Chicago Railroad Fair

[gmpullman]

Seems a shame... I hear tell rattle snake is pretty tasty and tender.

Alas, in 1948 I was still eight years away from the erecting floor. Wish I could have been there!

Ed

[KCSfan]

In the Summer of 1948 when I was 15 years old I attended the Chicago Railroad Fair and once again in 1949. Engines from the early 1800's to the most modern superpower steamed in the Wheels A-Rolling pageant but the one that most intrigued me was Colorado and Southern No. 9, a narrow gauge Mogul. This engine would later run on the Georgetown Loop Railroad.

One evening I stayed on after the Fair closed for the night and headed for the track where No. 9 was parked. I spent a memorable couple of hours with the man who tended No. 9 for the night. I banked the fire, helped oil the running gear and wiped the boiler jacketing until it fairly shined. At one point another man climbed up into the cab carrying an object wrapped in newspaper. He opened the wrapping to show us a dead rattlesnake that, when it was alive, had been part of one of the Santa Fe's exhibits at the Fair. Following that the snake was unceremoniously cremated in No. 9's firebox.

It would to be interesting to hear the recollections of any other forum members who attended the Fair.

Mark