michaelckelly.net | Rails Around Train guy – Railfan, Author, podcaster

Throw Back Thursday – Frisco Style

Posted on November 12, 2015 by admin

Valley Park sits on the Meramec River at the bottom of Kirkwood Hill. At one time, the Frisco had a hotel, car shops, and an art-deco concrete passenger station located here. The two main tracks converge in Valley Park to single track from both directions to cross the Meramec River. Frisco GP38-2 #468 leads westbound train $437A past the signal on September 15, 1979. Photo by our friend Daniel Schroeder.

The above is an excerpt from Rails Around Missouri, Chapter Five, page 121. Rails Around Missouri is currently in its second hard cover print run, and is due out by Thanksgiving 2015. You can order your copy via the link below, and your copy will come signed by the author, and in time for Christmas! Postal or dealer orders are also an option directly from the printer. Contact Don Banwart, donald@sekan.com or call 620 664-7014.

The book is packed with over 500 all-color images from between 1946 – 1986, and from every corner of the state. Our online price is $54.95 plus $8 shipping. If it is a gift, please email me after your order to make sure I have that info: atsf101@hotmail.com

Throwback Thursday, Katy style

Posted on November 5, 2015 by admin

Franklin, at milepost 189, was the site of a large yard and trainmaster’s office. The yard facilities included a roundhouse, back shop, water treatment plant, car department, scales, and diesel servicing. Leon Sapp was the MKT Trainmaster for this division around 1970, and according to Leon, the yard here was large but underutilized. Rail was 60-70 pounds, and by September 1970, was being cannibalized in places for use on the Moberly branch, which had very light rail. Extra 229 North is rolling past the weed-choked yard, headed for St Louis. (Leon Sapp-photo)

The above is an excerpt from Rails Around Missouri, Chapter One, page 30. Rails Around Missouri is currently in its second hard cover print run, and is due out by Thanksgiving 2015. You can order your copy via the link below, and your copy will come signed by the author, and in time for Christmas! Postal or dealer orders are also an option directly from the printer. Contact Don Banwart, donald@sekan.com or call 620 664-7014.

Throwback Thursday – Santa Fe style

Posted on October 29, 2015 by admin

Thirteen miles southwest of Marceline is Mendon, in Chariton County. Being a very rural farming community, Mendon was and still is a tiny town, featuring several grain silos, two signal bridges and at once time, a depot. On April 19, 1981, Santa Fe C30-7 # 8025 rushes an eastbound manifest through the signal bridges, headed for Chicago. Today, not only is the Sante Fe gone, but the classic ATSF signal bridges are gone as well, replaced by BNSF with contemporary 3-indication “Vader” hood signals. (Photo – Dale Hearn)

The above is an excerpt from Rails Around Missouri, Chapter Two, page 46. Rails Around Missouri is currently in its second hard cover print run, and is due out by Thanksgiving 2015. You can order your copy via the link below, and your copy will come signed by the author, and in time for Christmas! Postal or dealer orders are also an option directly from the printer. Contact Don Banwart, donald@sekan.com or call 620 664-7014.

Flashback Friday – MoPac style

Posted on October 23, 2015 by admin

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 enough to lend this image of a classic scene at DeSoto in June 1946. Missouri Pacific 4-8-4 #2109 has arrived with the northbound Texan, while a switcher works the car repair shop tracks on the left. This shop is still open and in service today for the Union Pacific. (Joe Collias)

The above is an excerpt from Rails Around Missouri, Chapter Six, pages 134-135. Rails Around Missouri is currently in its second hard cover print run, and is due out by Thanksgiving 2015. You can order your copy via the link below, and your copy will come signed by the author, and in time for Christmas! Postal or dealer orders are also an option directly from the printer. Contact Don Banwart, donald@sekan.com or call 620 664-7014.

TBT – Rock Island style

Posted on October 15, 2015 by admin

Owensville Rock Island 1205 local 10-20-75 Dalman

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 October 20, 1975. (Paul Dalman photo)

This excerpt from Rails Around Missouri can be found in Chapter 7, page 178. Rails Around Missouri is a hardcover, 224-page book filled with over 500 all-color photos of the railroads of Missouri from 1946-1985, with history and maps going back to the 1800s. Sold out in early 2014, Rails Around Missouri is back in hard-cover print, due for re-release by December 1, 2015. Order your copy below, and it will come signed by the author, in time for Christmas. Postal, email and dealer orders can be placed with the publisher, Britegraphics, of Pittsburg KS. Contact Don Banwart, donald@sekan.com for more info on those options.

My price is $54.95 plus $8 shipping.