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clemmie_doris12Participant
I made a “reconnaissance” trip to Austin during the second weekend of March. I am happy to report that all looks very good. The hotel facility is quite nice and has been recently renovated. I was quite pleased with the quality of my room. As we have pointed out, elsewhere, the free breakfast, and the evening drink and food offering (5:30 Kickback) are good values and help offset the cost of your room. Please use the reservation link above or ask for the MPHS rate when you call to make your reservation. The cost of our meeting space is significantly reduced if you reserve your room as part of the MPHS block of room nights. Due to traffic conditions and other factors, I highly recommend that you use the Drury Inn for your stay. You may find a different facility with a cheaper rate, but I think you will find the frustration of getting back and forth not to be worth the financial savings.
I visited the Austin Steam Train Site in Cedar Park and I was very impressed by their operation. Negotiations for the charter train trip should be completed by the end of April. Once finalized, additional details will be posted on this page. Our train will consist of seven to eight cars and will be pulled by a GP40 in a quasi MoPac paint scheme. I toured all of the cars and they are all nicely restored. Our trip will take us to Burnet and back with a stop at the depot in Bertram. This is on an active railroad that sees both freight and commuter operations with a maximum speed of 40 mph. This is about as close as you can get to real railroading on a tourist type operation. The trip will begin on Friday morning with a return to Cedar Park in the early afternoon. A box lunch will be offered as an extra fair amenity. This is a must do activity. Make your plans, now.
We are still seeking some individuals that are interested in making a presentation. This year’s schedule will have a reduced number of presentation slots due to the train trip and other activities. So, get your name in the hat real soon. If your are interested, contact me, ASAP, at [email protected].
For you T-Shirt fans, we will have a special shirt created for this event. It will feature a reference to the I-GN which was the predecessor road to MP’s operation in Austin. A listing will be posted just as soon as the design is finalized.
Austin is a very popular vacation and leisure destination. There will be plenty of activities for spouses in addition to the train ride. Additional information will be coming very soon. I strongly suggest that you get your work schedule adjusted and your hotel reservation made very soon.
I hope to see you at Austin in October.
clemmie_doris12ParticipantThe photo of the green bunk car in Bill Pollard’s last post was taken at the museum in Atchison, KS. They used to go by the Northeast Kansas Railroaders moniker. But, there have been some ownership changes and the local Chamber of Commerce seems to have control of the full size rolling stock. The former group was using this car as a workshop for maintenance of the miniature train that they run next to this facility.
The interesting thing about this photo, at least for me, is the position of the photographer when he snapped the picture. Unless this is a fairly recent photo, he would have been standing near the end of my caboose, MP 13569.
As for the 30304 number, I think this is a UP renumbering of some sort. Due to age and other factors, it has to be in non-revenue service.
clemmie_doris12ParticipantThe link that was posted was merely the reservation link for our group. Here is the link to an overview of the facility.
https://www.druryhotels.com/locations/austin-tx/drury-inn-and-suites-austin-north#overview
As you can see, there is a free hot breakfast and, as Ron explained, the 5:30 Kickback is like happy hour. But, in addition to a few free alcoholic drinks, there are hot dogs, nachos, baked potatoes and other items that will make a decent dinner.
We had a great experience, last year, at the Drury in Mt. Vernon, IL. I’m sure this facility will be just as nice.
clemmie_doris12ParticipantHere is another photo. This was taken in 1992 at Ft. Gibson, OK. Note the “Palestine” post-UP font reporting marks.
[attachment=0:30lf0smz]MP Express Car FGIB 1992.jpg[/attachment:30lf0smz]clemmie_doris12ParticipantThis is going to be next year’s Christmas card.
[attachment=0:1bbf2d7z]2017-12-23 16.50.07.jpg[/attachment:1bbf2d7z]clemmie_doris12ParticipantIn the last photo, showing the entire car, note how the steam line is mounted low and away from the carbody on the center 2/3 of the car. This would seem to have put it at risk for debris and potential damage at higher speeds. What was the reason for mounting in this obviously lower position versus more flush with the carbody?
