[Bill Pollard]

A question was asked on Facebook whether QQ in the QQ tower name referred to a telegraph call. No… the letter designations extended down the railroad covering junctions (transitions from single to double track, etc.) and interlocking plants. More research is needed to determine when MP implemented this naming system, but a dispatcher sheet from 1940 provides the actual telegraph calls in use at the time.

[attachment=0:ajbw4cc1]telegraph-calls.jpg[/attachment:ajbw4cc1]

[Bill Pollard]

[attachment=3:3vzssbna]MVN-1936_clearance.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna][attachment=5:3vzssbna]MVN-1936_78.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna][attachment=4:3vzssbna]MVN-1936_88.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna]
[attachment=0:3vzssbna]ARK_clearance.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna][attachment=2:3vzssbna]ARK_99.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna][attachment=1:3vzssbna]ARK_100.jpg[/attachment:3vzssbna]

[Bill Pollard]

[attachment=6:jjiwpwzw]Gurdon_370.jpg[/attachment:jjiwpwzw][attachment=5:jjiwpwzw]Gurdon_604.jpg[/attachment:jjiwpwzw]
[attachment=3:jjiwpwzw]Prescott_clearance.jpg[/attachment:jjiwpwzw][attachment=4:jjiwpwzw]Prescott_375.jpg[/attachment:jjiwpwzw]
[attachment=0:jjiwpwzw]Fulton_clearance.jpg[/attachment:jjiwpwzw][attachment=2:jjiwpwzw]Fulton_381.jpg[/attachment:jjiwpwzw][attachment=1:jjiwpwzw]Fulton_382.jpg[/attachment:jjiwpwzw]

[Bill Pollard]

Continuing with orders received by Extra 1497 South at Donaldson and points south.

[attachment=7:2rx328s2]Donaldson_clearance.jpg[/attachment:2rx328s2][attachment=9:2rx328s2]Donaldson_78.jpg[/attachment:2rx328s2][attachment=8:2rx328s2]Donaldson_80.jpg[/attachment:2rx328s2]
[attachment=5:2rx328s2]ARK_clearance.jpg[/attachment:2rx328s2][attachment=6:2rx328s2]ARK_87.jpg[/attachment:2rx328s2]
[attachment=0:2rx328s2]Gurdon_clearance.jpg[/attachment:2rx328s2][attachment=4:2rx328s2]Gurdon_339.jpg[/attachment:2rx328s2][attachment=3:2rx328s2]Gurdon_356.jpg[/attachment:2rx328s2][attachment=2:2rx328s2]Gurdon_359.jpg[/attachment:2rx328s2][attachment=1:2rx328s2]Gurdon_368.jpg[/attachment:2rx328s2]

[Bill Pollard]

Nice job on the video! Do you have the book on Iron Mountain Arkansas depots that MPHS recently published?

Bill Pollard

[Bill Pollard]

This portion of this thread covers the southbound trip of this crew aboard Extra 1497 South, originating at North Little Rock yard on June 16, 1942, and tying up at Texarkana.

[attachment=8:2toepp60]NLR_clearance.jpg[/attachment:2toepp60][attachment=7:2toepp60]NLR_msg.jpg[/attachment:2toepp60]

A clearance was required for trains departing North Little Rock yard, but note that there were no orders, and the only order handed up at HH Tower (the Rock Island crossing, located just south of Little Rock Union Depot) was an order restricting speed. On this section of the railroad, and the next section which was full CTC, specific running orders were apparently not necessary. From Malvern on south, movement was by timetable and train order authority, so more traditional operating orders were necessary.
[attachment=5:2toepp60]HH-Tower_clearance.jpg[/attachment:2toepp60][attachment=6:2toepp60]HH-Tower_503.jpg[/attachment:2toepp60]
[attachment=0:2toepp60]MVN_clearance.jpg[/attachment:2toepp60][attachment=3:2toepp60]MVN_78.jpg[/attachment:2toepp60][attachment=4:2toepp60]MVN_74.jpg[/attachment:2toepp60][attachment=2:2toepp60]MVN_81.jpg[/attachment:2toepp60][attachment=1:2toepp60]MVN_84.jpg[/attachment:2toepp60]

