Lamar C-138.7

The passing track at Lamar was fitted with a train meet sign and spring switches. Lawn Boy lawn mowers were produced here.

During '66 or '67, a train derailed while going through town. One of the errant cars traveled down the platform bricks and took out the train order board. Much to the relief of the station agent, who was inside the depot, the depot was untouched. After things were picked up, the only sign of the derailment were the flange marks on the bricks and the new train order signal. During the occasions when we waited for 102 to arrive, the agent would regale us with the story.

 

I was looking at the Track Diagram for Lamar C-138.7 and I see that the MFA spur south of the Mo Pac crossing is served by both the Frisco and the Mo Pac, how does this arrangement work? Thanks.

James Barnes, Jr.
Taylor, Michigan

 

I switched the MFA elevator many times in the '70s & '80s from the MoPac side. MFA was careful not to order in cars from one railroad while it had cars from the other railroad spotted at its facility. On the rare occasion that there were inbound cars coming from one railroad with a few cars from the other railroad still present, MFA would move these cars to a point near the derail of the owning road. This usually allowed sufficient room for the cars coming in from the opposite road.

 

Back then (as noted by wmrx) Both roads served it. Today MFA has trouble with storage room because they can never get cars in and out. The problem is that 1 server, BNSF, doesn't like to deal in small orders (10 or so cars), they like getting things 100 cars at a time. Then there is MNA (a short line RR) that runs the ex MP tracks, but they have the same problem. Since they only lease the line, all of there freight has to go to Union Pacific, or if it doesn't they have to pay a penalty to UP. And UP, just like BNSF, wants 100 car trains, not a 10 car pick up from 1 elevator.

Hope this helps

 

Prior to the implementation of the Staggers Act all the little elevators up and down the railroad got whatever cars they ordered as long as there was sufficient supply. It might be 3 or 4 or as many as 15 or 20, whatever their tracks would hold. I remember working grain extras that took all of 12 hours in order to serve all the customers on just 50 miles of railroad.

After Staggers, the railroads were looking at the efficiency of unit trains and would offer rather high rates for customers that wouldn't commit to at least 50 cars. That pretty much dried up the use of rail by the small elevators. Trucks would take their grain to the large elevators, such as those in Kansas City, where the railroads would then get their chance to handle that grain in big unit trains.