Trains No 1/2, Texas Special - Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) Railroad Locomotives In Springfield, MO?

Did they ever run thru Katy locomotives into Springfield on the Texas Special?

 

Yes, and all the way to St. Louis.

I'll post a photo when I find it.

Ken McElreath

 

Just curious.

Dad was/is a Texas Special fan.

Thanks!

 

The Katy engines sometimes ran all the way to St. Louis.

I saw Katy E7As, E8As and PA-1s at Springfield on the westbound/southbound Texas Special.

Tom G.

 

I'd like to have seen that.

 

There's a fairly well known photo of the WB Texas Special leaving St. Louis coming out from an underpass led by a Katy E8A.

I think that photo has been posted here, someplace?

Tom G.

 

Thanks!

I'll look.

 

That's the one I was thinking of.

Tom G.

 

Did they ever swap engines in Vinita, the point where the train switched from the Frisco to the Katy?

I would love to see a picture of the train moving from one to the other.

One more thing.

Did the train ever run with GP7s?

 

Vinita was not a scheduled stop for the Texas Special.

Power was not swapped at Vinita.

It's possible that passenger geeps were used on the Texas Special, but it would have been a very rare occasion.

 

In addition to being very rare, it is highly unlikely that a passenger geep would have lead a mainline passenger train.

I have seen photos of mainline trains with an E-unit up front and a GP7 trailing, both with and without a 3rd unit.

More common was to see an F7B,tone of the ones equipped with steam heat ant signal lines but no boiler,) as a second unit. I've seen this more than once.

I've even seen at least one photo of a Katy F7B between two Frisco E units. That was in St. Louis, so the combination surely went through Springfield.

I'll look for what books those photos are in tomorrow.

Paul

 

I think there's a picture of two Frisco E-units sandwiching a Katy F7B in the Frisco Southwest book.

I saw a Texas Special consist one time with a Frisco FP7A leading and an E8A trailing for the power.

Tom G.

 

Frisco In Color Volume 2 has pictures of:

An FP7 with an E-unit, not connected to a train so not sure which was leading, at Springfield.
An E unit leading an F7B on the Will Rogers.
An E unit leading an GP7 on the Will Rogers.

Since this started as a discussion of MKT units, The Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA) Historical Society publication on the Texas Special has a 1958 picture of two MKT FP7As leading the Texas Special in St. Louis.

These are in the all red scheme.

Paul

 

Yes, there is, on page 42.

I think I have seen one from a higher angle in St. louis.

It must be in one of the TRRA books I have around here, because I didn't see it in my Frisco or Katy books.

Paul