[Bill Pollard]

Orders for Second 18 at Hope.
[attachment=1:19ijaz8u]HOPE_clearance.jpg[/attachment:19ijaz8u][attachment=0:19ijaz8u]HOPE_425.jpg[/attachment:19ijaz8u]
============================
Message for Second 18 at Prescott.
[attachment=8:19ijaz8u]Prescott-w.jpg[/attachment:19ijaz8u]
============================
Orders for Second 18 at Gurdon. These orders get Second 18 to the point north of Donaldson where CTC was in effect, and thus the Gurdon orders might have been the last ones received for this trip. Note that Second 18 is instructed to clear at the siding north of Gurdon. This was an unusual center siding, located between the two main tracks and accessible from each main at each end (see track diagram in profile page below.) The south end of the siding began within sight of the Gurdon depot, and the north end of the siding was almost 2 miles distant, at Smithton. The siding remained in service into at least the early 1970s. Note that order 126 was issued at 6:23pm giving wait times for Second 18. Order 136 was issued at 8pm, adjusting the wait times for Second 18 by a mere six to ten minutes. Such was the attention to detail during this era of true precision railroading.
[attachment=7:19ijaz8u]Gurdon-1942-6-17_clearance-w.jpg[/attachment:19ijaz8u][attachment=6:19ijaz8u]Gurdon-1942-6-17_126.jpg[/attachment:19ijaz8u]
[attachment=5:19ijaz8u]Gurdon-1942-6-17_134.jpg[/attachment:19ijaz8u][attachment=4:19ijaz8u]Gurdon-1942-6-17_136.jpg[/attachment:19ijaz8u]
[attachment=3:19ijaz8u]Gurdon-1942-6-17_0005.jpg[/attachment:19ijaz8u]

[attachment=2:19ijaz8u]1945-profile-w.jpg[/attachment:19ijaz8u]

[Bill Pollard]

Following up on the earlier discussion about C&EI passenger cars being renumbered into the MP series, the main remaining “mystery” involves the 50-foot express cars that are shown as MP 125-132 in the Missouri Pacific’s 1-1968 equipment summary. Two of these cars were photographed in the trains through Little Rock in October 1967 and early 1968. Stenciling on the upper left roofline is believed to contain the information that these cars were leased from C&EI.

Later photographs show cars in the 255957-255960 series, lettered C&EI and now with a C&EI buzzsaw. C&EI/MP diagrams suggest that these cars came from the C&EI 3900-3929 boxcar series, but that does not explain the passenger paint scheme on these cars. At this point, it appears that the MP 125-132 cars were renumbered when the lease expired. Can anyone provide other photo or paper documentation to explain these cars or verify this speculation?

Bill Pollard

[attachment=3:3is02gt2]CEI-130a.jpg[/attachment:3is02gt2]

[attachment=4:3is02gt2]CEI-128.jpg[/attachment:3is02gt2]

[attachment=0:3is02gt2]CEI-255960-10-1974-Egan-w.jpg[/attachment:3is02gt2]

[attachment=2:3is02gt2]255959-Ron-Merrick-Wichita-Aug-71.jpg[/attachment:3is02gt2]

[attachment=1:3is02gt2]CEI express car 255958.jpg[/attachment:3is02gt2]

[Bill Pollard]

Your model work and model photography is amazing. Really nice layout! Jenks blue on a GP-12 never looked so good.

[Bill Pollard]

For those who are into the details… here is a list of the Pullman routes operated over the Missouri Pacific in the five years before service ended on New Year’s day 1969. A word about numbers…. there were car numbers (on the side of the car, along with the car name), loading numbers (the illuminated number in the car window which also appeared on your ticket), and line numbers. The “line number” as cited below was assigned by Pullman, usually blocks of numbers for each railroad. The line number was more of an accounting tool to identify specific routes, or specific car lines when multiple cars operated over the same route. A few railroads listed the line number in the public timetable, but MP was not one of them. This information was gathered from “History of Lines” volumes, and yearly financial statements 1-14B, all preserved for research at the Newberry Library in Chicago.

