Dick Kay and the Demise of the Wabash Cannonball
April, 1971
| Curator's note: The "Wabash Cannonball" piece is Dick Kay's favorite. He confided to me not long ago that when he shot the piece, Norfolk and Western brass were riding in the snack car, ready to provide Dick and his cameraman Randy Birch whatever they needed to make the piece "work". Among other things, they provided a chase car so Dick could get the rolling shots of the train he needed. There was much unscheduled starting and stopping of the Cannonball that day. One can only wonder how late it arrived at its destination. This piece is a must for railfans. |
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| Above:
The Wabash Cannonball in April, 1971, during the course of one of
its last runs between Detroit and Saint Louis (and vice-versa). When Amtrak (originally known as "RAILPAX") took over the nation's rail passenger service on May 1st of 1971, it dropped the Cannonball's route. But thanks to Dick Kay, along with his camerman Randy Birch and his editor John Martin (king of the languid dissolve), we can all ride the Cannonball one more time at the click of a mouse. |
| Click here to view streaming video of Dick Kay's Wabash Cannonball piece. [You will need RealPlayer to view this video]. |  |
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Created by
Rich Samuels (e-mail to rich@richsamuels.com)