Last Runs (almost) of Trains 125-126

[benjamintickell53]

from Yahoo Mopac group, May 2014

Last winter sometime I was going through an old box of unfiled negatives and came across the attached. The last runs of 125-126 between Kansas City and Little Rock were on March 28, 1960. That was a Monday and I had to be in school, but the day before, Sunday March 27, 1960, I paid $6.65 for a round trip ticket from Fort Smith to Claremore and return. The attached photos are from that trip. The consists were:

Train 125
8012 PA
2582 Baggage/RPO
3612 Combine
6152 Coach
6408 Coach

Train 126
7020 E-8
2565 Baggage/RPO
3614 Combine
8159 Coach
6314 Coach

In each case there was one extra coach because of people like me making a last trip. The consist 126 turned and made the final trip the next day as 125. I got a RPO cancellation from “Claremore & L. Rock – TR 125, March 28,1960”
Gordon Mott

[benjamintickell53]

From Yahoo Mopac group, May 2014

Gordon
Wonderful photos! And glad you recorded the consist.

I worked several months in Van Buren/Ft. Smith around the winter 1975. Recall one evening seeing the Jenks Blue 1976 working in a consist to be painted in the red/white/blue for the bi-centennial at NLRK. Apparently when they were switching in Russellville the engineer misjudged where his train was and backed into the train too fast and ‘bent the frame’. The engine showed back up at Van Buren with oil all over the middle of the walkway the next day.

I was told later they pulled another GP-18 out of service to get the bi-centennial colors and the real 1976 was quietly retired. Looking forward to anymore of your ‘unfiled’ negatives.
Charlie Duckworth

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These are great pictures, and Wagoner is a rarely photographed location. Trains 125 and 126 were truly all-stops locals by this time, a far cry from the Rainbow Special of 40 years earlier. A schedule from the January 1960 Official Guide is attached, showing the many stops as well as meal stops in each direction.

MoPac attempted to revive passenger business on this route by promoting round trips for a dollar more than one-way fare, and a grill coach was also restored from December 15, 1957 until January 31, 1959 to upgrade the service. The identity of the grill cars has always been a bit of a mystery.

Gordon Mott mentions that train 126 turned in Kansas City to become 125. Its possible that 125 turned at Little Rock to become 126. A photo taken at Conway on the last northbound trip has locomotive 8012, and an 8mm home movie of this last trip shows a four-car consist similar to the one Gordon photographed southbound a day earlier.
Bill Pollard

[Author]

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