The Weekend 'N' gineers

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved to donate two acres to expand the grounds of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum to make r...oom for the historic Union Pacific No. 4141 Engine and, eventually, an exhibit area for a Marine One helicopter. The locomotive painted to match Air Force One, will arrive in College Station this spring for a permanent home at the museum, and both milestones are a part of a multi-million dollar expansion being planned by the George and Barbara Bush Foundation. Texas A&M is proud to host these icons of the Bush presidency. We do everything we can to keep alive the memory and accomplishments of this wonderful president and public servant. Chancellor John Sharp tx.ag/Bush4141Engine

Idaho/Montana border last week

FIRE ENGULFS SKO RAILROAD TRESTLE EAST OF INDEPENDENCE Fire departments from multiple communities are on scene of a railroad trestle fire east of Independence. ...The railroad trestle, which is located north of the City of Independence sewage treatment plant, belongs to the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad. This is NOT the trestle that spans the Verdigris River but spans a gulley northeast of the river, just south of county road 4600. Firefighters are still on scene, but photographs provided to the Montgomery County Chronicle by several witnesses and a drone operator reveal the extent of the fire. Access to the trestle has been barricaded by law enforcement as local fire departments attempt to keep the fire from spreading, albeit under difficult conditions. This particular SKO Railroad line extends from Cherryvale to Independence and Caney before entering Oklahoma and terminating at the Port of Catoosa, where the SKO provides direct and critical shipping access to that inland port along the Arkansas River. Watco Companies, based in Pittsburg, is the parent company of the SKO Railroad. A company official told the Montgomery County Chronicle that a safety team from the company will be on site tonight to evaluate the trestle's condition once the flames are extinguished.

Kellyville, OK; and no, I was not on the tracks; I was using a telephoto lens . . .

The rescue of a 135 year old steam locomotive! It's a great story.