Wallace W. Abbey Collection – Center for Railroad Photography & Art

Biography

Wallace W. “Wally” Abbey (1927–2014) belongs to a rare species of railroad photographers: those who have a full understanding of all aspects of railroading, coupled with the knowledge of how to present visual ideas in a manner that excites the railroad community and the general public alike. In Wally Abbey’s creative and comprehensive views, we see people at work, travelers on luxury trains, interiors of cars, workers in the shop and on the track, and trains in many of their varied habitats. A $10,000 preservation grant from Trains is helping to make his approximately 35,000 photographs fully available for research and further publication.

True to his Midwestern roots, Abbey shunned boastfulness, but he took justifiable pride in his work, enough pride to have assembled “Favorites” in 2004—25 black-and-white photographs hand-picked and captioned for his own enjoyment. “Favorites” is an excellent selection of images from the late 1940s and early 1950s, showing his wide-ranging view of the railroad: big engines on the Santa Fe; “George,” the engineer on the Morning Zephyr; shop scenes at Beech Grove, Indiana, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Cumberland, Maryland; people relaxing in the lounge car of the Super Chief; passengers waiting for trains; and Oklahoma-Texas Fast Freight speeding past another freight train. His captions lament both the transition from steam to diesel and the transition from passenger train to airliners.

The Abbey collection came to the Center as a gift from Abbey and his family: Martha J. Abbey, his wife (now deceased), and Mary Abbey and Martha A. Miller, daughters. They want the Center to preserve his work for the public to see and enjoy. An initial selection is available in the “Highlights” section of this page.

Wally Abbey got infected with a lifelong desire to photograph railroads while watching the Frisco and the Santa Fe trains crossing at Cherryvale, Kansas, where he visited his grandparents just before and during World War II. There he stood, waiting as all railroad photographers do, camera in hand when he could find film, sometimes a scarce commodity during wartime. He made his first picture in 1940, at age 13.

If he had a favorite railroad to photograph, it would be the Santa Fe, followed closely by the Chicago & North Western. A multi-talented person, he also is known for originating the Soo Line’s red-and-light gray color scheme of 1962.

Abbey kept his camera with him as a journalism student at the University of Kansas, associate editor at Trains, then through a succession of progressively more responsible jobs in the railroad industry, resulting in the award for lifetime achievement in photography from the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in 2003. He passed away in January 2014, leaving his creative work for all of us to admire.

The Trains index credits him with 63 articles, 59 under the name Wallace W. and 4 under Wally. Fifteen were in a series, “Notable Feats of Railroad Engineering.” WorldCat, the worldwide online library catalog, lists 7 works in 7 publications in 1 language. It notes 119 library holdings, the most prominent being The Little Jewel: Soo Line Railroad Company and the Locomotives that Make it Go, a book self-published in 1984. It is held by 62 libraries worldwide.

For extended profiles, see articles by John Gruber in Classic Trains, Summer 2010, pages 36-45; and Scott Lothes in Trains, August 2012, pages 42-47.

Wallace W. Abbey in a self-portrait from about 1950

Abbey Collection Overview

Gift of Wallace W. Abbey, Martha J. Abbey, Mary “Maggie” Abbey, and Martha Abbey Miller
23,000 black and white negatives
8,000 color slides
1940s to 2000s
United States, especially Chicago and the Upper Midwest, and with extensive coverage of the Soo Line and Milwaukee Road railroads

Reproduction Requests

High resolution scans from the Abbey Collection are available for print and electronic reproduction
To make requests, visit the collections page or send an email to info@railphoto-art.org

Highlights

A Santa Fe freight train waits for a Rock Island train to cross the diamonds at Joliet, Illinois, on October 14, 1951. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-021-07

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe extra freight train with 2-8-2 steam locomotives nos. 3162 and 3160 climbs Olathe Hill west of Zarah, Kansas, on March 31, 1946. This part of the railroad has since been rebuilt, eliminating most of the curves. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-046-04

Santa Fe's eastbound <i>Chief</i> passenger train, behind streamlined 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3460, crosses Bridge 9C east of McCook, Illinois, on its way into Chicago on April 20, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-047-01