In looking at the photos, I would surmise that the steam line location was affected by the brake rigging. The car(s) in the photos have body mounted brake cylinders and the associated levers, rods and slack adjusters. It appears the the steam line was dropped down so as not to interfere with their movement. According to the diagram sheets the last 25 cars got truck mounted brake cylinders.
I am puzzled by the photos in that the close-ups show a dampening strut on the trucks, but the overall view of the car does not. I don’t see any mounting points for the strut, either. I wonder if there was a change in truck design somewhere along the way?
clemmie_doris12ParticipantIntriguing! How much per set would the MPHS member price be if we ordered the 15-set minimum?
I’d have to tally up how many I’d need. Chris, and you HO folks who would use them on vehicles, how about you?Pat, if it would help your cause, put me down for two.
clemmie_doris12ParticipantCharlie, thanks for the play by play on building this car. I have done some internet searches for pictures of this car. These cars were rather prolific and lasted a long time. I discovered there were lots of variations in paint scheme, stenciling, etc. Modelers of the ’60s up to the present can probably find a way to put some version of this car on their on layout. The price is right, so buy one, today.
clemmie_doris12ParticipantIdea — since the passenger car buzzsaw was 24″, maybe we could market those also as a 12″ buzzsaw in HO scale, maybe for MoW vehicles or office doors or something.
That’s not a bad idea, Ron. I could certainly use some buzzsaws for my HO scale vehicles.
clemmie_doris12ParticipantPlans for this year’s convention are moving along smoothly. We will try to make regular posts on this forum, but the most current information will be found at the MPHS website on the convention page – http://www.mopac.org/annual-convention/207-2018-austin-tx.
A contract has been signed with the Drury Inn and Suites in Austin for meeting space and guest rooms. Here is the link to the room reservation web page at Drury’s website – https://www.druryhotels.com/bookandstay/newreservation/?groupno=2323151. Austin is a popular place this time of year and these are the lowest rates we could negotiate. Check out the amenities and extras included with the room rate, closely, and you will see that they help offset the cost quite well. A nice breakfast is included and the 5:30 Kickback offerings make a nice evening meal. We had a quality stay at the same type of facility in Mt. Vernon and I am sure this one will be the same. As I just mentioned, Austin has other festivities this same weekend. I highly recommend that you make your hotel reservations early.
At this point in time, it appears that we will have a charter train trip with the Austin Steam Train Association on Friday. It will include some MP passenger cars and an MP caboose (I’ve got dibs on the cab). A tour of the Georgetown Railroad is also in the works.
As we have done for the last few years, the basic attendance fee will remain low. There will be additional fees for the train ride and the banquet, but they will be kept as low as possible. We do not try to make money off of the convention itself.
Stay tuned.
clemmie_doris12ParticipantStock is extremely low and some sizes are unavailable. No restock is expected. Order, now!
clemmie_doris12ParticipantI have a few of each brand in my collection. Guaranteed authentic MP issue.
clemmie_doris12ParticipantRussell, I have had the same question about a passenger depot. Back in earlier days this line did have passenger trains. So, I’m sure there was a facility other than the one you photographed at some point in the past. Hopefully, someone on this forum can shed a little more light on the subject.
clemmie_doris12ParticipantWelcome aboard, Russell. Springfield is an interesting place, railroad wise. The Missouri Pacific had some important customers in the area even though it was hugely Frisco territory. The line from Springfield to Crane was originally built as the Springfield Southwestern. My understanding is that it was built in order to give shippers and travelers an alternative to the Frisco.
clemmie_doris12ParticipantI saw the same item. It is definitely not railroad issue and I believe that the eBay seller mentioned that. As for its accuracy, I cannot say. Personally, I would rather have the actual scan of the appropriate rule book pages as opposed to this piece of slick paper.
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