E7A (EA7) MKT 101-A - Latest Painting Art In My Office Here is the latest bit of wall art in my office - Texas Special E7A MKT 101A, per EMD's artist Ben Dedek. Yes, it is a Katy engine, but what the heck - it is the "Texas Special". This completes the trio. It is hanging along side the Frisco E8A SLSF 2006 and the Frisco F3A SLSF 5000 art, both also done by Mr. Dedek. I have had this print for some time via eBay. It is in fairly rough shape. The frame guy was not able to get it completely flat, so it has some slight waves in it and the frame covers some tears and marks. There is also some bad reflection in the picture. My photograph skills are nothing to write home about. But, from a distance, it looks good. Wish it was SLSF 2000 instead of the MKT unit, but that is not the one Mr. Dedek did! Anyway, the three of them all look good together. Ken
A good friend of mine gave me a painting of some GP40-2 some years ago. I have it framed and done right. But await the proper perch.
I remember that painting! Those pictures Ethan posted of the four GP40-2 consists pulling into Lindenwood and running through Oklahoma reminded me of that painting. We went to a restaurant called Piccadilly today for lunch. It is two blocks away from Lindenwood, sitting between the Frisco and the MoPac. We sat outside on their back patio but could not see the yard because of the trees and houses, but could hear it. They must have been putting a train together. Reminded me of the old days! BTW - for those in the St. Louis area, a great patty melt is to be had at Piccadilly! It got a good review in the paper this week, and they lived up to it today. Ken
FYI The little card up in the corner of the framed E7A (EA7) print is a token EMD handed out to the railroads, etc. It is a different painting, or more likely an earlier version. The road number is MKT 101, not 101A, the "Texas Special" lettering on the side is white, not silver, and the vegetation along the track is different, with no line pole. Ken
I was just sitting here at the computer staring at the picture of Texas Special E7A MKT 101-A on the wall, and noticed for the first time that it is accurate regarding one detail of the "Texas Special" E7A paint scheme that few realize. The red Duco dark maroon color on the pilot and the lower body side skirts is a few shades darker than the red on the rest of the E7 body, which was Duco cardinal red. This was really hard to see on photos of these E7As unless they were clean. The Texas Special painting guide in Mainline Modeler years ago made note of the two shades, which was the first I had ever realized that two shades of red were used. I wonder why they did that, two slightly different shades of red? And, did the Frisco's four Meteor E7As do the same? Per Mainline Modeler, the answer is "yes". The skirts of the new red and silver lightweight passenger cars were similarly painted the dark maroon, while the roof and side window panel of the cars were done in the cardinal red shade. The Mainline Modeler article has the DuPont Duco codes for the two colors. Ken
Jeff, The location is Southeastern Junction, mile post 7.3 (MP 7.3). As indicated it is located at the west end of Lindenwood Yard, MP 7.1. This is located in southwest metro St. Louis, Missouri. The train is eastbound on the Rolla Subdivision. At Southeastern Junction the St. Louis Subdivision connected to the Rolla Subdivision. The St. Louis Subdivision diverged to the south to Chafee, Missouri, and beyond Memphis, Tennessee, mostly following the Mississippi River. Also converging at the junction was a northward connection to the western outer belt of the Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA) of St. Louis. Today Southeastern Junction is located just north of Interstate Highway 44 (I-44) east of mile post 283, but before mile post 284. Immediately to the east of the junction is the Frisco's bridge over the River des Peres. Just to the north is its confluence with Deer Creek. Just to the south of the junction and I-44 is the south terminal station of the St Louis MetroLink light rail system at Shrewbury-Lansdowne I-44. The station address is 7201 Landsbury Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63119. This station is the western terminus located on their Blue Line. In this pre 1959 view, the inbound Texas Special, Train Number 2, has Missouri, Kansas and Texas (MKT or Katy) E7A 101 in the lead. The Texas Special was a joint passenger train operated in partnership with the Katy. It operated from St. Louis to Austin Texas from 1915 until 1959. It ran on the Frisco from St. Louis (Union Station), MP 0.0, to Vinita, Oklahoma, MP 359.7, and the Katy for the balance of the trip to Austin, 1,038.6 total miles. To the right is a Frisco Baldwin VO-1000, SLSF 207, switching on the west yard lead. The dark towers in the distance are gasometer storage tanks, now removed. They stored natural gas supply for distribution to businesses and homes. The tanks had an interlocked floating top which would raise and lower to help keep a consistent pressure in the gas mains and supply lines. View is looking southwest. Hope this helps. Thanks! Mark
I think the photograph is probably from 1951 or that era. Southeastern Jct. tower is still there. Great photograph.
I would suggest that this is a publicity photograph taken during the train's tour before entering service in 1947. It is broad daylight, not early morning scheduled arrival, the engines are sparkling clean and there are no additional heavyweight cars that became standard as soon as the railroads realized they needed three transits to cover the schedule, not two. Ken McElreath
Although the lead E7A (EA7) is a Katy engine - MKT 101. The demonstration run pictures I have seen had Frisco E7As (EA7s) on the point. Ken
It is definitely a mid-day shot. The MKT E7As (EA7s) confuse the notion with regard to a demonstration or shake-down run. Page 78 of the TRRA H&TS’s book about the Texas Special notes very late, mid-day St. Louis arrivals before the railroads decided to add a third trains set.