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Looks like a 56 or maybe 57 960 with later paint scheme. My home town has an old caboose now used as the office for a used car lot. I too grew up near the railroad, B & O, in my case. Our farm was very close to the Wye where the helper was stationed to push the freights up the hill and out out of the Ohio river valley and on west to St. Louis. I can vaguely remember the sounds of the big helper, a Mike, I think, slowly moving up behind the now stopped freight, itself double-headed with a couple of big freight hogs, coupling to the caboose, exchanging whistle signals with the head-end engines some 1/2 mile or so ahead, and pushing away mightly to start the heavy frieght on its 15 mile journey up the hill. Often the helper and/or the head end engines would slip upon start up and I was fascinated by the sight and sound of wildly flailing side arms before the engineer(s) could reduce the power to regain adhesion. Control regained, I would listen as the big steamers slowly accelerated the train around the curve, out of sight and eventually out of ear shot. Perhaps thirty minutes later, I would hear the helper costing quietly backward down the hill to its station hear home to await the next west bound freight. Of course the Mike, the wye,, the coal hopper, the water tower, the switch tower, and of course the jobs are long gone. So too are the mesmerizing sights, sounds, and scents. Dean
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