Santa Fe's eastbound Chief passenger train, behind streamlined 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3460, crosses Bridge 9C east of McCook, Illinois, on its way into Chicago on April 20, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-047-01

Santa Fe's eastbound <i>Chief</i> passenger train, behind streamlined 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3460, rounds the curve east of Bridge 9C near McCook and heads for Chicago on April 20. 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-047-04

Santa Fe's eastbound Chief passenger train, behind streamlined 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3460, rounds the curve east of Bridge 9C near McCook and heads for Chicago on April 20. 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-047-04

On the Santa Fe Railway's main line east of McCook, Illinois, a short eastbound freight train heads into Chicago on April 20, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-048-02

Streamlined Santa Fe passenger power at the locomotive service racks at Chicago's 18th Street roundhouse on June 22, 1946. FT diesel-electric no. 163 is at right, with 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3460 in the distance. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-051-03

Santa Fe passenger train no. 23, the westbound <i>Grand Canyon</i> led by streamlined 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3460, crossing the Pennsylvania and the Chicago & Western Indiana railroads at 21st Street on its way out of Chicago on June 22, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-052-02

Santa Fe passenger train no. 23, the westbound Grand Canyon led by streamlined 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3460, crossing the Pennsylvania and the Chicago & Western Indiana railroads at 21st Street on its way out of Chicago on June 22, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-052-02

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway passenger train "Second 4," the second section of the eastbound <i>California Limited</i> led by 4-6-2 steam locomotive no. 3404, crossing the Sanitary District canal at Bridge 9C east of McCook on its way into Chicago on June 23, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-055-03

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway passenger train "Second 4," the second section of the eastbound California Limited led by 4-6-2 steam locomotive no. 3404, crossing the Sanitary District canal at Bridge 9C east of McCook on its way into Chicago on June 23, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-055-03

Santa Fe passenger train no. 11, the westbound <i>Kansas Cityan</i>, seems to be the only train loading at Dearborn Station on this day in 1946. Its diesel locomotives are the 1, 1A. and booster 201-A. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-056-03

Santa Fe passenger train no. 11, the westbound Kansas Cityan, seems to be the only train loading at Dearborn Station on this day in 1946. Its diesel locomotives are the 1, 1A. and booster 201-A. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-056-03

An eastbound Santa Fe freight train behind 2-8-2 steam locomotive no. 4070 crosses the Illinois River on its way out Chillicothe, Illinois. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-057-01

New York Central and Rock Island passenger trains meet just south of Chicago's LaSalle Street Station on August 21, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-059-09

One of Chicago & North Western’s E7A diesel-electric locomotives leads train no. 28, the eastbound <i>San Francisco Overland</i>, which has just arrived at the North Western Terminal in Chicago on November 2, 1951. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-077-04

One of Chicago & North Western’s E7A diesel-electric locomotives leads train no. 28, the eastbound San Francisco Overland, which has just arrived at the North Western Terminal in Chicago on November 2, 1951. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-077-04

Two Union Pacific streamlined passenger trains from the West Coast rest at the North Western Terminal in Chicago on November 2, 1951. No. 102 is the eastbound City of San Francisco and no. 106 is the eastbound City of Portland. At the time, Union Pacific trains used the Chicago & North Western Railway between Omaha and Chicago. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-077-10

Santa Fe freight train "Extra 101 West" led by FT diesel locomotive no. 101 crosses the Rock Island at Joliet, Illinois, on August 4, 1949. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-079-03

Three Chicago, Burlington & Quincy diesel-electric locomotives, led by F2A no. 151, pull a long westbound freight train through West Hinsdale, Illinois, on August 30, 1949. The train includes several refrigerated boxcars, likely returning west for another load of produce. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-087-05

Baltimore & Ohio trains meet at Deshler, Ohio, on September 23, 1952, in a photograph made for the <i>Trains</i> magazine story, "It's Your Railroad." Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-117-02

Baltimore & Ohio trains meet at Deshler, Ohio, on September 23, 1952, in a photograph made for the Trains magazine story, "It's Your Railroad." Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-117-02

