| A couple of months before the Illinois Central–Gulf Mobile & Ohio merger a couple of railfans from the south end of the GM&O (Jim Selzer from Slidell and Earl Hampton from New Orleans) headed north to document the railroad before it disappeared. Here, Jim Selzer was observing the engines at the railroad’s shop in Venice, Illinois. Of particular interest was the 950, which had been built as EMD SD40 prototype 434, on an SD35 frame. It was unique on the GM&O and had been purchased in July 1966 to replace wrecked GP35 614. The GM&O and the ICG may be gone, but the 950 lives at the Monticello Railway Museum as IC 6071. (approximate date) |