Thank you for Kevin Cannon [’02]’s fold-out spread showing the campus in 1967 and today. It was informative and whimsical.
The train engine in the 1967 view is an amusing anachronism. It is an “American” model, which were in use from about 1850–1900, and could well have run on those tracks. But any model steam engine running in 1967 would have been a recreation, not a daily occurrence. In the 15 years or so after World War II, U.S. railroads retired virtually their entire fleets of steam engines, replacing them with more efficient diesels.
While diesel locomotives have, in my opinion, no charm, they allow rail to move a ton of freight more than 400 miles on a gallon of fuel. Perhaps we will see the day (led by Tesla’s current efforts?) when semi trucks will have the efficiency (and safety) rail freight has provided for over 50 years.