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific worker washing streamlined Class A 4-4-2 steam locomotive no. 1 at the railroad's Muskego Yard in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 9, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-123-06

Milwaukee Road’s eastbound <i>Morning Hiawatha</i> passenger train makes its station stop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 9, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-123-11

Milwaukee Road’s eastbound Morning Hiawatha passenger train makes its station stop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 9, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-123-11

Streamlined observation car of Milwaukee Road’s eastbound <i>Morning Hiawatha</i> passenger train at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 9, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-123-12

Streamlined observation car of Milwaukee Road’s eastbound Morning Hiawatha passenger train at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 9, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-123-12

One of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s legendary K4-class 4-6-2 steam locomotives leads an eastbound passenger train out of Chicago at 21st Street Tower on October 3, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-130-05

Santa Fe westbound passenger train departing Chicago at 21st Steet Tower on October 9, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-131-08

The new "Mid-Century" <i>Empire Builder</i> passenger train is prepared at Chicago's Fourteenth Street coach yard for departure on its inaugural run on October 9, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-140-08

The new "Mid-Century" Empire Builder passenger train is prepared at Chicago's Fourteenth Street coach yard for departure on its inaugural run on October 9, 1950. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-140-08

Control stand of a Union Pacific gas turbine locomotive at Green River, Wyoming, in 1953. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-01-154-02

Union Pacific gas turbine locomotive no. 56 at Green River, Wyoming, on February 28, 1953. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-034-07

Union Pacific freight trains powered by gas turbine locomotives meet in Wyoming between Ogden and Green River on February 28, 1953. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-034-09

Union Pacific freight diesels from General Motors at Green River, Wyoming, on February 28, 1953. In the distance, two "Big Boy" 4-8-8-4 steam locomotives sit near the coaling tower. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-035-08

Union Pacific gas turbine no. 52 leads a freight train at Green River, Wyoming, on February 28, 1953. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-036-01

Union Pacific gas turbine no. 52 leads a freight train in Green River, Wyoming, on February 28, 1953. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-036-07

Abbey, Wallace W.; Abbey-02-036-10; Green River, Wyoming, Photos of and from a Union Pacific freight gas turbine locomotive eastbound out of Ogden, Wyo., to Green River.; 1953-02-28; Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-036-10

Santa Fe Railway passenger trains at Chicago's Dearborn Station on February 2, 1952. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-044-11

Santa Fe Railway streamlined F-series diesel locomotives at Chicago's 18th Street yards on February 2, 1952. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-045-06

Santa Fe Railway diesel no. 11, an E3 from General Motors' Electro-Motive Corporation, leads a westbound passenger train out of Chicago's Dearborn Station on February 2, 1952. A diesel switcher and a Grand Trunk Western steam locomotive are visible in the background at left. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-046-05

Santa Fe Railway passenger trains, including the <i>Kansas Cityan</i>, resting under the train shed at Chicago's Dearborn Station on February 2, 1952. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-046-09

Santa Fe Railway passenger trains, including the Kansas Cityan, resting under the train shed at Chicago's Dearborn Station on February 2, 1952. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-046-09

Two Santa Fe Railway streamlined passenger trains rest under the shed at Dearborn Station in downtown Chicago on February 2, 1952. Leading both trains are F-series diesel-electric locomotives built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-047-01

Grand Trunk Western streamlined 4-8-4 steam locomotive no. 6409 leading an eastbound passenger train out of Chicago's Dearborn Station on February 2, 1952. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-047-06

A Wabash Railroad engineer stands next to his steam locomotive, 4-6-4 no. 702, under the trainshed at Chicago’s Dearborn Station on February 2, 1952. They have just brought eastbound train no. 10, the Banner Blue, in from St. Louis. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-048-03

Santa Fe Railway passenger train "First 20," the first section of the eastbound <i>Chief</i>, comes across Bridge 9C east of McCook behind FT diesel no. 164 on July 28, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-062-03

Santa Fe Railway passenger train "First 20," the first section of the eastbound Chief, comes across Bridge 9C east of McCook behind FT diesel no. 164 on July 28, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-062-03

Santa Fe passenger diesels—E6s nos. 15 and 15A, and FT no. 160–at Chicago's 18th Street yards on September 2, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-064-04

