1: CRI&P 2: MKT 3) Mopac There's something that really facinates me about the Rock's line across Missouri. Pat Moreland, Union Mo.
I'm with you WP on that RI Missouri line. Seemed like there should have been a four car streamline "Ozark Rocket" streaking across there competing with the MP Eagles! Tom G.
Between 1904 and 1930, the Rock operated a top notch passenger train over the line named "The Colorado Flyer", which offered service connecting St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver. You can find a lot of brochures for this train on Ebay. After 1930, passenger service was scaled back to local trains operating out of Eldon, one east to St. Louis and one west to Kansas City. The last passenger train operated west out of Eldon in April 1959. For many years the local was powered by a doodlebug, which was notoriously unreliable. Often the doodlebug and it's coach had to be towed in by a steam engine. Occasionally a maroon and silver E unit would show up, which is interesting in that six axle freight units were never permitted on the line. (Jeff, if you're reading this, make sure I've got my facts straight!) Pat Moreland, Union Mo.
Pat, not so certain on the early days of passenger service on the St. Louis Line. ETT No. 30 dated 1915 shows trains 27 and 28 which were St. Louis-Denver trains. Also shown are trains 681 and 682, St. Louis-Belle and trains 23 and 24, the all stops local. ETT No. 9, dated May, 1926 shows trains 25-26, The Colorado Flyer, trains 39-40, both Colorado trains, and 23-24. ETT No. 17 dated April 1930, trains 39-40, The Colorado Flyer have been annulled leaving 25-26 to Denver and locals 23-24. ETT No. 19 dated August 1933 is very interesting in that 25-26 are the only passenger trains carded as a St. Louis-Kansas City local with 23-24 having been dropped. ETT No. 2 dated June 1937, we pick 23-24 back up as the only two passenger trains between St. Louis-Kansas City. It is noted that the train is now a "Passenger Motor". Between September, 1949 and March 1951, 23-24 were cut back to a Kansas City-Belle turn leaving KCUS at 8 AM arriving at Belle at 1:20PM, departing Belle at 1:45 PM and arriving back at KCUS at 7:15 PM. In 1954, 23-24 were further cut to a KCUS-Eldon turn. On April 11, 1959, No. 24 left KCUS for the last time with motor 9090 and a coach in tow. Upon arrival in Eldon and after the consist was turned, No. 23 back to Kansas City would end passenger service on The St. Louis Line. Jeff Cooney
Wow!, an E-unit on the RI StL-KC line! That would have caught everybody's attention when it ran through the middle of my grandfather's farm. All I ever remember seeing were GP's. Ken
Let's see, put me down for; 1. Missouri and North Arkansas in the teen's 2. The Arkansas and Ozarks as it might have looked in the 1960's 3. The dinky line, the logging railroad that the Willams cooparage ran out of Lesile Ar.
1. T&P 2. KCFS&M (I'll have to post a picture of the gondola that I did) 3. Blackwell, Enid & Southwestern
1. MoPac (it was the "other" road in town plus my grandfather was retired from the MP) 2. Fort Smith & Western - it was the largest railroad abandonment ever at the time, and while that was a few years before I was born there were still many traces of it around, including the enginehouse in Fort Smith that was only torn down a few years ago (regrettably). 3. KCS - no one else came close in terms of interesting locomotives for its size (2-8-8-0's, superpower 2-10-4's, really neat light 4-6-2's with high headlights, plus two of the nicest diesel paint schemes around, including on F-M Erie-builts). Gordon
Bingo, Keith! Right on the mark for me, too. #1 - MoP #2 - Cotton Belt (SSW) My great-great-grandparents lived across the street from the old MoP branch line in Morley, and I'd hear stories of my Grandfather flagging down the train to ride into Lutesville. Best Regards,
At the risk of being kicked off, these are actually ones I followed or modeled at one time or other (LIFO): 1. MKT 2. C&O 3. PRR - Electrified! Oh, and those with 36 inches between the rails and various combinations of R and G in their names. George "ducking" Nelson
No worries, George. I've always thought the C&O had some dandy steam power. And, the old MKT yard/roundhouse in Franklin, MO is just a short drive from here. Best Regards,
Well - You can come out now. I still think the K-4's, T whatever (4444), GG1s' and such were good looking machines - and their maroon passenger trains ranked up there with the prettiest. Now U got me ducking, George.
In this order: Mopac - this is the railroad I grew up watching. My grandmother lived right outside the old Independence, Mo. station. Frisco - Just in the last few years has my interest in the SLSF really grown. I have family that lives close to the old High Line in Missouri. MNA (Missouri Northern Arkansas) - i always thought it would be interesting to model this current day shortline around the Branson, Mo. area.
I've seen it several times on here. I wouldn't mind modeling either the KCFS&G (it was the company that built the line that runs past my house) or it's predecessor the KCFS&M. Ethan
The PRR 4-4-4-4's were the T1's. AKA, "the slippery sleds". Big, powerful, good looking, very fast - but slippery, very dirty, high maintenance, both hated and loved by crews ..... on balance, a flop. They often came into StLUS on various PRR varnish. As a young kid, I was down there in the early 1950's on one of the western viaducts over the yard with my dad doing some train watching when a PRR train came in behind a T1. I was fascinated by it. Been a PRR fan since! The PRR T&HS has a thing for the T1. They have devoted many pages in recent issues of "The Keystone" to the T1, trying to evaluate just how good, or how bad, it was. Conclusion so far is that it was very good if well maintained and well operated by an experienced crew, otherwise, it was a continual problem. I remember the neat pic Don posted some time ago showing a T1 sitting next to a Frisco 4500 at StLUS. Two very powerful locomotives! Ken
Now you have me wondering: RRBob has about a hundred rail video's that he hand me a handful at a time to watch. One of them had a T-1 arriving, or departing, STL with a passenger train. Maybe that was the day you mentioned? The video had lots of STL action, but - sigh - very slim Frisco. I was crushed!
In 1967 my dad got a new job at the Missouri State Prison and we moved from Newburg to Jefferson City. As a young boy of only 11 years I had never been exposed to any other railroad outside of the Frisco. My dad would take my brother and I down to "see the choo-choo's" behind the capital building. When I saw those beautiful MoPac and Union Pacific E8's pulling those shiny passenger cars I was hooked! As time went on I continued my rail watching and became a fan of the the Santa Fe, MKT, and the CB&Q, but when the Burlington became the Burlington Northern and ate up my beloved Frisco I quit liking them. To this day my favorite railroads outside of Frisco are: MoPac, Union Pacific, Santa Fe, MKT, and CB&Q. I still model them along with the Frisco. FriscoGeorge
