DeSoto is located south of St Louis, and was home to a large car repair shop for the Missouri Pacific, as well as the namesake town of the DeSoto Subdivision. Though previously published in his book “Missouri Pacific Lines in Color” from the early 1990s, the late, great author and photographer Joe G Collias was kind…
While trains 73 & 74 were the only scheduled through freights across the St Louis line, the Rock Island did operate locals in each direction our of Eldon. On the est end, these locals served customers at Union, Owensville, Belle, Meta and Freeburg. GP7 #1205 has a 21-car westbound local in tow near Owensville on…
The northbound KCS Southern Belle, train #2 calls on Grandview in August 1969, led by E8 #27. When inaugurated in 1940, the Southern Belle operated with sleepers, a diner-lounge and chair cars, and made the KC-New Orleans trek in just over 21 hours. By 1969, its last year of operation, the Belle is down to a baggage,…
As we re-launch the production of Rails Around Missouri with a reprint of the original book, below is an excerpt from Chapter 7 – Central Missouri, and a look at the Frisco’s Salem branch. At Cuba, milepost 86, a branch was built to the lead mining areas to the south of the mainline. Known as…
RAILS AROUND MISSOURI IS HEADED BACK TO PRINT IN HARD COVER! In an agreement with Britegraphix of Ft Scott, Kansas, a second hard-cover run of Rails Around Missouri will be available by Thanksgiving 2015! At the publisher’s request, the book will feature a new cover, but will have the exact same look, feel, and content…