Commuters stream past Chicago & North Western 4-6-2 steam locomotives at the North Western Terminal in Chicago in the 1950s. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-066-02

Chicago & North Western 4-6-2 no. 514 rides the turntable at the Erie Street Yard engine terminal in Chicago in 1952. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-067-06

Chicago & North Western commuter trains led by 4-6-2 steam locomotives on the big curve just north of the the North Western Terminal in Chicago in the 1950s. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-070-02

Chicago’s afternoon rush is underway as Chicago & North Western 4-6-2 steam locomotive no. 514 leads a westbound suburban train on the sweeping curve just north of the North Western Terminal. Another steam-powered suburban train is visible in the distance and Fairbanks-Morse “Erie Built” diesel no. 6001B is on the far track. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-070-10

Chicago & North Western streamlined passenger train behind E8A diesel no. 5023A passes a steam-powered commuter train on the big curve just north of the the North Western Terminal in Chicago in the 1950s. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-070-12

Santa Fe Railway passenger diesels—PA no. 51 and FT no. 159—at Chicago's 18th Street terminal on October 26, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-072-04

Santa Fe Railway 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3462 stands west of Kansas City Union Station on October 28, 1946. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-073-03

Santa Fe Railway passenger train "Second 24," the second section of the eastbound <i>Grand Canyon Limited</i> behind streamlined 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3460, drifts to a stop at Chillicothe, Illinois, on August 3, 1947. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-091-03

Santa Fe Railway passenger train "Second 24," the second section of the eastbound Grand Canyon Limited behind streamlined 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3460, drifts to a stop at Chillicothe, Illinois, on August 3, 1947. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-091-03

Santa Fe Railway 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3461 leads passenger train no. 19, the westbound <i>Chief</i>, around the curve at Clark Street on the way out of Chicago on August 6, 1947. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-092-01

Santa Fe Railway 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 3461 leads passenger train no. 19, the westbound Chief, around the curve at Clark Street on the way out of Chicago on August 6, 1947. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-092-01

Chicago & North Western FT diesel no. 4051 approaches the tower at Rochelle, Illinois, with an eastbound freight train on June 20, 1948. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-137-03

Chicago & North Western passenger train no. 2, the eastbound <i>Pacific Limited</i> with streamlined steam locomotive no. 4007, comes under the coaling tower at DeKalb, Illinois, on June 20, 1948. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-138-02

Chicago & North Western passenger train no. 2, the eastbound Pacific Limited with streamlined steam locomotive no. 4007, comes under the coaling tower at DeKalb, Illinois, on June 20, 1948. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-138-02

Milwaukee Road S2-class 4-8-4 steam locomotive no. 208 leads an eastbound freight train into Elgin, Illinois, on August 5, 1948. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-02-159-04

Santa Fe Railway passenger trains at Chicago's Dearborn Station, as seen from Roosevelt Road on July 20, 1952. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-03-044-03

Santa Fe Railway extra freight train led by 4-8-4 steam locomotive no. 3761 in three-track territory west of Emporia, Kansas, on July 8, 1952. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-03-044-05

Chicago & North Western semaphore signals outside of the North Western Terminal in Chicago on October 19, 1955. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-03-065-07

Chicago & North Western 4-6-2 steam locomotives for commuter trains at Highland Park, Illinois, on January 22, 1956. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-03-076-04

Detail of Chicago & North Western 4-6-2 steam locomotive for commuter trains at Highland Park, Illinois, on January 22, 1956. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-03-076-07

Two streamlined Hiawatha passenger trains of the Milwaukee Road at Chicago Union Station, circa 1950, offer striking commentary on industrial design. Leading the train in the background is F7-class 4-6-4 steam locomotive no. 102, designed by Otto Kuhler. One of the famed Skytop Lounge observation cars, by Brooks Stevens, dominates the foreground. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-03-080-01

Operator inside the Chicago & Western Indiana's State Line Tower in Hammond, Indiana, on September 9, 1956. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-03-121-07

Union Pacific steam locomotives congregate inside the roundhouse at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on February 4, 1957. At left is 2-8-2 no. 2242, which was retired later that year. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-03-130-02

