[benjamintickell53]

The Uniform Code of Operating Rules, November 1, 1940, was/is a hardback grey clothbound rule book, issued by MP, RI and StLSW. I looked through my book at a few of the indications shown on the poster, and everything matches the rulebook, numbers, etc. So… yes, a reproduction, but it seems to be nicely done and a good summary of signal indications used at that time. The price is reasonable for what it is, though by the time you figure in the shipping, you could probably have purchased the original rulebook for less. Unlike earlier rulebooks, most of which had color printing for the various signal aspects, the 1940 issue was printed on the cheap, with only the letter of the color shown, rather than actual red-yellow-green indications, so in that regard, this poster is an improvement on the original. Also, the actual rulebook has exceptions for some lower quadrant indications used only by Rock Island, and this summary poster also includes those details. So… if you are called to pilot a MoP detour over the RI through Bauxite, Arkansas, you aren’t going to misinterpret that lower quadrant train order signal in front of the Bauxite depot. (If you get that call, however, let me know…)

Bill Pollard

[benjamintickell53]

After reading the new book, Missouri Pacific Through Passenger Service, I can offer several thoughts to those who might be considering a purchase. The book is well done from a production standpoint, at least in terms of the quality of the images, and most photos are sharp and with the MP blue properly depicted in color tone (a sometimes difficult achievement). It includes many excellent photographs, most of which have never been published. Most photos depict MP passenger service in the 1950s and 1960s, with a preponderance of coverage in the late 1960s. From the standpoint of photographic coverage, the book belongs in the library of anyone interested in Missouri Pacific or passenger service. The book can generally be divided into three sections, the first 104 pages dealing with MP passenger service, followed by 4 pages of Amtrak service on the MP and 19 pages on C&EI passenger service.

The book does have what I consider some shortcomings. The photo layout is very random, with no discernible order either chronologically or geographically. There is no index, either by location, subject or equipment number, so if trying to find a photo that you want to revisit, its necessary to thumb through the book to locate it. The Amtrak section is mercifully short, and the photos here cover only the St. Louis – Kansas City line with the exception of one photo of the Texas Eagle on the former GM&O. There are numerous photos available of Amtrak trains on the former Missouri Pacific with iconic MP structures in the background, such as the clock tower at Little Rock, the T&P station at Marshall or MP/T&P depots along the line. Using those to illustrate the Amtrak section would perhaps have made the Amtrak section more relevant to Missouri Pacific historians, offering a “then and now” perspective.

The photo captions are a challenge for anyone desiring accurate, detailed information. There are a number of historical errors and other places where generic captions were written when the space could have been better used to provide a historical context to the photograph. There is also a lot of repetition of information in captions, some of which may occur because of the random placement of photos. The author obviously spent a lot of time gathering photographs and information, but it appears that the publisher rushed the material into production with little regard for an orderly presentation of the material and less regard for a pre-publication review of the material by editors who were conversant with the subject matter. The attached PDF file provides some correction or clarification on some of the captions.

Anyone who has published a book or an article in a historical or academic journal is well aware how gremlins creep into the process despite best efforts. Author Stout is to be commended for gathering a nice selection of MP passenger photos. Buy the book… you will enjoy the photographs, and where the captions don’t seem just right, it provides the reader with the challenge of going to dig out information themselves to clarify details.

Bill Pollard

[attachment=0:2dxw153z]Stout-Book-review-12-2017.pdf[/attachment:2dxw153z]

[benjamintickell53]

Your suggested location of a train on the KC line sounds good to me. As for the business car, obviously not car 1 because of the absence of the silver stripes above and below window, and the end platform railing is closed rather than the open grill work of car 1. Car 8 had three or four larger windows on each side, and these windows appear smaller, so more likely one of the T&P cars, #9 or #10. Car 9 was off the roster by the time of Amtrak, so my guess is car 10.

Bill Pollard

Diagram of car 10 from the MPHS CD of passenger car diagrams – another reason to have that CD for reference.
[attachment=0:1p1pbhyw]10.pdf[/attachment:1p1pbhyw]

[benjamintickell53]

Your suggested location of a train on the KC line sounds good to me. As for the business car, obviously not car 1 because of the absence of the silver stripes above and below window, and the end platform railing is closed rather than the open grill work of car 1. Car 8 had three or four larger windows on each side, and these windows appear smaller, so more likely one of the T&P cars, #9 or #10. Car 9 was off the roster by the time of Amtrak, so my guess is car 10.

Bill Pollard

Diagram of car 10 from the MPHS CD of passenger car diagrams – another reason to have that CD for reference.
[attachment=0:1p1pbhyw]10.pdf[/attachment:1p1pbhyw]

[benjamintickell53]

By getting rid of that relatively safe walkway to go between units, the company encouraged another far less safe method. It was common practice on the Arkansas Division and probably elsewhere, to go between GP units by going down the end steps and swinging from one unit to the other, hanging out over open space in the process. I was “taught” this method on my first student trip. Fortunately, I didn’t have to do it often but it was a fairly common way to get between units while the train was moving.

Bill Pollard

[benjamintickell53]

Many train order offices on the Central Division never received the flashing light signals, keeping upper quadrant semaphores until the stations were closed. Signal heads (used, from somewhere??) were delivered to Conway, AR about 1970 to replace the semaphore, but one of the signal heads apparently disappeared and the semaphore remained in service until the train order office was relocated to a prefab building south of town in 1973. Flashing light train order signals were at Newport and Russellville by the late 1960s. Perhaps someone has a signal diagram for these units which would give the initial dates of use.

