West Texas Eagle Consists – 1956 and 1960

[benjamintickell53]

The following information was originally posted in the Mopac_modeling yahoo group, July 2015.

Here are some West Texas Eagle Trains 1/2 consists for 1956 and January 1960.

The “typical” consist Little Rock to Ft Worth based on MoPac’s consist information for June 1956:

RPO-Baggage St Louis – Dallas
Baggage-Dormitory St Louis – Ft Worth
Coach (60 seat) St Louis – El Paso
Coach (60 seat) St Louis – El Paso
Dome Coach St Louis – Ft Worth
Sleeper 14-4 St Louis – Texarkana (to Houston via #21)
Sleeper 14-2-1 St Louis (Chicago, GM&O) – Ft Worth
Sleeper 14-4 St Louis (Washington B&O) – Ft Worth
Sleeper 5Br-Lng St Louis – Ft Worth
Diner St Louis – Ft Worth
Sleeper 14-4 St Louis (NYC PRR) – El Paso
Coach Little Rock (Memphis) – Ft Worth
Sleeper 14-4 Little Rock (Memphis) – Ft Worth

Actual consist 1/26/60 departing Little Rock:

T&P 101 RPO-Baggage St Louis – Dallas
T&P 301 Baggage-Dormitory St Louis – Ft Worth
T&P 450 60 seat Coach St Louis – El Paso
T&P 200 Dome Coach St Louis – Ft Worth
T&P 481 Coach-Grill-lounge St Louis – Ft Worth
Eagle Woods Sleeper 14-4 St Louis (Chicago GM&O) – Ft Worth
Eagle Bluff (PRR) Sleeper 10-6 St Louis (NYC PRR) – Ft Worth
Eagle Point Sleeper 14-4 St Louis (Washington B&O) – Ft Worth
Eagle Canyon Sleeper 5Br-Lng St Louis – Ft Worth
T&P 500 Diner St Louis – Ft Worth
MP 468 Divided Coach Little Rock (Memphis) – Ft Worth
Eagle Turn Sleeper 14-4 Little Rock (Memphis) – Ft Worth
MP 700 Mail Storage Little Rock (Memphis) – Texarkana(??)
Eagle County Sleeper 14-1-2 St Louis – Shreveport (Hope L&A)
Eagle Bridge Sleeper 14-4 St Louis – El Dorado (Gurdon) TT says 14-1-2

Actual consist 1/27/60 departing Little Rock:

T&P 102 RPO-Baggage St Louis – Dallas
MP 804 Baggage-Dormitory St Louis – Ft Worth
T&P 459 60 seat Coach St Louis – El Paso
MP 896 Dome Coach St Louis – Ft Worth
MP 732 Coach-Grill St Louis – Ft Worth (ex Delta Eagle Car)
Eagle Valley Sleeper 14-4 St Louis (Chicago GM&O) – Ft Worth
Eagle Pass (PRR) Sleeper 10-6 St Louis (NYC PRR) – Ft Worth
Eagle Bay Sleeper 14-4 St Louis (Washington B&O) – Ft Worth
Eagle Cliff Sleeper 5Br-Lng St Louis – Ft Worth
MP 845 Dining Lounge St Louis – Ft Worth
MP 865 Divided Coach Little Rock (Memphis) – Ft Worth
Eagle Divide Sleeper 14-4 Little Rock (Memphis) – Ft Worth
MP 711 Mail Storage Little Rock (Memphis) – Texarkana/Ft Worth (??)
Eagle Village Sleeper 14-1-2 St Louis – Shreveport (Hope L&A)
Eagle Glide Sleeper 14-1-2 St Louis – El Dorado (Gurdon)

I don’t know why the Eagle was carrying a mail storage car from Memphis, but the car was a lightweight “Eagle” car, so I’m guessing it must have been some type of priority move. I don’t know if the car went to Texarkana or Ft Worth. These cars returned to Little Rock on #32
Dick Ryker
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Regarding the lightweight mail storage car on the end of the train, this car was delivered from Memphis to Little Rock by the evening Memphis passenger train, Train 201, and was carried to Hope on the Eagle. At Hope, it was added to L&A train #3 for movement to Shreveport. Note the order of the last three cars… the El Dorado sleeper was dropped off first at Gurdon, then the Shreveport sleeper and mail storage at Hope, each requiring just a simple move to uncouple air, and presumably steam in winter, leave the car on the mainline for the local switcher, and the Eagle could be on its way. This was why a stop at Hope was maintained for the southbound Texas Eagle until the Memphis passenger train was discontinued in August 1965.

It was a little unusual for the rear two Pullman cars to be isolated from the remainder of the train, but I suppose an effort was made to get everyone out of the lounge and back to their car before Little Rock. I’ve never seen photos to confirm this practice, but consists were routinely shown in this fashion on dispatcher sheets.
Bill Pollard
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I don’t know a whole lot about passenger train consists,but I always find them very interesting. One thing that stuck out to me was the diner being positioned behind the sleepers from St. Louis. I always thought dining cars were usually placed between the coaches and sleepers to avoid having the coach passengers walk through the sleepers to eat in the diner. Were coach passengers only allowed to eat in the grill coach?
David Shoemaker

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Coach patrons were not restricted from eating in the dining car, though the grill car was aimed at the more budget minded passenger. I have eaten many a good meal on the the South Texas Eagle (#21) in the dining car.
Dick Ryker
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Dick, Something to consider is publishing consists such as these in the Eagle. Not big articles, but something like a “Consist Corner,” with the pertinent information. Not everyone is wired in, and it would be nice to see some of this information preserved for the future.
Jerry Michels
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I’ve been thinking along those lines. Other MPHS members have some dispatcher sheets as well. All of mine are from January 1960. BTW the dome cars are Pullman Standard, but the Budd domes were seen on #1 and #21
Dick Ryker
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