Rock Island & PFE

[kevin303]

i'm modeling the last stand of steam on the Rock Island in the southwest, the layout i'm planning will feature the yards in Tucumcari NM that the RI shared with the SP, and i'm looking for some info on the handling of the PFE fruit drags. as i understand it was in Tucumcari the they where handed off to the Rock Island, and where usually run as a solid unit train behind a R67 class 4-8-4. where they re iced in Tucumcari or further on? Dalhart Texas had a large icing platform for this purpose. and what was the most common SP loco type to see them arriving behind? where the cab forwards used that far east or did they just stay in the sierras for mountain service. any info and help is greatly appreciated, can't seem to find much info on this.