Awesome modeling Ken! Mom always took me downtown to see Hutson’s Christmas display every year as early as I can remember. She raised me by herself and the memories are bitter sweet, in a good way. Hate to see familiar things go away as it reminds me of my own advanced journey down life’s road. Sigh.
The Memphis section of the Texas Eagle is leaving Union Station, pausing briefly at the Cooper-Young suburban stop, and then proceeding westward through Bridge Junction on its way to Little Rock and connection with the Big Eagle from St Louis. The rail fans are delighted. Ken McElreath
Greg, They look like scenes from your wonderful books, which were the inspiration. Thank you. Ken McElreath
The morning train is shown leaving Memphis for Little Rock and Hot Springs. It is called the Hot Springs Special, with coaches and a dining-parlor car for business travelers. It will pick up sleepers at Little Rock, coming from Chicago and St. Louis, and forward them to the resort town. Enjoy. Ken McElreath
It looks exactly like the remnant of the Missouri River Eagle I rode after the mail contracts were abolished in late 1967. GS
Greg, Exactly right. I rode it from St. Louis to Kansas City myself. Both the Missouri River Eagle and the afternoon Westerner carried coaches and a dining-parlor car after the Colorado Eagle was discontinued in 1964. Later the dining-parlor was replaced by a grill-coach combination. My grilled hamburger was wonderful. In my version of history, the same thing happened to the Hot Springs Special, but it continued running until Amtrak as well instead of being discontinued. Ken McElreath
The equipment on this train and the late 1960s STL-KC trains has some interesting history. The E8A number MP 42 was originally the Boston & Maine's only E8A, bought by the MP about 1960. That is why it does not have a stainless steel eagle across the nose like the other native MP E8As numbered MP 38-41. The dining-parlor car was one of two original Budd-built cars for the 1941 Colorado Eagle. It was rebuilt for daytime STL-KC service after dining service was eliminated west of Kansas City in 1963. And the coach was originally one of ten Maine Central deluxe chair cars built by P-S in 1947. The MP bought them about 1960 to enable streamlining of the entire MP fleet of mainline trains. Ken McElreath
The Facebook page for St. Louis Railfans and Modelers had a photograph of MP 42 on 1/26/2022 (thanks atsf101 !). There was an accompanying photograph of MoP 40 with the stainless steel wings.
The last set in this series is the ICG transfer through Union Station to the West Memphis Joint Yard. After passing through Bridge Junction, it backs into the yard to deliver cars to the MP and SSW. Ken McElreath
I worked for the ICG for a while in the early 1980s as a locomotive salesman, I can tell you I never saw an ICG locomotive as clean as this one. I like yours better. GS
Just west of Bridge Junction is a place called Briark (anybody know how to pronounce it?) with a Mississippi River barge terminal that is serviced by the Cotton Belt. Here is my rendition in two segments of photographs. The first shows the Mississippi River levee and the stone loading facility for riprap and construction stone. Then I will show the grain facility in the second installment. Growing up on the river at Cape Girardeau, I have always wanted to do this kind of scene. It has certainly satisfied that "itch". Great fun. Ken McElreath
Now for the best part, the grain mill and river terminal facility of the Consolidated Grain and Barge Company. Marsha and I spent considerable time poking around the SEMO port facility at Cape Girardeau, plus study of the grain facility at Muscatine Iowa, which is the prototype for our structures. This is very enjoyable to watch and operate. I will show some of the prototype scenes next. Ken McElreath
Here are some photographs of the river environment and terminal facilities that inspired this scene on our layout. The aerial shots are at Muscatine, Iowa. The levee along the old GM&O and grain silos are at Cairo, Illinois and the towboat is at Cape Girardeau. Ken McElreath
With your encouragement, I shot a sequence of the Cotton Belt's Briark Turn arriving from West Memphis Yard for servicing the CG&B Co. river terminal. The actual switching is done by the company switcher, and together with the Cotton Belt engine, the returning train is ordered with the engine up front. It is quite an interesting and engaging operation for a crew of two. The first photograph group shows the arriving train and the company switcher taking charge. The second photograph group shows the reassembling of the train to return to West Memphis Yard. Enjoy. Ken McElreath
And the second group. I am sorry that the returning cars are the same as the ones delivered. It usually does not work out that way. Hollywood effects, you know. At least no one will need to call me out on that one. Ken McElreath
