My wife stopped at the Farmer's Market today while running errands and came home to present me weith a small gift: an old framed photo of a locomotive. Not just any locomotive, but an old, old one.
One the back of the picture is writted: "Diamond stacked No. 23 15 mile (sic) west of Laramie Wyoming Station".
The photo shows a diamond-stacked 4-4-0 and with a magnificent rack of antlers mounted above the headlamp, sitting outside a station apparently in the middle of nowhere.
The engineer is in the cab, and a fellow in full railroad uniform is standing behind him on the footplate between the loco and tender, although there is no train attached. Another man with an enormous watch chain and something unidentifiable in his hand, but wearing a railroad hat, is standing with his hand on the driving rod at the front cylinder. The entire loco, especially the brass bell, clearly gleams with care.
There are a number of colorful, hairy characters dressed in "Sunday best" with a significant collection of pistols and rifles stading around. The number No.23 is prominently displayed on the tender, but unfortunately the name board on the loco cab is illegible even under magnification.
Now, that's a gift!
One the back of the picture is writted: "Diamond stacked No. 23 15 mile (sic) west of Laramie Wyoming Station".
The photo shows a diamond-stacked 4-4-0 and with a magnificent rack of antlers mounted above the headlamp, sitting outside a station apparently in the middle of nowhere.
The engineer is in the cab, and a fellow in full railroad uniform is standing behind him on the footplate between the loco and tender, although there is no train attached. Another man with an enormous watch chain and something unidentifiable in his hand, but wearing a railroad hat, is standing with his hand on the driving rod at the front cylinder. The entire loco, especially the brass bell, clearly gleams with care.
There are a number of colorful, hairy characters dressed in "Sunday best" with a significant collection of pistols and rifles stading around. The number No.23 is prominently displayed on the tender, but unfortunately the name board on the loco cab is illegible even under magnification.
Now, that's a gift!