Wickenburg is pulling out the stops this Spring to freshen up the town. And the first place they're working their magic is down on Frontier St., where "Old 761" has rested for many, many years. Built in 1903 in Philadelphia, and in service with the Acheson, Topeka and Santa Fe -- the "Santa Fe Line -- "761" was just waiting to be brought back to its former glory.
And a fresh coat of Sherwin-Williams paint was the (train) ticket. Ouch, the pun, the pun.
Of course tourists, business owners and pedestrians were restricted from getting close to the work site, but now that the job seems finished, the throngs are coming. Just in time to be ooohed and aahed at during Wickenburg's world-famous Gold Rush Days.
The iron spiked fence protecting "761" and caboose makes for an appealing photo prop when the sun shines just-so.
You can see (well, almost) the circular plaque a little to the left of the front of the train. If you could make out the lettering you'd learn that the engine was manufactured in Philadelphia in the early years of the twentieth century. Don't you wonder where this machine has been during the past 100+ years? And the adventures she's seen?
This is my fave shot. Not just the contrast of black paint and silver. But look at all those bolts holding the front boiler plate secure. You know each of them was torqued tight by one strong railroad man, hauling hard on a massive iron wrench.
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