Union Pacific's westbound <i>City of Portland</i> passenger train preparing to depart Chicago Union Station in April 1957. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-03-147-12

Union Pacific's westbound City of Portland passenger train preparing to depart Chicago Union Station in April 1957. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-03-147-12

Eastbound Union Pacific freight train emerging from one of the Hermosa tunnels on Wyoming’s Sherman Hill on August 17, 1957. Road power is 4-8-8-4 “Big Boy” no. 4019, assisted by 4-8-4 no. 829 as a headend helper for the climb over the Continental Divide. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-04-030-08

An eastbound Union Pacific freight train has just exited one of the Hermosa tunnels on Wyoming’s Sherman Hill on August 17, 1957. Road power is 4-8-8-4 “Big Boy” no. 4019, assisted by 4-8-4 no. 829 as a headend helper for the climb over the Continental Divide. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-04-031-10

Commuter train at Milwaukee Road's Tower A-20 in Chicago at dusk in March 1959. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-04-078-06

Soo Line eastbound passenger train no. 8 for Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, prepares to depart Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the last time on March 4, 1960. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-04-130-03

Preparations for the last run of Soo Line passenger train no. 8, about to depart Minneapolis, Minnesota, for Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on March 4, 1960. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-04-130-06

Crew members for the last run of Soo Line passenger train no. 8 check their orders prior to departure from Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 4, 1960. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-04-130-09

Skytop parlor-observation car off the Milwaukee Road's <i>Olympian Hiawatha</i> passenger train stands in the station at Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 6, 1960. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-04-132-07

Skytop parlor-observation car off the Milwaukee Road's Olympian Hiawatha passenger train stands in the station at Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 6, 1960. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-04-132-07

Soo Line operator at Crystal Tower in Crystal, Minnesota, where the Soo crossed the Great Northern, on April 10, 1961. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-05-011-03

Soo Line freight train crossing in front of a waiting Great Northern train at Crystal, Minnesota, on April 10, 1961. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-05-012-05

Soo Line westbound freight train no. 125 crossing the Mississippi River as seen from the Camden elevator in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in July 1962. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-05-064-13

Soo Line passenger train no. 6, the eastbound connection for the Twin Cities with the <i>Laker</i>, pauses at New Richmond, Wisconsin, while two boys watch at dusk on August 5, 1964. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-05-117-32

Soo Line passenger train no. 6, the eastbound connection for the Twin Cities with the Laker, pauses at New Richmond, Wisconsin, while two boys watch at dusk on August 5, 1964. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-05-117-32

Chain on the Soo Line doors of the closed Duluth Union Station on July 27, 1966. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-06-058-02

Empty ore cars stored on the former passenger tracks outside the closed Duluth Union Station on July 27, 1966. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-06-058-10

Weeds growing among the tracks of the closed Duluth Union Station on July 27, 1966. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-06-058-21

Soo Line RS-27 diesel locomotive no. 415 leading a local freight train in St. Paul, Minnesota, on October 14, 1968. This is the first Soo train to the refinery at Pine Bend. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-06-119-20

Soo Line freight train crossing the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota, on October 14, 1968. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-06-121-05

Soo Line officials watch a local freight train passing the depot at Roseport, Minnesota, just south of St. Paul, on October 14, 1968. This was the first day of Soo service to the refinery at Pine Bend. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-06-121-10

Soo Line snow-fighting train clearing drifts on the Plummer Line in northwestern Minnesota in February 1969. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-07-005-32

Soo Line plow train with an F7 diesel locomotive pushing Russell plow no. X-185 passing the depot at Palisade, Minnesota, in February 1969. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-07-008-08

Operator inside the Milwaukee Road's St. Croix Tower at Hastings, Minnesota, on September 30, 1969. Photograph by Wallace W. Abbey, © 2015, Center for Railroad Photography and Art. Abbey-07-074-21

Milwaukee Road Fairbanks-Morse H-12-44 diesel switcher at the Schlitz Brewery on the railroad's "Beer Line" in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1952. West Cherry and North Second streets both cross the tracks just behind the locomotive. Abbey-01-084-02