During the boom years of Hot Springs, real or imagined cures were offered for just about every human ailment, and passengers arriving on the cars provided a source of new revenue. This sign hung in the outside breezeway area of MoPac’s Hot Springs station, between the waiting rooms and the actual trackside platforms. The last MP passenger service into Hot Springs ended in January 1964, and when I discovered that the sign was still present a year or so later, a formal request in a letter was prepared, and permission to remove the sign was subsequently obtained from the Hot Springs agent.

My parents drove me to Hot Springs to pick up the sign, and while there, the agent questioned why a 14-year old kid would want the old sign. After talking about railroad history, my interest in passenger service, etc., he mentioned having a number of brass ticket validator dies for Hot Springs and asked whether I would like one. Of course, the answer was yes, but while he found a number of dies, he could not find any of the dater machines. I would have happily taken the die itself, but he suggested that I return when the regular agent was on duty, in order to get a “complete” machine. I did return, but by that time the offer had disappeared — “we don’t have authority, etc. etc. etc.” So, while I came away with a nice sign, an even nicer prize of a Hot Springs dater evaporated. I’ve often wondered what happened to that drawer full of dater dies; none seem to have ever materialized on the railroadiana market.

Bill Pollard

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