Bill Pollard

[benjamintickell53]

Who has the capability to capture this video from youtube and have it posted here? Youtube can be like Yahoo groups…. here today, gone tomorrow. It would be a shame for this to be lost, and in this particular video, I doubt that there would be any copyright issues, otherwise it would have been pulled from Youtube already.
Bill Pollard

[benjamintickell53]

The phrase MOdern PACe was apparently used for only a year or two. It appeared on the 1958 card calendar. Does anyone have an advertising piece from a later date with this phrase?

Bill Pollard

[attachment=0:oiq6bczi]MOdern-Pace-1958.jpg[/attachment:oiq6bczi]

[benjamintickell53]

This has to be perhaps the premier MP caboose restoration around. The interior is immaculate. Did it even look that good when it arrived from the builder?

Bill Pollard

[benjamintickell53]

4303 had a plow before MoP got it. See attached photo. The first order, 4300-4314 apparently all had plows on front and rear. The second order, 4315-4355, did not come to the Rock Island equipped with plows.

Bill Pollard

[attachment=0:2cgiszud]4303.jpg[/attachment:2cgiszud]

[benjamintickell53]

The program was quite disappointing when it aired, at least for anyone viewing it with the hope that the Missouri Pacific railroader connection would be explored. Discussion of two generations of railroaders was glossed over in less than 30 seconds, complete with a video of some totally unrelated Great Northern train (a train is a train is a train mentality). The ancestry of three separate people was discussed during the hour, so perhaps there wasn’t time to spend on something as mundane as a lifetime career on the railroad.

Bill Pollard

[benjamintickell53]

The 2017 convention was another good one – they just keep getting better. Joint conventions, such as this year’s with the C&EI HS, helps to increase the attendance, thus attracting more dealers, more presentations, etc. The swap meet this year was one of the best in recent memory in terms of the volume of material, and the company stores of both MPHS and C&EI HS offered great material for sale. Who would have thought that MP paperwork from Arkansas Division passenger conductors at Little Rock would be found in the $1.00 bargain box of the C&EI group.

The Friday morning tour highlight was visiting the Crab Orchard & Egyptian shortline, where two of the locomotives were ex-Missouri Pacific. Chuck’s Depot, an amazingly well stocked hobby shop in Marion, opened early for the group and enjoyed brisk sales as well as offering a visit to Chuck’s downstairs layout under construction. Excellent driving instructions were distributed to allow participants to quickly find (and photograph) the remaining C&EI depots between Marion and Mt. Vernon.

[attachment=6:vxfomk38]CO&E_1161.jpg[/attachment:vxfomk38]

[attachment=5:vxfomk38]CO&E_3158.jpg[/attachment:vxfomk38]

We were unable to make the Salem tour on Sunday, but those who made the trip saw the MP Heritage locomotive freshly repainted. En route to our next destination, we did make time to visit three former interlocking towers that have been preserved in the area. Vandalia was the former crossing of the Illinois Central and Pennsylvania, Ramsey was the crossing of the same IC line with the Nickel Plate, and Pana was the crossing of the IC and the New York Central. C&EI had trackage rights over the NYC between Pana and St. Louis.

[attachment=4:vxfomk38]Vandalia,-IL_3224.jpg[/attachment:vxfomk38]

[attachment=0:vxfomk38]NKP-459-Ramsey-IL.jpg[/attachment:vxfomk38]

[attachment=3:vxfomk38]Pana,-IL_3259.jpg[/attachment:vxfomk38]

As we returned back home, we visited the former MP station at Dexter, MO and the former MR&BT (M-I) station at Bonne Terre, MO.

[attachment=2:vxfomk38]Dexter-MO_3147.jpg[/attachment:vxfomk38]

[attachment=1:vxfomk38]Bonne-Terre-MO_3297.jpg[/attachment:vxfomk38]

We will be looking forward to next year’s Austin convention, perhaps with the opportunity to ride Amtrak’s Texas Eagle in place of this year’s long road trip.
Bill Pollard

[benjamintickell53]

C&EI 6000-6001, SW1 switchers, were frequently assigned to the depot switcher job at Little Rock Union Depot, appearing very briefly in black and then in new Jenks blue. While not technically passenger equipment, these units were part of the Arkansas Division passenger service for an undetermined period of time circa 1968.

Bill Pollard

[benjamintickell53]

Without getting too specific, it depends on the cars involved. Air conditioning began to be applied to diners and lounge cars in the early 1930s, some of which was ice and some with the various mechanical systems then available. All streamlined cars were delivered with mechanical A/C and some ice A/C cars were later converted to mechanical. Other ice cars, particularly some heavyweight coaches, remained ice A/C for their entire career, into the early 1960s.

If you need specific car information for 1943 and later, the T&P listings in the Official Register of Passenger Train Equipment (published once or twice a year) will usually list the type of air conditioning in each car, and you can fairly readily view the transition from that time forward. Pullman was also air conditioning their cars by the early 1930s, following the same general approach.

Bill Pollard

[benjamintickell53]

I have been told that the parlor car image on the 1961 card calendar shows the interior of the parlor cars that had been purchased second-hand from the C&O in 1959 and renumbered 752-755. These cars ran briefly on various St. Louis-Kansas City day trains before being converted to coaches.

Bill Pollard

[attachment=0:18snh82h]1961-w.jpg[/attachment:18snh82h]

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