Here's a photo I took on November 01, 2002, TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO, of a special train that was used to film a movie on Santa Susana Pass. The train has exited Tunnel 26 and is drifting down into Simi Valley on Metrolink's Ventura Subdivision. The name of the movie was Under Siege 3: Gullible Victim, starring Steven Seagal.

HA HA! JUST KIDDING! I decided to observe April Fool's Day a few months early.

Actually, this photo was taken in Kiowa County in Oklahoma of all places, and the rock formations of the Wichita Mountains in the area reminded me of what one sees in California's Santa Susana Pass between Chatsworth and Simi Valley. The location is near Quartz Mountain State Park on an ex-Santa Fe line that was part of the Kansas City Mexico & Orient, portions of which have since been spun off to several shortlines or abandoned. Unfortunately, the weather was lousy. Overcast with occasional rain.

This was part of a three-day excursion organized by Clark Johnson and Bart Jennings and the following is lifted from an archived web page that describes the trip in more detail:

On October 31-November 3, 2002, the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum operated a charter train for railroad mileage collectors over the Farmrail, Grainbelt, Hollis & Eastern, and Wichita, Tillman & Jackson routes in western Oklahoma and Texas. The train used two former VIA equipment (part of the 1954 CC&F; cars from the 5437-5654 series) that Farmrail acquired several years ago and have refurbished, along with two private cars for High Iron Travel, the Cimmaron River and the Caritas. Riders came from 26 states, Washington DC, and Canada.

On Thursday, October 31, the train departed Wichita Falls, Texas for Altus, Oklahoma via the Wichita, Tillman & Jackson. About 80 miles of former Missouri-Katy-Texas trackage was covered as we passed through the Red River Valley oil boom and ranch country. The WT&J started operations over this line in January 1991 after acquiring it from Union Pacific. Upon arriving at Altus, the train switched power and proceeded about 15 miles to Duke, OK, via the Hollis & Eastern. Passengers were ferried to Altus, Oklahoma, for the night.

Friday, November 1, we returned from Duke to Altus on the Hollis & Eastern. At Altus we turned north through the Wichita Mountains along trackage built by the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient, later operated by the Santa Fe, and operated today by Farmrail. We traveled 66 scenic miles at 10-15mph to Clinton, Oklahoma. After a short service stop, we turned west for an evening roundtrip to Elk City, Oklahoma, over former Rock Island trackage. Thanks go to Naurine Lennox for providing dinner.

On Saturday, November 2, we made a roundtrip from the Farmrail station in Clinton, Oklahoma, to Enid, Oklahoma, and back along the route of the former Frisco, about 190 miles roundtrip. We made a stop at the Railroad Museum of Oklahoma in Enid for a barbeque lunch and to tour their large collection of rail equipment.

Sunday, November 3, was our final day and featured a roundtrip southward from Clinton, Oklahoma, to Frederick, Oklahoma, and return, again making contact with the WT&J; for 166 miles roundtrip. This is former Frisco mileage, today operated officially as the Grainbelt.

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On Page 5 that's me in the tee shirt and dark jacket on the right, helping myself to some grub. As these web pages are twenty-two years old, some of the information may now be obsolete or incorrect. It was a great trip and one that we probably wouldn't see in this day and age for a variety of reasons.

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