Howard Moore Photos

Last week, a guy named Richard Wilkens posted on Facebook,

In 2025, the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive was donated the collection of Charles Givens. Within the collection was a group of 4x5 negatives that Charles purchased and he noted it as the "L.A. Collection" but he did not know who took them. Most of these were taken in Southern California and appear to be from around 1946 to 1948.

He then posted several scans, hoping someone might have information. As it happens, I knew the photographer right away, because I'd bought 8x10 prints of the same photos from just that guy, Howard Moore (1916-1998). He was one of Athearn's first employees, and he took the photos because Irv Athearn sent him out specificslly to take photos of rail equipment that Athearn might think worth manufacturing as models. I believe Howard had previously worked for a camera store, so he was capable of using a large-format camera. Here's one of the scans Mr Wilkens posted:

In 1947, the eastbound UP Train 2, the Los Angeles Limited, was scheduled to arreive in San Bernardino, CA at 1:55 PM. The sun angle and position of the train suggest this is that train, with new FM Erie Built units. From my collection, here's his shot of what is probably the eastbound Santa Fe Chief, Train 20, probably in San Bernardino the same afternoon. In 1948, it arrived in San Bernardino at 2:18 PM. UP 981-A was UP's first Erie built, renumbered from 50-M-1A in 1946, renumbered to 700A 9n 1948.

Eleven sets of Santa Fe FTs were painted in the passenger scheme in 1946 and ran in that scheme for several years.

I got to know Howard about 1980 when I was doing custom work for an LA hobby shop. I visited him and looked at this photo collection when I delivered projects to him. Here's an Athearn S-12 that I detailed with scratch built warning lights before Details West made the castings. He took the photo on his small layout:

I bought several dozen 8 x 10 prints from him back then, and I enjoyed his stories of railfanning and his lifelong friendship with Irvin Athearn. I'm glad I was able to identify him to the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive as the photographer, but now I realize I need to get back to scanning the rest of those 8x10s. I'll post more as I do so.