[Mike Vana]

Such good work! These were very common around the elevators and rice driers where I was reared in Louisiana and if you’re modeling the MoPac you’ll be needing several.

Jim Ogdsn

[Mike Vana]

Actually the museum is not getting built at this time and one of the curators let a group get the tender as partial payment for moving the engine. They thought the tender was a tank car!

[Mike Vana]

This is probably an urban legend, but I was told a group in San Antonio was given a pair of MoPac lightweights in the late 1960s only to sell them for emergency cash to purchase an electric locomotive unique to San Antonio that itself was about to be scrapped. (And MoPac was not happy) I’ve also heard a large national museum upon requesting a UP centennial was told to pound sand after Omaha found they scrapped previously donated UP equipment. About ten years ago, a museum in a Baton Rouge in the old IC/GCL depot got rid of the passenger cars (mostly IC) since the new strategic vision of the museum was art and not history.

These stories get more outrageous every time it’s told but so many museums and municipalities do these sorts of things that it’s understandable that railroads don’t like to donate things.

Jim

[Mike Vana]

Kind of a shame since I’m sure another group would have loved to have it.

Jim Ogden

[Mike Vana]

That’s exactly what MoPac Delivered. Those cars had to have been in storage somewhere and our local elevator would have been better with boxcars and signode paper grain doors.

[Mike Vana]

It would have been boxcars with grain doors prior to maybe 1965. After that date specialized covered hoppers were used that came with grain doors. About 1972 we specifically requested covered hoppers for rice and soy beans after Continental in New Orleans claimed our grain arrived spoiled. Then MoPac kindly provided rebuilt war emergency hoppers converted to covered hoppers that had been in cement service. Not good.

Jim Ogden

[Mike Vana]

It’s a match for the former Branchline 50’ car.

Jim

[Mike Vana]

They even did the heavyweight parlor car in Eagle colors; however, I think there are new people making the decisions at Walthers now so it may be a long time before we see this in MoPac

Jim Ogden

[Mike Vana]

I also think Fort Smith would be a good site– while the MoPac station is long gone, there was a lot of activity in and around the area. A&M even had a MoPac heavyweight baggage with a Clerestory roof. I almost wish the SLSF society was more structured since a joint meeting would be great.

With the Muskogee roads nearby, that is another tie-in.

Jim Ogden

[Mike Vana]

Actually there were two (2) 40′ insulated boxcars with plug doors painted in Swamp Holly Orange. These had the straight side sill and late improved dreadnaught ends and diagonal panel roofs. They were rebuilt from an earlier series built at Marshall. This is probably where the yellow boxcar idea came from and I only wish I could find photos of these rare cars.

Jim Ogden

[Mike Vana]

That– along with The Kingfish– and “Holy Mackerel”– come from Amos ‘N’ Andy. I think that radio show and Dogpatch and Little Orphan Annie were the things driving the culture until Elvis burst on the scene in the late 50’s.

Jim Ogden

[Mike Vana]

It’s a booster.

Jim Ogden

[Mike Vana]

The Rock Island EV caboose that Athearn modeled is too short because these were built on older caboose center sills that were sent to ICC for a new caboose body. Because of this, it really doesn’t work for anyone else’s caboose. I imagine one showed up in LA courtesy of Espee or UP as part of a pool arrangement and that is what they measured.

I’m convinced the Shapeways parts are the way to go for now for an extended vision caboose especially for the later versions.

I think model railroading is at its best when you get to operate with friends who might do a different era or region of even a different scale and you get the opportunity to bring your own equipment. I regret not getting an O Scale Mullet River MoP caboose a couple of years back.

Jim Ogden

[Mike Vana]

How do the roof, end, and underframe compare to Westerfield’s MoPac auto car? I’m thinking a parts donor other than F&c might be closer

Jim Ogden

[Mike Vana]

I can use a couple.

Jim

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