I saw the American Freedom Train - or, at least, one of the steam locomotives that pulled it, twice during its cross country tour back in 1975-76. The first time was in June of 1975 at Klamath Falls, Oregon.

I had just graduated from high school and was taking my first-ever solo road trip, visiting friends and relatives in Oregon, and I had just arrived in town for an overnight stay with my friend Ron Young when Ron told me that the American Freedom Train was laying over that night at the Southern Pacific yard downtown. I grabbed my camera and we headed down to the train station.

When we got there we discovered that it wasn't really the official "American Freedom Train," but newly-restored former Southern Pacific locomotive #4449 en route from Portland, where it had just been christened a few days before, to Sacramento, California, and from there to head east to meet the American Freedom Train in Chicago where it would take over from steam locomotive #1 in August.

I wasn't much of a photographer and had no experience with night photography, so in that respect I suppose the picture turned out okay. Now, if anyone knows Ron or Myra, let them know I mentioned them and ask them to get in touch with me - I've lost track of them since.

A few months later, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona to attend Universal Technical Institute. In January, 1976, I heard on the news that the American Freedom Train was going to be stopping in Tempe for a couple of days at Arizona State University. This time I was able to get a couple of snaps of it during daylight hours.

Sadly, although the train was on display in Tempe for four days, I did not have time to tour the exhibits. I guess you could say it was a hit-and- run photo shoot (or perhaps a drive-by shooting?).

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