MP and TP Pullman lines operating from January 1, 1964 through December 31, 1968

LINE

---

Endpoints

---

Date Discontinued
3300 St Louis-Laredo-Mexico City– 12-31-1968
3306 St Louis-Fort Worth– 12-31-1968
3314 St Louis-Kansas City– 12-12-1966
3333 St Louis-Denver– 1-31-1964, operated St Louis-Kansas City, sleeper as parlor until 2-6-1964
3334 St Louis-Denver– 1-31-1964, operated St Louis-Kansas City, sleeper as parlor until 2-29-1964
3353 Chicago-Hot Springs (via GM&O)– 1-21-1964, operated St Louis-Little Rock until 1-26-1964
3385 New Orleans-Houston– 2-1-1964
3641 Houston-Brownsville– 2-1-1964
3703 St Louis-Houston– 12-31-1968
3704 St Louis-San Antonio– 11-10-1968
3710 St Louis-Hot Springs– 1-21-1964, operated St Louis-Little Rock until 1-23-1964
3710 St Louis-Little Rock– started 11-17-1967, discontinued 2-12-1968 90-day experimental service after line 3731 discontinued
3731 St Louis-Lake Charles– shortened to St Louis-Alexandria 1-8-1964; discontinued 11-16-1967
4085 St Louis-Fort Worth– 10-17-1966
4430 St Louis-Denver– 1-7-1964
4442 Baltimore-San Antonio– 5-19-1964, Slumbercoach in conjunction with B&O

[Bill Pollard]

Nice photo. That was a classic depot.

Bill Pollard

[Bill Pollard]

These fake 1944 calendars continue to appear on ebay, often selling for more than $100. “Mermaidtreasure” currently has one on sale, buy it now, for a mere $149.74. For anyone who harbors some hope that these just MIGHT be true Missouri Pacific artifacts, compare the erroneous “1944” calendar on the metal fake calendar with a true 1944 calendar… note the day of the week that starts each month – the fake calendar is not even 1944.

As stated previously, buying one of these for $10-15, just to have the Eagle artwork, is a legitimate purchase. Selling one as a “rare railroad artifact” to some new or unsuspecting collector at a bloated price is not acceptable.

Bill Pollard

[attachment=0:9evavzor]fake-calendar-1944-w.jpg[/attachment:9evavzor]

[attachment=2:9evavzor]1944-close-up-fake-w.jpg[/attachment:9evavzor]

[attachment=1:9evavzor]1944-w.jpg[/attachment:9evavzor]

[Bill Pollard]

Its not directly related to the ART book, but everyone needs to read – and then read again – Jerry’s last paragraph above. We all could probably do a better job of making sure the material we have collected over a lifetime continues to survive after we are gone. Its not a particularly uplifting topic to contemplate, but take the time to at least give your family some written direction – its a gift to them that they will appreciate during a very stressful time. If your collection is massive, give some general guidance about what is really important to transfer to MPHS, what might best be given to a local historical repository, and what should be auctioned, sold, put on ebay, etc. In the meantime, participate in getting some of your “one of a kind” files scanned by MPHS, its truly a win-win arrangement.

Bill Pollard

[Bill Pollard]

The Canadian domes, which are the ones actually modeled by Rapido, did (do) operate long end/vestibule forward, and interior seating is arranged accordingly. Rapido’s MP painted passenger cars are not known for absolute fidelity to MP practice — again, the cars are Canadian cars with US paint to sell a few more cars. That was less of an issue with some of their other cars, but with the dome, it does result in an undesirable compromise with either all of the seats facing backward or the car itself running backwards when operated per MP or other US railroad practice.

Bill Pollard

[Bill Pollard]

Norbert Shacklette was working the agent’s job at Washington MO when the caboose came in, and might have more details. The land owner apparently had some connection with an upper level MP official or member of the board of directors.

Bill Pollard

[Author]

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