught up in the Espee-Santa Fe fight for Western Pacific.
But the applicants for the Great Northern Pacific & Burlington Lines merger, in the works since 1956 and filed for in 1960, must, like Caesar's wife, be above suspicion, especially since last year's rejection
All pictures are of the actual item. There may be reflection from the lights in some photos. We try to take photos of any damage. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
Shipping charges
US Shipments: When you add multiple items to your cart, the reduced shipping charges will automatically be calculated. For direct postage rates to other countries, send me an email. Shipping varies by weight.
Terms and conditions
All sales are final. Returns accepted if item is not as described. Contact us before making a return. No warranty is stated or implied. Please e-mail us with any questions before bidding or buying.
Thanks for looking at our items.
| 
