Motorcar

[clemmie_doris12]

I just acquired this former Missouri Pacific motorcar. It appears to have been used in the Atchison area.

[attachment=0:2qy4m0qn]2018-07-08 15.40.52.jpeg[/attachment:2qy4m0qn]

[peggyrothschild]

Kevin
Looks to be a track inspector or signal maintainer car.

The Fairmont car I used on the tie gang sat four guys. Is there a number stenciled under the paint?

Mine ‘had’ a roof on it until we were just west of Lindsborg, Ks and motoring west on a super elevated curve there were flat wheat fields on either side of the right of way. The wind managed to pick the car off the rail with two of us riding, tear off the roof and dropped us down back on the ballast. Was a little shaken after that but I now had the only convertible motor car on the Western District.

Another motor car story. One cool morning in Marquette, Ks I added the oil to the tank before the gas so the oil sank to the bottom of the tank. Took a while to get the motor started (hand crank or by pushing and engaging the belt) but with every cycle ‘pop’ a large cloud of blue smoke came out the exhaust. Someone in town called the volunteer fire department saying the depot was on fire. I just waved as the fire truck slowly drove by my slowly popping motor car generating a huge clouds of smoke.

While working out of Marquette I’d motor towards Lindsborg to set out the four slow order boards to denote where the gang was working. For almost a week I had a Coopers Hawk wait for me on a certain telegraph pole and race me several poles and then watch me putting by. He must have thought it was great fun beating me.

[benjamintickell53]

Looks like a MT-19, the Onan powered version of the M-19. Nice motor car, but really too heavy for one man handling. Are you planning to restore it for operation or static display? Of course, the purists among us would argue that any “true” motorcar should have a single cylinder Fairmont engine. Comparing a Fairmont engine to an Onan is like comparing a steam locomotive to a Volkswagen beetle; one is temperamental as hell, requires the operator to be constantly listening to the engine exhaust to adjust the timer to the speed, etc., while the other is “just an engine”.

In 1991, when I was in the midst of motor car restorations myself, I condensed notes from several Missouri Pacific circa 1946 track motor car files which had previously been preserved by “dumpster diving” at Little Rock Union Station. The digital file seems to have disappeared over the years, but a hard copy remains – dot matrix printer, no less. A PDF file of that document is attached.

Despite my tongue in cheek discussion of Onan power, I may have a Fairmont maintenance book for a MT-19. If you need a copy, let me know.

Bill Pollard

[attachment=0:3k42otdw]MP-Motorcar-Trivia-1946.pdf[/attachment:3k42otdw]

[peggyrothschild]

Bill
Enjoyed your comments on the Fairmont engine. While it was designed with a crank we usually jump started it by pushing down the track. Getting the gas and spark settings at first seems a little daunting but after a couple of trips it came natural by listening to the sound of the engine. Wish I’d taken a few photos but who thought of having a camera?

Charlie

[benjamintickell53]

Charlie,
I had a crank on each of my M9 motorcars, but we almost NEVER started them with a crank. If they backfired, it could break your arm if you lost your grip on the crank, or so I was told. We always push started the car.

The photos of Mopac M9 C-6364 were taken on April 22, 1989 on the Clarksville AR branch, possibly the last run of a “rail” vehicle over the line. This line had been officially abandoned in late 1988, and a rail had been pulled at Clarksville Junction in January 1989, effectively isolating the 8.1 mile line and precluding any train movement over the line. A group bid on the line with a proposal to continue freight operation and a tourist train, but an out of state scrapper had a higher bid and was awarded the contract to remove the line. Scrapping operations began in May 1989.

Bill Pollard

[attachment=2:24r3pw4c]Clarksville-4-22-1989_0001-WL.jpg[/attachment:24r3pw4c]

[attachment=1:24r3pw4c]Clarksville-4-22-1989_0002-WL.jpg[/attachment:24r3pw4c]

[attachment=0:24r3pw4c]Clarksville-4-22-1989_0003-WL.jpg[/attachment:24r3pw4c]

[peggyrothschild]

Great photos and story I enjoyed reading it.

[Joseph Berry]

Thanks for sharing, Bill! Great read and great photo’s……

Gary H.

[clemmie_doris12]

Bill,

Thanks for the posts, including the photos. I think I will stick with the MT19. I like the convenience and the horsepower of the Onan engine. My car is NARCOA compliant and has a turntable. So, getting it turned is not a problem. I do have a manual, but thanks for the offer. Your trivia article was very interesting and informative.

I think my biggest issue is going to be finding a place to ride that is not too far away. Liability is such a big issue, today. It seems like a sponsored ride is about the only way to go.

When I get an opportunity, I will post some more photos.

[Author]

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